A broader selection at
the LSA Mall this year
By Randy Dufault
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Chris Melton,
Flight Design instructor, shows the CT model his company has at
the LSA Mall. Photo by Phil Weston |
Last year at this time,
the list of certified special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) included 14
models. In what may become an AirVenture tradition, a number of those
models were gathered together at the LSA Mall. That tradition continues
here at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, only now there are a lot more
certified S-LSA models at this year’s mall, many of which are
available for viewing and for sale.
"We’ve had 38
aircraft approved in 16 months," said Dan Johnson, chairman of the
Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) and a consultant to EAA.
"That has got to be an FAA record."
Located just north of the
Vintage Red Barn, the mall is nearly a one-stop shopping opportunity for
anyone looking to buy a brand-new airplane.
Not all 38 certified
models are represented. "Unfortunately, right now the demand
exceeds the supply," Johnson said. "In some cases, there just
wasn’t an airplane available to be here."
Johnson estimates that to
date, 500 S-LSAs have been delivered to customers in the United States.
Despite availability problems with some of the more popular models, he
expects the total number to reach 1,000 by the end of this year. Next
year should put another 1,500 to 2,000 S-LSAs into customer’s hands.
"One of the good
things that has happened is financing," Johnson said. "Partly
because EAA partner AirFleet Capital is now offering financing, not just
for S-LSA, but they are included."
According to Johnson, insurance is
readily available. "If you are an individual and you buy one of
these airplanes, insurance is available. Several agencies are pursuing
the business. A number of the insurance companies have flown many of
these airplanes and are very receptive [to insuring them]."
Monday at AirVenture,
Cessna unveiled its concept of an S-LSA. While a final decision to
produce the craft has yet to be made, Cessna is expected by many in the
S-LSA community to begin production in the near future.
"That will be better
for everyone," Johnson said about Cessna’s entry into the market.
"With 400 service centers in their network, along with the fact
that they are planning to use a Rotax engine, there will be a lot more
skill available for working on these airplanes."
Chris Melton of Flight
Design USA, distributor of the CT, the largest selling S-LSA to date,
said, "Cessna’s entering the market is a good thing. It shows
that they have interest in this market and I know they won’t do
anything that will lose money. It’s always good to have
competition."
The training
infrastructure to support LSA is still developing.
"The irony is that
any CFI anywhere can start giving this instruction in any training
aircraft," Johnson said. "He doesn’t have to have a separate
sport pilot instructor rating, he’s already a CFI. He doesn’t need
one of these airplanes either, until the student is ready to solo.
"We haven’t gotten
the message through to everyone that you can start sport pilot
instruction right now."
The EAA does maintain a
list of all flight schools offering sport pilot instruction on
www.sportpilot.org.
Only two commercial uses
for S-LSAs are approved under the certification rules: flight
instruction and rental. According to Johnson, the rental market is still
working through a number of insurance-related issues and as such, is not
a widely available option yet.
Johnson did point out
that LAMA is just beginning a voluntary, independent audit program for
S-LSA airplanes.
To certify an S-LSA, the
manufacturer is responsible for assuring the entire airplane conforms to
industry agreed-upon rules and specifications. Beyond that assurance,
all that is required for certification is an application to the FAA.
LAMA’s audit program will provide an independent verification of an
airplane’s compliance with the rules.
By AirVenture time next
year, Johnson expects to see as many as 10 new designs available for
sale. He also expects that a couple of the current vendors will
disappear as the market begins to mature.
The LSA Mall made its
first appearance outside of EAA AirVenture at the Arlington EAA Regional
Fly-In this year in Washington state.
EAA is also bringing LSA
aircraft to other parts of the country on the Sport Pilot Tour. Stops
are planned this year in the Minneapolis area, the Boston area and
Southern California. Information about the tour is available at www.sportpilot.org.
"We’re busy building a whole new
segment of aviation here," Johnson said. "There’s a lot of
work to be done and there are a lot of people working their tails off to
make their particular section of this enterprise work."
Johnson expects LSA and
sport pilot to significantly change the way people enter aviation.
"This is the new way people will start flying," he said.
"You don’t start learning how to fly in a Learjet; that’s not
practical.
"For some, [sport
pilot] will be a destination; for others it will be the start of the
path to the airlines and the military and other opportunities. This is
the way to start and people just all don’t know that yet."
Representatives are on hand near the
airplanes at the LSA Mall to answer questions and provide literature
about their model.
