Simple, light, and affordable is not a throwaway line. Each word is pivotal. Like many of you, I have enjoyed the advancing development of the light sport aircraft space, leading to MOSAIC LSA in about 15 months. Additional operational capabilities, plus...
A longtime pilot joke goes, “What makes an airplane fly?” The punch line: “Money!” Forget all that fancy talk about Bernoulli’s Principle. While it’s true recreational aviation is not the cheapest activity you could enjoy, neither is flying only for folks...
By Marc Cook Van’s Aircraft filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week begs the question: How can the largest and most successful company in the kit-aircraft world find itself in this situation? With more than 11,000 RVs flying and record kit sales...
Earthstar Aircraft’s Thunder Gull, a remarkable small, single-seater—until the company’s Odyssey model came out—was ahead of its time. Over a successful run dating back to the 1990s, the Thunder Gull evolved into several variations, and developer Mark Beierle experimented with various...
After a drought of new designs during 2020–21, the spring of 2023 shows incredible promise. And it’s not just the high end of the general aviation market seeing an infusion of life. In fact, the light sport (U.S.) and ultralight (European...
By Dan Johnson In their second event, Aero Showcase is hosting a flock of airplanes at one of Florida’s most vibrant recreational aviation airports. Partners Alex Rolinski and Doma Andreka return for the second annual of their own event, which follows...
By Dan Johnson Let’s get that name dealt with right away—say, “ACK-will-lay.” The model name looks more awkward than it is and sounds more graceful than it looks. The word translates from Latin as “eagle.” Though unusual, Aquilae is a worthy...
By Amy Wilder The FAA has announced a 90-day extension for the comment period on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC), according to an Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) press release. Originally published on July...
I don’t know about you, but I can guess that MOSAIC fatigue is setting into a lot of quarters. Some pilots have done an extraordinary job of digging into the FAA’s 318-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking document to distill essential parts...
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on KITPLANES.com. Zenith Aircraft Company hosted its 32nd annual Homecoming fly-in and open hangar days on September 15 & 16 at its factory located at Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ) in Mexico, Missouri. Zenith builders...