LSA/Sport

Yeee-Haa! That was the unbridled reaction to my first solo takeoff in a Carbon Cub SS, the new LSA from CubCrafters. When I pushed the little black knob forward to unleash the 180 hp CC340 engine, the tail lightened swiftly and the airplane quickly started dancing softly on its 29-inch Alaska Bushwheel Airstreak tires before […]

Piper is a company built on the two-seat Cub, the light-sport airplane of its day, and now, with introduction of the PiperSport, it is returning to its roots. The PiperSport, a two-seater in the Light-Sport Airplane (LSA) category, gives the company a new entry level in terms of cost, particularly for flight training. The PiperSport […]

Each month, Flying answers questions about the new Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft rule with assistance from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the authority on the opportunities available within the category commonly known as “Sport Pilot”: Q: How big do N-numbers have to be on light-sport aircraft? A: Experimental amateur-built and experimental light-sport aircraft are required […]

119-Knot Cruise on 100-hp; and priced from $119,900 to $139,900

The PiperSport made its debut at the Light Sport Aircraft show in Sebring, Florida on Thursday, and the news has the industry buzzing louder than the little two-placer’s Rotax 912 engine (which can run on 100LL or unleaded auto fuel). With Cessna enjoying a fat order book for its Light Sport trainer, the SkyCatcher, Piper […]

I believe all of us would declare Cessna’s new 162 SkyCatcher light sport airplane (LSA) to be a success if it flew about as well as the legendary 150/152 series of two-seat trainers. I’m happy to say the 162 flies as well as, and in some respects better than, the 150/152 and also has a […]

At this year’s EAA Airventure, there was just a whiff, or lack thereof, of change in the air, as a small bevy of electric airplanes made an appearance on the AirVenture stage. And there were a few such creatures flying at the show, including the first electric two-seater to go airborne at Oshkosh. The e-plane […]

How safe are light sport aircraft? It used to be anybody’s guess. Today, thanks to early studies by the FAA and NTSB, the guessing is a lot more educated. In fact, the FAA has recently come out with some preliminary safety numbers that suggest the safety of LSAs is substantially better than that of amateur-built […]

It wasn’t much of an afternoon to go flying. The weather was less-than-great VFR, though any VFR at all was a good thing because the airplane we were flying, the Remos GX, is a light sport aircraft, or LSA. And LSAs, as you probably know, are by regulation and without exception VFR-only machines. The Remos […]