The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the first three airplanes in a newly created certification category for light sport aircraft. Airplanes approved under the new framework are the Czech Sport Aircraft PS-28 Cruiser, Flight Design CTLS-ELA and Evektor SportStar RTC. Airplanes in the European LSA category are limited to two seats and a maximum weight of 1,320 pounds.
In a statement, EASA said it has been actively working to address feedback from industry and operators who complained the regulatory framework applying to recreational aircraft was too burdensome. Cessna in April halted sales of the Skycatcher in Europe, citing European LSA rules that the company said are too expensive.
It remained unclear if Cessna planned to resume Skycatcher sales in Europe anytime soon. Cessna’s communications manager Andy Woodward told Flying that Cessa was “watching developments with great interest and will be forming a best path forward with regard to EASA and LSA.” EASA said it will continue to work with the aviation community, and that “further improvements to certification procedures for European Light Aircraft (ELA) are expected in the near future.”
