Light Sport

Early buyers of the Icon A5 light sport amphibian who were disappointed by a one-year production delay announced over the summer are now getting the chance to experience their airplanes on some incredible adventures thanks to innovative thinking on the part of manufacturer Icon Aircraft. The California company is leasing back the first couple dozen […]

After bringing the BRS full-airframe parachute to the Carbon Cub last May, CubCrafters now says it will offer retrofit parachute systems in all of its airplanes. The retrofits are available for CubCrafters’ production Sport Cub and Carbon Cub SS, as well as the company’s Carbon Cub FX builder-assist model and the EX/EX-2 kits. Two retrofit […]

A new event caught the attention of LSA and experimental aircraft enthusiasts this weekend, drawing decent-size crowds to the inaugural DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase. The three-day weekend was filled with forums and workshops addressing topics in sport aviation, and about 100 exhibitors displayed their wares and aircraft under clear, sunny skies at DeLand Municipal Airport, […]

The first DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase drew a steady stream of LSA pilots and enthusiasts happy to get a look at some of the light sport and experimental aircraft on display and even take some demo flights from the runway at DeLand Municipal Airport in central Florida. In addition to forums and workshops addressing topics […]

Vacaville, California-based Icon Aircraft has opened a new training center in Tampa, Florida, where pilots and non-pilots can come and fly the Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft. The training center opened yesterday at the Peter O. Knight Airport in downtown Tampa. “Peter O. Knight Airport is the ideal base for this because of Florida’s […]

“And now for something completely different.” It was a line from that brilliant 1970s British television comedy show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, but it could just as easily be used to introduce The Airplane Factory’s new, fits-into-its-own-niche airplane, the cheeky Sling 4. A four-place cruiser that carries four adults, several hours’ worth of fuel and […]

The upcoming Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo will offer more than just the latest in sport aircraft and exhibitors. Pilots visiting the annual Florida event early next year will have the opportunity to check off their medical exams on site and leave with a second or third class medical certificate. A senior aviation medical examiner […]

I could smell the pine trees below as I turned base and the nose of the little taildragger I was piloting pointed toward a sheer rock wall. When I turned final, the runway was still invisible. It was at the end of a narrow gorge that followed down the mountainside. Tracking that line, I continued […]

In the dead of winter earlier this year, EAA chairman and CEO Jack Pelton realized the association’s Young Eagles program would surpass the 2 million-kids-carried mark during this year’s AirVenture. Young Eagles calls upon volunteer pilots and their aircraft to deliver that first life-altering aviation experience to kids under the age of 18. While many […]

The National Transportation Safety Board raised serious concerns over the FAA-proposed Part 23 Rewrite proposal, cautioning in comments on the recent notice of proposed rulemaking that the revised certification process for light airplanes could allow inferior designs to slip through the cracks, impacting safety. The NTSB’s concerns are quite similar to the warning about the […]