Coraggio’s first introduction to airpark living came in college during a time when he was starting his aviation industry career. As soon as he graduated from the University of Minnesota, he began working on and flying experimental airplanes. Last summer was transformative for him as an engineer and aviator. 

“I went to an aviation internship the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, which was intended to bridge the gap between the theory that they teach in engineering school and the practical side, actually being able to build, machine, weld, do composite layups, and things like that,” said Corragio. “Dick Keyt [with whom Coraggio completed the internship] has been a major mentor in my aviation career, both professional and recreational. I lived at an airpark, Pecan Plantation (0TX1) in Granbury, Texas, during that summer. Being there absolutely cemented the idea in my head that the coolest thing in the world that you can ever do is live with your airplane and be able to roll out of bed, fall down the stairs, make a cup of coffee, and be in the workshop in three minutes.” 

Coraggio and his spouse, Kevin James, purchased their home at Stellar Airpark last February. The residence checked the box for the duo, as the neighborhood is centered around a 4,417-foot-long asphalt runway and smack dab in the middle of the Greater  Phoenix area. 

“The biggest thing for the two of us was that I’m only home 15 days a month with my airline schedule usually, so I don’t mind if I’m far away from the city [as far as] things to do,” Coraggio said. “But the thing with Stellar is you are literally 1 mile away from a mall and restaurants. You are 15 minutes to downtown Phoenix, 15 minutes to Old Town Scottsdale, and 15 minutes to Sky Harbor Airport (KPHX). It’s a rarity to have an airpark with a major metropolitan area nearby with entertainment, shopping, and all of the conveniences nearby.”  

It may be tempting to justify living at an airpark with different means of rationalization. At the end of the day, though, the decision to move to a fly-in community is often based on personal feeling rather than reason. 

“When I was trying to make an argument to move to an airpark, I would say, ‘Well, I can get rid of 25 minutes of driving each way to the airport. I can be at least 50 minutes more productive every day I go out to the airport,’” Coraggio said. “It felt as if I was trying to justify a move to an airpark to myself and Kevin. Turns out that my justifications and rationalizations were actually underselling it. There is a compounding effect on motivation and productivity by saving time driving, being immersed in a community that values and shares my hobby, and continually having my projects in sight.”

Coraggio’s commute has been traded for time with a wrench or behind the yoke. Another noticeable difference is his neighbors. 

“The cool part about aviation, in general, and airparks even more so, is that everybody has some kind of common interest,” he said. “Even though we’re right in the middle of a big town, it gives [off] that small town feel. I can’t tell you how many people stop by when the hangar doors are open to check in on what you’re doing and how many friends I’ve been able to make through those conversations. And they’re not the kind of friends that are just acquaintances by name only.”

These friends also have been supportive of Coraggio’s passion for air racing, as he competes at various events under his team name of Ramp Rat Racing. 

“From the very first day that we moved in, I started working on my airplanes in the hangars before the workshops were set up,” he said. “The amount of work that we accomplished on the [Lancair] Legacy this year is what allowed us to reach all four of our [racing] goals. From February to June, which is when PRS (Pylon Racing Seminar) happens, we installed a revised electrical system architecture, new induction, new fuel injection, ignition system, some cooling enhancements, a water spray bar system, and some drag reduction.” 

Coraggio’s new neighbors helped him out with a variety of tasks in preparation for the 2023 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. A notable result of all that hard work in the hangar was a personal-best speed of 317.862 mph, 36 mph faster than his attempt the previous year. 

“We were going to get delayed in our project because we were missing a specific nut,” he said. “A neighbor was like, ‘Well, let me go and see if I can go find one of those.’ And he goes off to his hangar, scurries around and finds six of them so we can replace them all, instead of [just] the one that was damaged. Can I replace them for you?’ I asked. ‘Oh, no, I’ve got plenty of those.’ That kind of experience is what makes this such a great place.”

Before living at Stellar, Coraggio had kept his aircraft in three hangars at Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) in Phoenix. Now, they sit in two hangars on his Stellar Airpark property, totaling 5,000 square feet. 

He pointed out that flexibility is another positive of living at an airpark.

“[You can] choose what you have space for versus having to [find] space when you are trying to buy something,” Coraggio said. “If you’re trying to buy an airplane and can’t find a hangar, you might choose not to buy the airplane. If you live at home, you can find a way of making it work instead of having to wait 20 years for a hangar in some of the airports in the Valley.”

Even though Coraggio had previous experience living at an airpark, albeit temporarily several decades ago, there was something that amazed him about moving to Stellar Airpark.

“I think the biggest surprise to me is how little I want to leave,” he said. “And I’ve never been a morning person in my life, ever. But ever since we moved in here, I wake up at 6:30 or 7 o’clock in the morning, which some people laugh at as being morning or early morning. I’m motivated to get my day started early now because I’ve got something exciting to do that really gets my juices flowing that’s right here. If your hangar is at home, you can find a way.”

The post Passion Projects and Ramp Rat Racing at Arizona’s Stellar Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The weekly tradition started in the mid-’80s when Phillips suggested he and a few friends fly in formation to their favorite breakfast spot. “I did a basic formation briefing,” he says, and sketched their positions on the back of a napkin. During the requisite debrief, Phillips says he made the mistake of saying, “That was the damnedest gaggle that I’ve ever flown in.” To his chagrin, the “gaggle” moniker stuck. “It’s kind of demeaning. But it’s one of those things that got away. You can’t get it back,” he says. Today, the Spruce Creek Gaggle Flight has about 100 members. The Gaggle frequently performs fly-overs for Little League opening days, veterans’ events, honor flights, and city festivals—like Daytona Beach Jeep Week—and has been recognized with multiple proclamations.

A former fighter pilot, Phillips is accustomed to more precise formation flying. He retired from the Air Force in 1977 as a lieutenant colonel and became an aerospace consultant for Litton Industries, General Dynamics, and others. Phillips grew up in the 1940s and ’50s near Maule Field (3NP) in Napoleon, Michigan. At 12, he started working after school and weekends for Belford D. (B.D.) Maule, who invented a light tailwheel, operated a tool milling and sharpening shop, and built TV towers and antennas. Maule later developed his signature aircraft and moved his operation to Moultrie, Georgia. Working there, Phillips learned skills that he still uses today. “I call it people’s liberal arts education. I didn’t learn a lot in school, but I learned a lot at the airport.”

An advocate for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), for which he served as president of the Daytona Beach Chapter (No. 288) for nine years, he is as passionate about building aircraft as he is about flying them. An FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot and Charles Taylor Master Mechanic, A&P/IA, and EAA technical counselor, he has built a Swearingen SX300, a Pitts Model 12, and a hybrid Wittman Tailwind/Nesmith Cougar. Phillips talked recently with FLYING about his passion for aviation, homebuilt aircraft, and his airpark community.

FLYING Magazine (FM): Describe your early pilot training experience at Maule Field?

Keith Phillips (KP): When you’re around an airport, you know, it’s like a farmer’s kid, you learn to drive by osmosis. You never remember really learning to drive. You’re expected to drive. It’s the same with flying. In those days, the GI Bill was a big thing for learning to fly. In ’46, ’47, ’48, every little town airport, they’d have a fleet of J3 Cubs, or Luscombes, or Taylorcrafts to teach GI Bill flying classes. That gave you ample opportunity to learn to fly. I actually learned to fly without a CFI. They’d [ad hoc instructors] get their GI Bill, they soloed and got their private and said, “Come on kid, help me with this and do that, and I’ll give you a ride in the airplane.” I had a student license but never was signed off.

FM: You have owned quite a few airplanes over the course of your lifetime. What was your first airplane?

KP: When I was a junior in high school, I bought a 1941 J4 Cub. But I, of course, didn’t have the money to buy it, so B.D. [Maule] bought it. It cost $400. I put in $200 and he put in $200 for Shirley, his daughter. She really didn’t have any interest in learning to fly and never did, so I ultimately bought her half out.

FM: What aviation mentors have had the biggest impact on you and how?

KP: I had a couple of schoolteachers who were World War II guys. I basically grew up with no father image; even though my mother got remarried, he was a stepdad and was brand new to me. One of the principals in the high school was a C-47 pilot in World War II [Gordon Smith]. Another teacher was a P-47 pilot [Mr. Goodrich]. They encouraged me. But if you did something stupid, they told you about it. I flew under some wires one time when we went to a football game over in one of the towns. Raymond [Maule] and I flew our airplanes over there and landed next to the athletic field, and when we left, I flew under these wires, and the principal saw that and he really chewed me out. They certainly had an influence on me, but nothing like B.D. [Maule]. He wasn’t a good mentor, but he created the environment that allowed me to fly. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the airplane without him. I was making 35 cents an hour; $400 was a big hit.

FM: As an older pilot (Phillips turned 88 in June), are there any challenges that you’ve had to adapt to?

KP: It’s a hell of problem with things like insurance. They told me last year, “Next year, you must have a pilot.” So, I wrote a little note back to them saying, “What am I?” In order to have my insurance valid, I have to have a pilot in the airplane with me that has 25 hours in type, and he’s got to be this and that, etc. So, in essence, if I’m flying my airplane without anybody on board, I’m not covered. That is the biggest impediment that I find. I feel that my skills are still good enough so that I’m safe.

FM: You’ve built three aircraft of your own, contributed to building countless others, and were honored in 2016 with the EAA Tony Bingelis Award for your contributions to the homebuilt community. Why do you champion homebuilts?

KP: I grew up on a farm and then later the airport, and I was always building or doing something with machinery. I have a passion for it. The flying and the building are fulfilling to me. You can be creative, and one thing that EAA has done is they have deployed a degree of standardization and so forth. Early on, there were some really bad homebuilt aircraft. But over the years, standards have come way up, and thanks to Van [Richard VanGrunsven].

FM: What inspired you to build your first airplane, the hybrid Wittman Tailwind/Nesmith Cougar?

KP: In 1956 or ’57, we were at the Rockford Air Show, and I got a first ride in a Wittman. By then, I was a lieutenant in the Air Force. I was in love with little airplanes. I went over there with B.D. [Maule] in his Bellanca. I had a ride in Bud Harwood’s Wittman Tailwind and I said, “This thing is a performing fool.” When you compared it to an average little airplane of that day, it was 40 to 50 knots faster. Prior to U.S. Air Force flying, I was used to J3/J4Cubs’ performance, and that Bellanca was a rocket, and it was still slower than that Wittman. I said, “Man, I gotta have one of these.” I liked that you could make changes, as long as they didn’t impact the airworthiness.

FM: Which of your homebuilt aircraft was the most challenging to build and why? What’s your favorite to fly?

KP: The SX300, by far. It’s a very complex airplane. It goes fast, it’s got a high wing and the gear retracts. Because it goes fast, it’s more rigid [and] it takes more work. And the way Ed [Swearingen] designed it. Ed’s a good designer, but he didn’t have the genius of Steve Wittman or Van. They build things simple. If you can do something with one piece where somebody else takes 10 to do it; like the landing gear [on a Van’s RV], there is nothing there but apiece of rod. The average homebuilder wouldn’t want to get into an SX300. The SX300 is my favorite [to fly]. It makes me feel like a fighter pilot. It goes fast, [and takes] very little effort to fly, cruis[ing] at about 265 knots.

FM: As a lifetime EAA member since 1959 and the former president of one of the largest EAA chapters (No. 288), what is the secret behind your chapter’s success?

KP: When I first got here [Spruce Creek] in 1985, I joined the chapter. They were having their meetings at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in one of their academic rooms. It was only 15 to 20 people. And then we had meetings out here, hangar tours. We had twice as many people at the hangar tours as we’d have at the meetings. The chapter has 245 paid members and 425 on its roster.

FM: You’ve lived in Spruce Creek in Florida since 1985. What does the fly-in community mean to you?

KP: It’s kind of like heaven. They say when you die here, it’s a lateral move. If you’re an airport bum like I am, I just enjoy airplanes, I enjoy the people, I enjoy helping people, and it’s good flying.

• READ MORE: Paying It Forward

Quick 6

Who is the one person living or dead that you would most like to fly with?

Bob Hoover

If you could fly any aircraft that you have not yet flown, what would that be?

The F-22. It lives in a world of its own. It flies supersonic in military power.

What is one airport you love to fly into?

Umatilla Municipal Airport (X23). It’s a great bunch of people, and they have three airport cars so you can drive to the restaurants.

What do you believe has been aviation’s biggest breakthrough event or innovation?

The jet engine.

If you could build another airplane, what would it be?

Vans RV-15, but it’s not on the market yet. When not flying, I’d rather be…Building an airplane.

This article first appeared in the July 2023/Issue 933 print edition of FLYING.

The post In Depth with an ‘Airport Kid’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Of the roughly 100,000 active single-piston-engine airplanes in the FAA registry, a quarter are amateur-built. A person shopping for a used airplane might want to take a look at them.

The difference between buying a factory airplane or choosing a homebuilt is something like the difference between getting a chair and getting a dog. A homebuilt, perhaps because of its small physical size and large personality, enters your emotional life in a particular way. The appeal of owning one is a combination of the practical — low maintenance costs, the fun of flying it — and the personal.

You are at liberty to do what you like with a homebuilt. If you possess the skills, or choose to learn them, you can modify it, improve it, personalize it in ways that factory airplanes forbid. It becomes a part of you in a way that a factory airplane seldom can. It can be — I say this from experience — one of the most rewarding and absorbing elements of your life.

To people not familiar with the experimental amateur-built category, an airplane built in a garage by an unknown stranger probably sounds like a remarkably bad idea. It’s true that the safety statistics for homebuilts are worse than those for factory airplanes, but many of the accidents involve powerplant issues that arise on first flights or early in testing. An amateur-built airplane whose teething troubles are behind it is probably as safe as a factory airplane.

An airplane is not just an airplane, however. The airplane and the pilot form a system, and the safety of that system depends as much on the pilot as on the airplane. The flying and handling qualities of factory airplanes are pretty well standardized, and a pilot who can fly a Skyhawk will not be flummoxed by an Archer.

Homebuilts are a different story. They are not required to demonstrate airworthiness beyond a basic ability to fly; their maneuvering, landing, stalling and spinning characteristics are unregulated, and, because of variations in construction, what is true of one airplane of a given type, particularly a type that does not consist of a largely prefabricated kit, might not be true of another. Many are taildraggers, and require special skills that are not mere extensions of what any nosewheel pilot already knows. They offer, in sum, many potential pitfalls.

Insurers are not unaware of these issues, and low-time pilots might find it difficult, if not impossible, to find coverage for a newly acquired Van’s RV-3 or Midget Mustang until they have acquired a good deal of tailwheel experience. An insurance agent is among the people a would-be buyer of a homebuilt needs to consult. Another source of guidance is a local Experimental Aircraft Association designee; most EAA chapters have them.

A related hurdle, peculiar to single-seat airplanes, is that it’s challenging to get checked out in them because of restrictions on flight instruction in experimental aircraft. The best you can do, in many cases, is become familiar with airplanes said to have similar characteristics — then take your life into your hands.

Amateur-built airplanes may be used in the same ways as factory-built ones, with the sole exception that they may not carry people or cargo for hire. Other commercial uses, such as photography, are OK.

They can fly IFR, travel internationally and use all public-use airports. There is a rule to the effect that a homebuilt may not fly over a congested area except for purposes of takeoff and landing, unless — and this proviso ought to apply to any airplane — it is high enough to be able to glide to a safe landing. This rule has, as far as I know, no practical effect. I have never heard of it being enforced.

The “experimental amateur-built” category was created in 1952 for the “recreation and education” of people who were prepared to start with plans — which might be no more detailed or complete than those for a moderately complex balsa model — then acquire all the materials and skills and put in the time — usually said, back in the day, to be three years and 3,000 hours — to weld or glue together a simple, low-performance airplane intended for weekend-fun flying.

In the beginning, welded steel-tube fuselages, wood-framed wings and fabric cover, or all-wood construction were typical. It was not until the 1960s that riveted aluminum monocoque, long the industry standard, found its way into homebuilding.

Amateur builders grew increasingly innovative, however, and they began to adopt composite construction in the 1970s; industry followed much later.

As construction methods changed, so did the character of the products. First, builders who had the tooling needed for difficult parts such as canopies and landing gear began selling those parts. Complete materials kits followed, pioneered by the Christen Eagle, a Pitts-like biplane whose leave-nothing-to-chance packing list even included a razor blade with which to slice open the plastic bags. Composites made possible airframes composed of very few large pieces; half of a fuselage, or the spar on top or bottom skin of a wing, would come ready-made. As the degree of prefabrication rose, so did the level of standardization, and the ways a builder could go wrong dwindled.

This history has consequences for a buyer selecting a homebuilt. The skill and talent of the builder were of greater importance to the soundness of the airframe when every part of the primary structure had to be formed and assembled by the builder. In the era of largely prefabricated kits and factory-aided build programs, there is less room for builder error.

To distinguish the original design from a particular instance of it, each amateur-built appears in the FAA registry with a hybrid name. If Mr. Jones builds a Thorp T-18, it’s a Jones T-18, not a Thorp T-18. When Mr. Jones originally licensed the airplane — a process requiring, essentially, that he return alive from its first 40 hours or so in the air — he acquired at the same time an airframe mechanic’s license for his airplane and no other.

Read More from Peter Garrison: Technicalities

Homebuilts are not required to adhere to the same inspection regimen as factory airplanes. All that is required is an annual condition inspection, which may be performed by the builder or by any A&P. A wise builder will not only perform the inspection, but buy an hour of a professional’s time to look an airplane over as well. Loving eyes can never see.

When a homebuilt changes hands, the special maintenance rights do not go with it. They remain with the original builder. The new owner may work on, maintain and even modify the airplane, but the annual condition inspection has to be performed by a licensed A&P, including, if amenable, the original builder.

Selecting a homebuilt to buy can be difficult and confusing for someone new to the arena. The variety of types is bewildering.

Factory-built airplanes are crafted for particular market segments. When you buy a Cirrus or a Piper, you know pretty clearly what you’re getting, what it’s suitable for and how it will perform.

Homebuilts, on the other hand, reflect a huge range of intended uses and personal tastes. As a general rule, homebuilts outperform factory airplanes where comparable types exist. Their superiority is usually due to smaller size, but also due to attention to detail, particularly in powerplant installation and surface finish. To be fair, factory airplanes must please all people; each homebuilt needs to please only one.

Because homebuilts are under no constraints as to the accuracy of performance claims, skepticism is called for. The most common misleading claim is that while an airplane cruises at 140 knots, its maximum or top speed is 180. In this case, maximum speed, if it is not entirely imaginary, can only mean dive speed or never-exceed speed; it is not a speed attainable in level flight. The sea-level top speed of a nonturbocharged airplane cannot exceed its maximum cruising speed at 7,500 feet by more than a few knots. Another favorite fib is that an airplane stalls at 25 knots; chalk that up to static error.

How do you know that an airplane is sound? There is nothing comparable to Airworthiness Directives to alert pilots and owners to defects in amateur-built airplanes. Instead, an informal system of newsgroups and owners’ clubs provides advice and information. It is to these online discussions that you must look to gain knowledge about the quirks of different types. If you are thinking about a Lancair IV — an elegant, fast four-seater that even exists in a pressurized version — you will soon become aware that its retractable landing gear has a checkered history. If you are looking at a VariEze, you will hear about severe trim changes in rain and you will learn that some airplanes still have the original rain-sensitive GU-25 airfoil and others have the Roncz-designed R1145MS “rain canard” replacement, which eliminates the problem.

Accident histories for the different types can be researched on the query page of the NTSB aviation accident site: ntsb.gov.

A wealth of general information exists online. Trade-a-Plane lists hundreds of homebuilts for sale. Kitplanes magazine offers a searchable online buyers guide to subscribers. The EAA website hosts discussion groups on topics related to specific types and to homebuilts in general, and newsgroups have sprung up around many popular types.

To get the flavor, try vansairforce.com, which covers the entire range of the very popular Vans line of all-aluminum airplanes. There is enough on these sites to keep you up late many nights, and they might in some cases be an inexpensive, if temporary, alternative to actually acquiring an airplane.

Because most online sources are both unfiltered and uncurated, the visitor has, at least at first, no way of distinguishing good information from bad or fact from opinion. Over time, however, you develop a sense from the give-and-take of who seems credible and who doesn’t.

Prices for used homebuilts range from less than $10,000 (1961 Stits Playboy, EAA biplane) to half a million (pressurized four-seat Lancair turboprop). Prices seem to rise approximately in proportion to the third power of speed.

Most homebuilts have low-time airframes; few builders spend as many hours flying as they did building, and airframe times tend to be in the hundreds of hours.

Engines are another matter. As with any airplane purchase, the age and condition of the engine play a large role in pricing, and an inspection by an A&P is indispensable. But some homebuilts have unusual engines, mostly conversions of auto engines. These are almost certain to require more attention than a garden variety Lycoming or Continental would, and should both push the price downward and discourage non-gearhead buyers.

The problem of a prepurchase inspection is a tricky one. If I were looking for an A&P to do a prebuy inspection on an old homebuilt of the wood or tube-and-fabric variety, I would look in a funky hangar at a rural airport. Many modern-day A&Ps looking into the bowels of such a homebuilt for the first time would be as much at sea as you are. Aluminum airframes are pretty standard, and easily inspected and evaluated. Inspection of composite airplanes presents a different problem; prefab parts are pretty certain to be OK, but it is almost impossible to reliably assess the quality of garage layups.

Homebuilts, like children, aren’t for everyone. They can be both troublesome and rewarding. Apart from patiently acquiring as much knowledge as you can before making a move, perhaps the most important element of buying a homebuilt is being honest with yourself about whether it will fill your needs, and whether you will have the time and inclination to fill its needs as well.

The post Why You Might Want to Buy a Used Homebuilt appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Turning its focus to the experimental market, Garmin has launched a stand-alone Bluetooth comm radio, the GTR 200B, an upgraded version of the company’s GTR 200. In addition to Bluetooth, which allows the pilot to connect a smartphone or tablet to the comm radio, allowing the pilot to stream music or make phone calls through the headset, the unit features auto-squelch, stereo intercom, alert inputs, standby frequency monitoring and more.

Garmin’s 3D Audio processing separates the sounds going into any stereo headset to help the pilot differentiate the source of each sound. Sounds from occupants in the airplane come from their approximate seating positions.

Some of the GTR 200B’s features can be configured by the operator through special softkeys. Softkeys can be used as shortcuts for emergency frequencies or other saved frequencies, audio isolation, music mute and more. Customizations can also be made to add some basic functions, such as swapping a frequency, to buttons on the yoke. The unit can store 20 pilot-selectable frequencies and it automatically saves the most recent 20 frequencies. An identifier is displayed under the frequency on the screen, confirming to the pilot that he or she has entered the correct digits.

The GTR 200B is configured in a 1.35-inch high box, which allows many operators to slot the unit into a previous space. And for builders, the comm radio won’t take up much real estate on the panel and it is compatible with both 14 and 28-volt electric systems. At $1,395, the GTR 200B will also fit most experimental operators’ budgets.

The post Garmin Introduces GTR 200B Comm appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Lancair International, which recently relocated to Uvalde, Texas, under new ownership, announced a two-seat airplane kit at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Keeping with the ocean theme of nomenclature, Lancair named the airplane Barracuda. Lancair also produces the four-seat Mako.

“The Barracuda is a 2/2/2 proposition – two seats and 200 knot cruise for only $200,000,” said Lancair’s president Conrad Huffstutler. “We’ve taken the best features of the Mako and created an entry-level Lancair for the pilot who wants maximum performance with a minimum investment of build time and budget. We’re expecting to take a big bite of the two-seat performance market.”

The Barracuda builds on the Legacy airframe with a longer one-piece wing, which Lancair says makes the build time quicker and the flight characteristics of the speedy airplane more docile. The Barracuda also features the same auto-retractable nose gear installed on the Mako.

The latest in avionics technology is provided with Garmin’s G3X Touch screen and GTN 750 navigator. Power comes from Lycoming’s four-cylinder, 210 hp O-390-X engine. At the top cruise speed of 200 knots, the Barracuda is expected to sip 11 to 13 gph.

Options include carbon composite, air conditioning, ice protection and more. Lancair’s builder assist program will help customers in the manufacturing process. Lancair is taking preliminary deposits for the Barracuda at AirVenture for $1,000.

The post Lancair Announces Two-Seat Barracuda appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is well underway in Sebring, Florida.

About 100 exhibitors are displaying their wares at the high-profile light-sport aircraft event.

Check out some of the static displays of LSAs at this year’s Expo, which runs through Sunday.

The post Photos: U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2017 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The crowds at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in its third day at the Sebring Regional Airport in central Florida aren’t overwhelming, but there has been an enthusiastic influx of visitors each day.

Highlights of the show have been the aerial demonstrations of LSA on display, especially with strong winds down the runway allowing for camera-ready slow passes in one direction followed by high-speed fly-bys in the other.

This year also marks the first time a sanctioned drone race is being held at an aviation event. The final race is scheduled for tomorrow, with the winner set to take home a $5,000 prize.

Around 100 exhibitors have packed the show site, which includes aircraft display areas and indoor exhibits by many of aviation’s best-known brands, including Garmin, L-3 Avionics, Continental Motors, Rotax, Trade-a-Plane and many more.

The show runs through this Sunday.

The post Sebring Hosts Successful U.S. Sport Aviation Expo appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Belite Aircraft, a maker of single-seat ultralight aircraft, has introduced its first two-place model, called the Pipper.

“I wanted to take my wife flying in a Belite aircraft,” explained James Wiebe, CEO of Belite, “and implement my years of learning about what it takes to make a light plane quick to build, strong and affordable for the owner.”

What’s the genesis of the unusual name? “I realized that my many years of building planes had given me the perfect pipper to set my sights with, so the plane was called the Pipper!”

A pipper is defined as the center or bead of a ring gunsight.

This aircraft, said Wiebe, had the following design goals:

• Conventional aerodynamic design

• Side-by-side seating

• Designed from a clean sheet in CAD and state-of-the-art build technologies

• Very quick build time with highly accurate parts and high strength modern materials

• Classic look and fun to fly

• Good short-field performance

• Rugged landing gear

• Taildragger or tricycle gear configuration

• Primary structure of aluminum with lightweight honeycomb

• 380-pound empty weight (with 2 stroke engine and normal instrumentation)

• 430-pound empty weight (with 4 stroke engine)

• 850-pound gross weight

• Up to a 65 hp engine

With the exception of the engine, instruments and fuel tanks, everything is included in the airframe kit and completion kit. The builder can choose tailwheel or tricycle gear configuration. Wing tanks are available for $900 (set of two, 5 gallons each). Subassemblies are also available.

“I think that the future of experimental aircraft will feature CAD technologies and production technologies which did not exist until recently,” Wiebe said. “Production techniques which are labor intensive add cost and time to aircraft projects. Our vision was to provide a complete kit which can easily be built by an individual in their garage, without special tools, and with state of the art strength and build methodologies.”

First flight is scheduled for March. Introductory pricing on subassemblies for the airframe kit is: rudder, $500; horizontal feathers, $700; rear fuselage, $2,100; cabin, $2,900; wings, $3,800. The components can be purchased together for $8,995, a savings of $1,005. Completion options include taildragger version for $2,295 or tricycle for $2,595.

A limited number of aircraft will be released at this launch price, Belite said.

The post Belite Aircraft Introduces Two-Place Pipper appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Morning fog gradually gave way to sunny skies and pleasant temperatures near 80 degrees as the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo opened its doors to the LSA community yesterday at the Sebring Regional Airport in central Florida.

It was a marked difference from last year’s show, when wind and rain put a damper on the five-day event. This year’s show, which runs through Sunday, is expected to see more cloudiness and perhaps a sprinkle but nothing like what show organizers had to contend with in 2016.

That’s good news for the approximately 100 exhibitors at the show, which showcases the products of several LSA manufacturers, including Bristell, CubCrafters, Glasair, Jabiru, Just Aircraft, Flight Design, Pipistrel, Zenith and others. Italy’s Tecnam and Aircam maker Lockwood Aviation, both of which are based at the Sebring Airport, are also exhibiting.

There will be dozens of educational seminars and workshops throughout the show, and plenty to do and see. A highlight is the first-ever MultiGP-sanctioned drone race at an aviation event. The top pilots from the main race will qualify to compete for a $5,000 prize purse on Saturday, January 28.

And for the first time ever, Zenith Aircraft brought its two-day hands-on kit aircraft building workshop to the Sebring Expo. During the workshop, participants construct a Zenith Aircraft rudder assembly from a standard kit. Additionally, a free, one-hour hands-on workshop seminar and demonstration will be held daily from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Zenith Aircraft workshop tent.

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The original stone farmhouse of Paul Poberezny, founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association and a prominent figure in the homebuilt aircraft community, was purchased by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., in an effort to preserve the estate and countless artifacts and photos inside.

More than 100 years old, the estate is located near Wittman Field, close to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It will be available for tours beginning in summer 2017 and throughout EAA AirVenture this year.

“Aircraft Spruce and the Irwin family have maintained a close relationship with the Poberezny family and EAA for over 50 years and are honored to have the opportunity to partner with the EAA to make this historic home available to EAA members and aviation enthusiasts in the years ahead,” Aircraft Spruce said in a press release.

“This home hosted many of aviation’s leaders and icons, and countless aviation artifacts and photos representing the relationships and events that shaped Paul’s remarkable life are on display throughout the home, providing insight into the lifetime passion and vision of one of aviation’s greatest leaders.”

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