2 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Executive Editor Subscriptions Classified Sales Vickie Betts (800) 867-5430 E-mail: vickie@easyflight.com Web site: www.psfmagazine.com Technical Editor Layout & Design Display Ad Sales Roy Beisswenger PO Box 38 Greenville, IL 62246 800-867-5430 roy@easyflight.com Publisher Sport Aviation Press, llc 16192 Coastal Hwy Lewes, DE, 19958 Photography Valerie Layne Jim Smith Cliff Tucker Graphic Artist Tim Dilliner FeatureWriters Zen Boulden Kai Bode Dr. Bruce H. Charnov John S. Craparo Phil Dietro Jeff Goin Greg Gremminger Michael Hudetz Jeff Hamann Geoff Hill Dan Johnson Doug Maas Ira McComic Jim Smith Jim Sweeney Willi Tacke © 2017 Sport Aviation Press llc Powered Sport Flying™ Magazine is published monthly by Sport Aviation Press llc, PO Box 38, Greenville, IL 62246, (800) 867-5430. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any mistakes in advertisements or editorials. Statements/opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, Sport Aviation Press llc: Powered Sport Flying™ Magazine disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors. Periodicals Postage Paid number 000228 at Greenville, IL, 62246 and at an additional mailing office. postmaster: send address changes to: Sport Aviation Press, PO Box 38, Greenville, IL 62246. Volume 24, Number 6. Subscription Rates Annual subscription rates: $36.95 U.S. $48 Canada $90 International All monies US Funds Subscribe online at: www.PSFmagazine.com For more information call: (800) 867-5430 Hi, and welcome to the final issue of Powered Sport Flying Magazine for 2017! We hit a bit of a bump and so this issue is getting out a little bit later than we’d hoped. But we keep on trying! I need to inform you all of one correction. In the Calendar in the last issue, we were given the incorrect dates for Bensen Days 2018. We’ve got the dates corrected for this issue, so be sure to look and hopefully adjust your plans in order to attend this great gyro event! Giving someone their first-ever flight in a sport aircraft can be a really wonderful experience for both pilot and passenger – or, it can be really horrible. Gary Berdeaux has some tips for making that important first flight enjoyable enough that perhaps the passenger will eventually become a pilot as well. While he writes for trike pilots, his advice can work for all sport pilots. At the Popular Rotorcraft Association’s convention in Mentone, Indiana this summer, Stephanie Gremminger spotted a new gyro offering. Denis Shoemaker of Gyro Technic has come up with a new kitbuilt design, and Stephanie gives us some details. Glenn Chapman is a missionary in Africa, and he uses his powered parachute to enable him to reach villages that are difficult – or even impossible – to get to by road. He has a story for us about a particular flight that he had during a Christmas season past in Congo. If you’re just starting out in the adventure of personal flight, have you been tempted to skimp a bit on training? After all, how hard can this be, right? Well, Jeff Goin reminds us of why training is so important, and what to look for in a competent instructor. Jeff has also just completed work on the 5th edition of his Powered Paragliding Bible, for which we have a press release. Christopher Pine has some thoughts on what he calls ‘Funny Fear’ and how fear can be a useful indicator as well as how it can hold you back from truly living. The Icarus Trophy is a grueling powered paraglider race. In 2017 Tucker Gott competed, and he has written about his experience for us. As always, we have excellent reporting from Dan Johnson, press releases, and advertisements for your perusal. As we close 2017, I hope that you’ve had a great holiday season, and that 2018 will be safe, prosperous, and fun for all of us. Until next year! Editorial
4 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Press Pass Aircraft Spruce Now Offering the Garmin Virb® Ultra 30 Aviation Camera System Your active lifestyle is about more than just video and audio. Capture relevant performance data with G-Metrix™ technology, including speed, altitude, G-force and even heart rate. Built-in Garmin GPS (10 Hz) and other sensors automatically record data so you can easily overlay gauges and graphs onto your footage to prove how far, how high and how fast you went. Simply review the footage with G-Metrix to see how many G’s you pulled during your flight maneuvers or how fast your heart was beating while on an approach to minimums. Since it’s Connext® capable, it can receive superior aviation-specific data from your G3X Touch™ flight display and Flight Stream 110/210 and Flight Stream 510. Other compatible Garmin sensors and devices pair with your VIRB action camera to extend camera control and provide detailed, measurable data tailored to your activity. Stabilized Ultra HD Video This best-in-class camera shoots up to 4K/30fps video action to show all your adventures in crisp, brilliant detail. VIRB Ultra 30 also features 3-axis image stabilization, so whether you’re snowboarding, cycling or off-roading, footage won’t come out shaky. Control with Your Voice The VIRB Ultra 30 action camera features voice control using Sensory TrulyHandsfree™ technology. Use simple commands such as “start recording” or “take a picture” to operate the camera hands-free. You can even tell VIRB Ultra 30 to “remember that,” and it will tag footage for you to easily recall later. Share the Experience with Live Streaming With the free VIRB® Mobile app, you’re just one touch away from sharing your high-definition footage with the masses by live-streaming on YouTube®. Our Most Connected Camera Yet When you’re not broadcasting to the world, you can still take advantage of wireless capability by connecting your VIRB Ultra 30 to the VIRB Mobile app. With this free app on your compatible smartphone or tablet, you can prepare the perfect shot, control multiple cameras, edit and even share footage. Wireless casting is also available with Miracast-enabled devices such as Roku® and others. The Features: • 4K Action Camera with Voice Control and Data Overlays • Ultra HD 4K/30fps footage with 1.75-inch touchscreen display that lets you see what is being recorded • 3-axis image stabilization captures smooth and steady video, no matter the terrain • Shoot hands-free using voice control to start/stop recording, take photos or remember moments • Built-in sensors and GPS capture G-Metrix™ data to prove how far, how high and how fast you went • High-sensitivity microphone captures clear audio Aircraft Spruce’s complete product line is available at www.aircraftspruce.com as well as through the company’s free 1,000+ page catalog.
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6 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying On November 9th, the Experimental Aircraft Association recognized the contributions made to the world of flight by five people as they were inducted into the eaa Sport Aviation Halls of Fame during a ceremony at the eaa Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The five inductees represent a spectrum of aviation within the eaa community and have achieved notable successes within their particular realm of flight: • eaa Homebuilders Hall of Fame: Rob Hickman of Canby, Oregon • International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame: Frank Christensen of Wilson, Wyoming • Warbirds of America Hall of Fame: Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson of Auburn, California • eaa Ultralight Hall of Fame: Mary Jones of Oshkosh, Wisconsin • Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame: JimMoss (posthumous) The eaa Sport Aviation Halls of Fame were established to honor the outstanding achievements of men and women in aviation who share the spirit of eaa and its community. Those inducted into the hall of fame are selected by their peers for myriad contributions made to their respective areas of aviation. Mary Jones, the Ultralight Hall of Fame inductee, was an advocate for the ultralight and light aircraft communities over her more than 30-year career with eaa’s publications. As editor of eaa publications such as Sport Aviation and Experimenter, Jones was able to convey the excitement and joy of ‘low and slow’ flying that was fun and affordable for thousands of aviation enthusiasts. Her efforts as part of the team focused on a solution to the ‘fat ultralight’ issue, through the faa’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (arac), and she helped to establish and clarify today’s sport-pilot regulations. Inductees to the Ultralight Hall of Fame 1999: Homer Kolb, John Moody, Chuck Slusarczyk 2000: Boris Popov, Wayne Ison 2001: Mike Sacrey 2002: John Chotia, Tom Peghiny 2003: Mike Jacober 2004: Klaus Hill, Bert Howland 2005: Larry Mauro 2006: Bob Lovejoy, Volmer Jensen 2007: Mike Markowski 2008: Mike Loehle 2009: Roy Pinner 2010: John Ballantyne 2011: Jack McCornack 2012: Taras Kiceniuk Jr. 2013: Frank Beagle 2014: Lowell Farrand 2015: Leonard Milholland 2016: Tracy Knauss 2017: Mary Jones Press Pass EAA Honors Five Aviators With Halls Of Fame Induction Mary Jones of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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8 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Gatherings The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 provided food, drinks and barbeque for a Searey splash-in at Umatilla, Florida on Sunday November 12, 2017. The Searey amphibian airplane is one that the membership is very familiar with, as several members have built them. On top of that, Progressive Aerodyne, the manufacturer of the Searey, is located close by in Tavares, Florida. The host and Chapter 534-member, Tom Bowden, has a homebuilt Searey that he keeps in a hangar-like garage behind his home. The setting is ideal for a seaplane base and it is called Bowden’s Landing Island Lake Seaplane Base and it is located in Umatilla, Florida. A large lawn in front of his home slopes gently down to Island Lake and his seaplane ramp so it is easy for an amphibian to taxi up the lawn and park next to the house. Tom says he has had as many as 21 Seareys parked on his lawn at one time. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate too well and our Searey count was down a bit. Some pilots opted to drive instead of flying. That didn’t dampen the festivities as a congenial group of Searey enthusiasts gathered around tables for lunch and swapped Searey flying stories. EAA Chapter members moved their mobile kitchen equipment from their hangar at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida to Tom’s home for this event. Some of the members are experts at serving outdoor meals like this and they have a lot of experience supporting fly-ins around Central Florida. The cost of doing this is supported by donations from those attending. For more information about Bowden’s Landing Island Lake Seaplane Base go to bowdens-landing.com. For more information about eaa Chapter 534 go to eaachapter534.org. For more information about the Searey go to searey.com. EAA Chapter 534 Supports Central Florida Searey Splash-In
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 9 by Ted Luebbers Support Our Advertisers
10 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft SeaMax lsa Seaplane from Brazil Now Delivering in America Years ago, back in the early days of the Light Sport Aircraft sector exploding into the world of aviation, of affordable aviation, one of the early entries was SeaMax, from a Brazilian-based company called AirMax. An old friend in the business and a supremely capable pilot named Carlos Bessa helped SeaMax successfully prove standards compliance to win approval as a Special lsa (#63 of 143 on our slsa List). Although Chip Erwin’s Mermaid was attracting a lot of attention at the time, SeaMax was an attractive offering. Another longtime friend in the business, Tom Peghiny — the man behind Flight Design usa but also an astute observer of light aircraft— urged me to go examine the SeaMax. He thought it possessed qualities I would appreciate. He turned out to be spot on. Subsequently I flew SeaMax for about four hours with Carlos, spread over a few days. Carlos was a very cautious demo pilot and his careful pace meant I took a while to master the airplane. It performed better than many lsa of that time (and I’m sure it still does).
by Dan Johnson However, it was a bit more to handle than slower, more ponderous light seaplanes of the day. However, man!, did that SeaMax perform. It struck me as a seaplane that land pilots could also enjoy because it performed quite consistently with a land lsa. SeaMax also has dashing looks. I likened it to a high-end speedboat …one that flies! Plus, it was comfortable to get in and to be in. All good. Yet a problem subsequently arose. The 2008 financial meltdown happened, sales slowed, and Carlos moved on to other flying. Sometime later, SeaMax attracted the interest of another player, whose involvement ironically served to dampen interest. The interim party promised changes (probably unnecessary) and possibly caused prospective buyers to think, “Well, I’ ll wait to see those changes and then maybe I’ ll go for it.” Those changes never came. Flash forward to late 2017 All the confusion that reigned for a few years is now officially over. I’ve seen copies of court documents that prove designer and company leader Miguel Rosario is now back at the helm. This clarifies the situation for buyers. In addition, with support from U.S. representative Shalom Confessor, SeaMax has entered into an agreement with the world’s leading aeronautical university, Embry Riddle (a mere seven minutes from the world headquarters of ByDanJohnson.com). This association further reinforces the stability of the future for this handsome seaplane. So, announcing…! At the DeLand Showcase 2017, SeaMax announced, “We displayed the Seamax M-22 Serial Number 149 at DeLand in Florida. The amphibious aircraft that conquered the world’s hearts now is ready for deliveries in the United States.” As the serial number shows, more than 148 SeaMax amphibs are active in several countries. “We are now accepting orders for the SeaMax M-22 year 2018,” they continued. The base price for the model without folding wings starts at $139,500. A folding wing version starts at $149,500. Especially against the contrast of Icon’s A5, now basepriced in the mid-$200,000s and well equipped at a breathtaking $350,000 or so, SeaMax looks like a Thanksgiving Day bargain. Does this dashing lsa seaplane interest you? Shoot an email to the company at info@seamaxaircraft.com. Even Christmas deals don’t last forever and this one might not either.
12 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft The Triumph of lsa — Helping the Entire World of Aviation (that’s no exaggeration!) This entry is largely from my presentation given at the DeLand Showcase in November. After more than 13 years of lsa, I believe the industry can stand tall and proud… Even with more than 140 attractive, innovative, and roomy lsa of every description, much of what makes lsa a strong and worthy addition to aviation is less obvious to many. Sure, pilots love the nuts and bolts and hearing about performance or flight characteristics of our favorite aircraft but what has really brought lsa to the forefront of aviation…worldwide? I’m lucky. I’ve had a front row seat to what I consider to be the greatest modern story in aviation. Since the 1970s, I’ve watched hang gliders evolve into ultralights, and ultralights transform into lsa. Then I watched as a worldwide fleet launched into the skies over the past 15-20 years. This has been humbling to experience and a source of constant delight …as well as a source of material for thousands of articles and hundreds of videos. I wish to identify the “Triumph of lsa” through seven bold claims: 1. lsa lead in aircraft deliveries around the globe 2. lsa greatly aided development of Type Certified aircraft 3. lsa stimulated new instrumentation 4. lsa popularized new safety systems 5. lsa lead powerplants into the new millennia 6. lsa encouraged use of modern materials 7. lsa benefit their local communities Can lsa go even further? Quick answer: yes! Yet before we talk about the future, let’s look at the 13-year record. Let me briefly prove each of these 7 claims: Defending The Claims 1—lsa lead aircraft deliveries around the globe. Does that sound hard to believe? You must look globally. While the American fleet is around 4,000 aircraft plus used lsa (nothing to sneer at, imho), in less than two decades more than 65,000 lsa or lsa-like aircraft have been delivered around the world. This is 3:1 compared to TC Aircraft— 2015 data shows 969 Type Certified single engine piston aircraft delivered versus 3,000 lsa/lsa-like. 2—lsa have aided Type Certified aircraft development. Really? Yes! How? As faa agreed to rewrite Part 23 rules (used to certify new Cessnas and such), the agency agreed to use astm industry consensus standards and used the lsa F37 committee as a guideline to establish the new GA-oriented F44 committee. faa would not have done this if they didn’t think the lsa idea worked quite well. You’re welcome, GA industry. 3— lsa massively stimulated new instrumentation. From the first gps use on hang gliders (surprised?) and the first digital engine instruments on ultralights, we now have gorgeous flat screens on lsa, touch screen digital devices in full color with more information than we ever dreamed… and all while most TC aircraft are still dominated by round analog dials. Plus this explosion of visual data came at vastly reduced prices. As the late night infomercials urge, “But wait, there’s more…” lsa also encouraged developers of synthetic vision, cheap autopilots, cheap AoAs, and more. 4—lsa introduced and popularized new safety systems, most notably whole airframe parachute systems but also ‘crush zone’ (safety cells) technology and more. Airframe parachutes were first invented for ultralights. Today they are widely used in lsa and Germany even has a rule mandating them. Hundreds Dan Johnson doing his presentation at the DeLand Showcase
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 13 of lives have been spared by their use giving pilots one more option if things go badly aloft. Yes, Cirrus adopting parachutes certainly helped popularize these systems, but they didn’t lead the parade. 5—Engineers have introduced new concepts in lsa powerplants. Engines lead by market leader Rotax brought concepts like liquid cooling, geared output, high efficiency (with much smaller displacement engines, Rotax nonetheless produces the same power as an O-200). Lighter, smaller packages made aircraft design easier and sleeker. Most recent developments include the electronically-controlled, fuel-injected 912 iS, iS Sport, and 915 iS engine (which also incorporates a turbocharger and intercooler). Next: electric propulsion, which will work best on light aircraft like ultralights and lsa initially. 6—lsa promoted use of modern materials. Today Boeing’s Dreamliner is a current example of hightech material use. Cirrus is another modern success story. Their SR-series used composite but limited carbon fiber. lsa have been using carbon for years; some have more than 90% of the superstrong, lightweight material. Sky Arrow is the leader in hand control aircraft helping disabled pilots take to the air. 7—lsa benefit their local communities in several important ways. Despite some losses, the lsa safety record has been described by the faa as “acceptable” …high praise from a regulatory agency. Once lsa manufacturers got used to the system of astm standards, manufacturer compliance was good and safety followed. Training systems were improved to aid transition (driven by insurance, not faa, by the way). lsa are environmentally friendly, demonstrated by low fuel use thanks to high-tech, electronically-controlled engines with fuel burns of most engines in the 4-6 gph range. Modern electronic engines will soon also allow upload of data to help pilots discover engine issues before the problem even shows itself in flight. Finally, lsa are quieter with low noise signatures. You may not care abut that too much but airport neighbors certainly do! If we want to base closer to city centers and don’t want a long drive to fly our lsa, we must be accepted by the community. Can we go further yet? Yes we can, in fact we may be at the beginning of greater developments. Why do I think this? My belief stems from my work with the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association and its four initiatives being lobbied to faa: • Gyroplane slsa — given their popularity the time has come for factory-built aircraft • Single Lever Control (slc) — an idea to provide in-flight adjustable props to gain a potent safety advantage with zero pilot workload, thanks to modern engines and new development work • Electric propulsion for 103 ultralights soon and possibly for lsa in the near future • Aerial Work for lsa — this could be big for builders and users of lsa; some commercial applications are reasonable and lsa are excellent candidates for specific kinds of aerial work. All these initiatives are still a work-in-process, but lama and its partner the U.S. Ultralight Association have seen growing interest from faa decision makers. I hope that I have been convincing with these claims. I think lsa enthusiasts need to recognize the considerable accomplishments of this industry in only 13 years. I know I’m impressed with the dedication and inventiveness of entrepreneurs in the light aircraft industry. I hope you are, too. As you visit an airshow in 2018 and check out all the shiny objects of your flying fancy, please know that when you examine Light Sport Aircraft you may be witnessing no less than a rebirth of aviation. This is the Triumph of lsa! Rotax’s line of 9-series engines continues to increase the standard for piston power for aircraft.
14 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft US Sport Planes Takes Over North American Sales of Jabiru Light Sport Aircraft For many years the brand name Jabiru — both airframes and engines — has been associated with Pete Krotje and his family and other team members, doing business as Jabiru North America. Pete began in the business near Oshkosh, Wisconsin before seeing the appeal of milder weather in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Now, the familiar brand from down-under Australia is headed further south in the usa. The brand with the funny-sounding name will end up being represented by another light aircraft industry veteran, Scott Severen. The official news release on this change declared, “In a move initiated by Jabiru North America, llc, US Sport Planes of Denton, Texas has been appointed as the North American importer and distributor for Jabiru Light Sport Airplanes for North America.” The two businessmen reported US Sport Planes (ussp) will be the exclusive importer and market the full line of lsa airplanes manufactured by Jabiru Aircraft Pty, Ltd. Based in faraway Australia, Jabiru Aircraft Pty has sold more than 2,000 aircraft and more than 6,000 engines worldwide since 1988. That success over 29 years has translated to North America with Jabiru ranking the seventh-highest-selling lsa in America. Jabiru is a rare Special lsa with three doors as seen here. The only other one is Paradise’s P1NG. The third door gives great access to a spacious interior. As the longtime owner of Jabiru North America, Pete Krotje, noted, “US Sport Planes has been a Jabiru Service Center for many years. Their experience makes this a perfect fit to advance the sales of Jabiru Light Sport Aircraft throughout North America.” Pete continued, “I’m eagerly looking forward to the energy and creativity that Scott Severen and US Sport Planes (ussp) will bring to Jabiru Aircraft.” He added that Jabiru North America will continue to provide technical and customer support for the entire fleet from their central Tennessee base. “US Sport Planes has assumed all North American sales and marketing activities for the Jabiru lsa at our Denton, Texas location (kdto),” commented Scott, the owner of US Sport Planes. “All new aircraft inquiries will be directed, fulfilled, and delivered through ussp.” For several years, Scott has provided valuable services to a flock of the top-selling lsa brands in America. The fit to take on new aircraft deliveries proved to be a workable complement to the existing enterprise Scott has built. When Pete Krotje indicated he wanted to step away from this central activity, the two gentlemen came to an agreement that should satisfy all American customers, past and future. “[Selling new Jabiru aircraft] complements our brokerage, acquisition, and pre-owned sales business,” explained Scott. However, this does not mean US Sport Planes will stop working with other brands. Scott clarified, “We will continue repair and maintenance services for Jabiru aircraft and engines as well as Rotax engines plus factory-authorized service for Flight Design, Tecnam, and most major lsa aircraft. The expansion will increase Jabiru customer support overall.” Unusual to Light Sport Aircraft is the three-door entry ease and interior roominess of the J230-D Jabiru aircraft. The model started out as a four-seater kit aircraft in Australia and was repositioned as a two-seat model to fit American faa regulations for Special Light Sport Aircraft. “With the
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 15 Support Our Advertisers new, improved J230-D model and Jabiru’s new Gen IV engine,” Scott added, “I’m pleased to help more pilots get into these ‘Cabin Class’ Light Sport Aircraft.” Pete Krotje from Jabiru North America has been the Jabiru importer for North America for 18 years. His business will continue its current activity of engine and firewall forward sales as well as providing parts, service and technical support for all Jabiru products from its current location in Shelbyville, TN. For more information, contact Pete Krotje at Info@jabiruna.com or dial 931-680-2800; or Scott Severen at Scott@ussportplanes.com or call 940-597-6860. More About Scott Severen The son of a career Air Force fighter pilot, Scott learned early about aviation as a lifestyle. He began building and flying hang gliders in 1973 and joined ushga, United States Hang Gliding Association. In the early 1980s, he founded and operated Lone Star Airpark to provide facilities, services and flight instruction for ultralights, and eventually became a usua (United States Ultralight Association) Advanced Flight Instructor (afi), afi Examiner, and afi Seminar Presenter. Scott also volunteered as a director and interim president of usua. In the early 1990s, he and his family moved to Tennessee where he served as president of team Aircraft. Always willing to help the industry, Scott assisted the aooa, Airpark Owners and Operators Association, as its first president. In the mid-nineties he served as president of lama, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, and in 2017 he rejoined lama to serve on the board of directors. Scott also participated as a charter member of the Part 103 faa arac, Aviation Rule-making Advisory Committee, that eventually created the Light Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot regulations.
16 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft Van’s Aircraft’s immensely Popular RV-Series can be found all over the world, like this RV7 with British registry Major Benchmarks for Manufacturers Serving the Light Aircraft Community Recently, a couple of major benchmarks were reached by some of our important brand names. These notable achievements deserve mention given their relationship to the lsa and light aircraft sector that I serve. One is an airframe builder and the other is an avionics giant. According to a recent report in General Aviation News, “[When] David Porter took his first flight in his RV-7 on Nov. 24, 2017, he probably didn’ t know he was making history. The Martinsburg, West Virginia pilot ’s kit-built airplane became the official 10,000th Van’s RV-series aircraft.” Van’s labeled David’s first flight as “official” because more than 10,000 RV-series kit aircraft are definitely known to be flying, but the company recognizes that it may not know about all of them. President of his local eaa Chapter (# 1071), David spent three and a half years building his RV-7 from a standard kit. It’s the first airplane he has built. His airplane was RV-7 #1,662 to fly, according to the Oregon company. Dick van Grunsven’s Van’s Aircraft began selling RV-3 plans back in 1973. From this modest start the company now calculates that over the last 44 years a new RV has taken to the air every 1.6 days on average. Now, that is one impressive achievement, I believe. “No one is exactly sure when the 1,000th RV flew— our best guess is around early 1994,” company officials said in a prepared release. “The 2,000 mark was passed in November 1998, 19 years ago. The increase from 9,000 flying RVs to 10,000 took just 33 months or under 1,000 days.” Therefore, “About one new RV airplane leaves the ground each day, with 360 taking to the skies already in 2017.” Great job, Team Van’s! Garmin’s One Millionth “We’re celebrating the delivery of our one-millionth certified avionics product from our manufacturing facility in Olathe, Kansas,” announced the popular avionics producer. This large number does not include the huge number of sports or auto products and more made by Garmin over its three-decade history. The milestone product was a gtx 3000 di-260b compliant Mode S Extended Squitter (ES) transponder, which enables ads-b Out transmissions, a timely offering given the last two years of push to fit GA aircraft with ads-b Out before the 2020 faa deadline. “Since our inception over 28 years ago, Garmin has been committed to providing superior products that are known for their innovation, reliability and intuitive design,” said Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Aviation. “This milestone is a testament to our long-established commitment to making significant investments in research and development, as well as the hard work and dedication of thousands of passionate Garmin team members that I have the pleasure of working with every day.” “As we celebrate this exciting accomplishment, I am very proud of how our teams have managed such significant growth, while maintaining the culture of our company as our founders set forth,” said Carl Wolf, vice president of aviation marketing and sales. “The breadth and depth of our certified aviation David Porter with his Van’s RV7. Image courtesy of General Aviation News.
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 17 Decades of progress from simple monochrome models to the colorful and highly versatile touchscreen G3X shown here. product line has expanded greatly over the years, allowing us to develop new markets for Garmin. This incredible milestone doesn’ t even include the hundreds of thousands of portable and other non-certified products that our customers use every day. On behalf of Garmin, I wish to express my utmost gratitude to our loyal customers, our dealers and the aircraft manufacturers all around the globe, who have helped us to accomplish such a tremendous achievement in Garmin’s history.” Established by co-founders Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao —Gar’ and Min, hence the company name — in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas, Garmin was founded with its core roots in aviation. Today, the central U.S. corporation has evolved into five business segments with more than 11,000 employees around the globe. “From a single product,” said Garmin, “the evolution of our avionics solutions has grown to serve multiple segments within the aviation industry, including general aviation, business aviation, helicopter, experimental amateur-built (eab), defense and air transport.” I’m sure Garmin meant to include lsa in that roster but many recent product releases by the company show it is pursuing the high-end avionics market aggressively. In the lsa space the G3X Touch and Garmin 796 are the most popular devices with many supporting items benefiting the Garmin ecosystem of avionics. Congratulations to both Van’s Aircraft and Garmin. We are lucky both companies are involved in the kind of aviation enjoyed by sport and recreational pilots. Where do readers of General Aviation News live? To close, I thought I’d again reference my friends from General Aviation News to show you their recently-offered map of where their readers are located. I submit to this Washington-state-based publication every month and know they provide a journal read enthusiastically by tens of thousands of pilots. As proof of their success at transitioning from only newsprint to electronic communication, GA News can boast the largest FaceBook following (around 350,000!) of any aviation publication or organization. Great job publisher Ben Sclair and team mates! Subscribe to GA News and you can also receive their free The Pulse of Aviation e-newsletter.
18 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Rotax iS Lane-Light Problems? hdx to the Rescue! When Rotax moved their 912 iS Sport project from engineering to production, the big Austrian engine manufacturer elevated their already-immensely-popular 9-series engines to a higher level. Besides fuel injection, the company added electronic engine controls more advanced than any other in their inventory. If you’ve flown with the iS Sport as I have you know it has terrific performance — torque was increased through an enlarged airbox along with other minor refinements — plus it gives even better fuel consumption. When flying with Aerosports’ Jeremy Knoll at DeLand 2017, I heard that his trip fromWisconsin to Florida in the taf Sling yielded fuel consumption rates of 2.7 gallons per hour at cruise. Man! That is some fuel-efficient flying and that is part of what Rotax achieved with their iS model. They will use that technology plus more on their coming 135-horsepower 915 iS due on the market next year. However… “Houston, we have a problem. I’ve got a red light here on my panel.” We pilots are rightfully hesitant to commit to flight with a big ol’ red light glowing back at us from the instrument panel. Oh, dread! Thanks to avionics guru and pilot extraordinaire — and a friend — John Hurst of Sport Aero Services, I learned Dynon has made the red-lane-A/B-light challenge a source of knowledge rather than frustration. I was one of those frustrated pilots, thanks to early experience with Lane A/B lights. I had flown with a flock of Light Sport Airplanes to the Bahamas. We had long over-water stretches. When you fly out of sight of all land in a single engine airplane, the pucker factor tends to rise. Being a modestly-experienced Bahamas island-hopping lsa pilot, I figured to take off last from the Nassau-to-Bimini flight. The other pilots fired up, taxied out, and launched into the air. My cabin mate and I, aviation journalist James Lawrence, tried to follow but on firing up, I had a red lane B light that would not go off after doing the usual checks. I would not commit to flight over lots of water with a red light staring back at me and I had no one nearby to consult as to the problem. Therein lies the problem. What was wrong? It turned out to be a connector that did not maintain contact. Nothing whatsoever was wrong with the engine, explaining why the light went off later and we were able to launch and fly without incident to the other island. Nonetheless, whatever that was had been nagging at me, stealing a bit of the joy of flight, as I was uninformed. No more, thanks to Dynon and guys like John Hurst who works closely with the west coast avionics provider. Now, as the images show, you can ask your Dynon hdx Touch SkyView instrument for the reason, and it will list for you what is wrong. Some problems need to be fixed when able. Others might have to ground the flight until remedied. Wouldn’t you want to know which it is? “This update happened partly because of your early experience, Dan,” clarified John. “Now the pilot can know the reason the light came on and can make an informed decision.” Thanks, John and Dynon. I’m breathing easier and future flights will have all the joy in them as promised by our love of flying light aircraft. •
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 19 World Records World Records and Attempts Powered Parachute • Claim Number: 18180 • Sub-Class: rpl1t / Paramotors: Paraglider Control / Landplane / Flown with one person / Thermal Engine • Category: Not applicable • Group: Not applicable • Type of Record: Altitude • Course/Location: Pont Saint Vincent– Bainville sur Madon (France) • Performance: 5,703 m (18,711 feet) • Pilot: Julien Barbier (France) • Aircraft: Eco 4 / Fly Products • Date: 6/19/2017 • Current Record: 5,386 m (17,670 feet) (9/9/2000–Howard M. Gish, Jr, USA) FAI has received the following Class R (Microlights and Paramotors) World record claim: Weight Shift Control • Claim Number: 18278 • Sub-Class: rwl2t / Microlights: Weight-shift Control / Landplane / Flown with two persons / Thermal Engine • Category: Not applicable • Group: Not applicable • Type of Record: Distance in a straight line without landing • Course/Location: Bremgarten (Germany)– Neubrandenburg (Germany) • Performance: 749.8 km (465.9 miles) • Pilot: Hans–Ulrich Dörr (Germany) • Aircraft: Eagle V • Date: 10/21/2017 • Current Record: 705.16 km (438.16 miles) (9/6/2013) The details shown above are provisional. When all the evidence required has been received and checked, the exact figures will be established and the record ratified (if appropriate). FAI has ratified the following Class R (Microlights and Paramotors) World record. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the National Aeronautic Association, the United States Ultralight Association and Powered Sport Flying Magazine all congratulate the Pilot on his splendid achievement. If you are in the United States and would like to set an aviation world record, you should first read the current fai Sporting Code. For Microlights, it is called Section 10 and can be downloaded for no charge at www.fai.org/microlight/documents/sc10 For Rotorcraft, the part of the Sporting Code you need to refer to is Section 9. It can also be downloaded for no charge. Then, contact the National Aeronautic Association (naa) to learn more about how you can set your own record! Visit them at www.naa.aero
20 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying What Is Happening Where One of the best ways to get started with flying is to visit others already involved in the sport. And one of the most relaxed ways to do that is by participating in fly-ins and other events. You can normally find someone there who will be glad to help you and get you started in the right direction. If you would you like to see your event listed here, visit www.psfmagazine.com/list-your-flying-event. Calendar
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22 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying What Is Happening Where
24 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying by Stephanie Gremminger New Gyro Design Mentone has changed a lot over the last ten years. As European gyroplane manufacturers ink deals with more and more US distributors, those distributors then come to the leading convention for personal rotorcraft in the country, the Popular Rotorcraft Association’s Annual Convention. So in a sea of newer-style gyroplane models being offered, I saw a manufacturer offering something new. Well, something new that looks like something we have seen before. A gyro that looks like a throwback to the early days of gyro flying. I see three of these at a manufacturing newcomer’s display. Of course I had to go over and see what was going on. There I visited with Denis Shoemaker of Gyro Technic. He was introducing a new single-place gyro. He explained his offering as filling a gap he perceived in the gyroplane market between the very old and the very new. At one end of the gap were people building the old fashioned plans-built machines, which is a waning segment of the sport. Then on the other side of the gap there is a price jump up to the more expensive European designs that may be too pricey for some people. In between, he saw an opportunity to offer a single-place kit that the average man could buy, easily build, and fly. And he is in a unique position to make that happen. Denis is a man who builds machines to build other products. His main business is called Prairie Automation, Limited. His work there is designing and making automated fabrication machines. The things he does during his ‘day job’ include custom industrial automation, robotic End-of-Arm Tooling (eoat), robotic assembly cells, assembly fixtures including tooling and work holding fixtures, vision applications, machining, integrations with existing systems, and control panel wiring and operator interfaces. He is not your average backyard builder! With his own in-house cnc machining services, utilizing computer aided manufacturing software, he already was set up and has experience designing and building parts. That means that he wasn’t a designer trying to figure out how to manufacture something. He was a gyro enthusiast who wanted to build a better gyro. Designing and building the parts for it is what he does day-in and day-out. He got involved in the sport nine years ago and he has been flying his current design for about five years now. He has taken the time to experiment, change geometries, and design custom components for it. The ability to design, draft, and machine those parts in-house has made the design process a lot more fluid for him. And while Denis’ design may have a retro look about it, a closer inspection reveals something really different from the old Bensen and Brock designs of a few decades ago. He has incorporated a lot of new ideas that he has tested himself. An improvement over the older designs that he points to right away is his modified tall tail, which features a fixed horizontal stabilizer and vertical leading edge, which is very near to centerline thrust. He likes the control authority that the tall tail gives him, along with the ability to eliminate the torque effect from the prop blast. The leading edge of the rudder assembly is stationary, with the pivot for the rudder control surface located behind Gyro Technic: Filling a Market Niche So in a sea of newer style gyroplane models being offered, I saw a manufacturer offering something new. Well, something new that looks like something we have seen before.
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26 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Computer aided design and machining allows designers to make light and strong structural parts. New Gyro Design the fixed leading edge. That means that the air first encounters the rudder leading edge straight on and is then guided left or right according to control inputs from the pilot. Denis calls that a morphing airfoil shape. Denis likes the tall tail because he has less torque effect from the prop blast pilots encounter with a short tail. The tall tail encounters the full prop blast instead of just the lower half of the blast that a short tail gets. He points to his control cables that are trimmed straight in the neutral position. Without having to build an offset into the controls, that makes the rudder more efficient. Of course a tall tail has to be brought in closer to the center of gravity of the aircraft in order to keep it out of the path of the rotor. The gyro’s prerotator is a mechanical drive, driven by a belt off the engine. Denis has it set up like a helicopter collective with a twist throttle. The collective is what tensions the belt. With that setup, Denis can finesse the throttle as he is bringing up the prerotator. And once a pilot is finished with the prerotation, he can push the lever down and a safety catch locks it in place. That disables the prerotator completely once your wheels leave the ground. He likes the twist throttle personally, but does plan on offering a conventional throttle quadrant for those who want that. Denis is selling the gyro in kit form. He provides the components for the chassis, the flight controls, the tail, the rotorhead, and the prerotator. He will be offering other components to the builders such as the wheels and brakes, which are all built in-house. The customers will source their own engines, rotorblades, propellers and instruments. Of course he will provide a list of recommended components. The rotorblades he has been using for the design are 23’ and 24’ Dragonwings by Rotor Flight Dyanamics. The engine Denis designed around was the Rotax 582. However, he wants to offer many different engine mount configurations so the customer can build their gyro the way the customer desires. Denis just wants to make sure that the engine mounting requirements stay within the right geometries and thrust lines of the design. He doesn’t want an engine installation to necessarily change too much on the aircraft framework. So far, all of the aircraft built or sold use that Rotax 582. There is one exception. One customer is putting a Hirth
Support Our Advertisers Left: The photo shows that the hinge for the rudder is behind the fixed leading edge. Below: The Big Boy springs are a response to Denis’ own experience learning to fly a gyroplane and dropping it in kind of hard. A real suspension makes landings softer for novices.
28 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Above: Denis Schoemaker, the designer of the Gyro Technic aircraft. Left: The foldable mast makes trailering and storage in low-ceiling garages possible. New Gyro Design 3203 on his gyro. As far as the airframe kit goes, Denis brags that the only major components he outsources for the kit are the seat and the fuel tanks. Everything else is fabricated in-house. His rotorhead comes with built-in hydraulic brakes. He also fabricates his own brake calipers, hubs, wheels, master cylinder and more. The part building helps keep his cnc machines busy between outside jobs. As a designer, it helps being your own test pilot. Not only are you able to test your ideas right away, you are also able to think about details that make the experience better for both accomplished pilots and beginners. For example, the design has some pretty nice shocks on it. The “Big Guy” spring shocks for the landing gear comes from
www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2017 | 29 Support Our Advertisers Denis’s own early days of flying. He still remembers dropping it down hard during the landing and designed around that beginner trait. It is part of his passion for what he does. He is actively selling kits and was well-received at Mentone. He had just machined parts for ten kit units and five were already spoken for when I talked with him! Some of the feedback came from a few people wondering if he was planning to put cowlings on the design. So far, the answer to that question is no. He said, “I never had a windshield on a motorcycle. Love the open feeling. Feels natural, like true flight.” Besides, it departs from the simple design. That is not to say that he isn’t all for some customization. For example, Denis provides different machined instrument pods depending on how the customer wants to lay out his design. Now that Denis has a design and kits available, the rush after Mentone was to provide documentation. When I spoke to him, he was busy getting his display ready for the convention. But he knew he had some work ahead of him. He knew, for example, that he had more work to do on the documentation package and assembly instructions. But for that, he had a very unique offering for kit builders. The design was created on a 3D cad program. That program allows him to provide 3D pdfs of the machine to customers as part of the assembly instructions. Customers will get a computer flash drive with the pdfs on them and can then view the plans by rotating the parts and assemblies around. Very simple and easy to understand for the builder. Build times are estimated to be very low. He and a coworker were able to assemble one in two days, but of course they were experienced and knew where the parts all go. Denis estimates that a first-time builder should be able to assemble his gyro in about 40 hours. For the builder who wants more immediate guidance, there is a plan to offer Build-Assist programs in the shop. Another piece in the puzzle is meeting the 51% rule for the kits. Of course that is an area that an easy-to-assemble gyro designer has to pay attention to. With the faa’s new fabrication and assembly checklist, that shouldn’t be a problem. However, learning about that process was one of Denis’s missions at the convention. He guessed at the time that he could undersize some holes (that would require the builder to drill them out) and maybe remove other features, if needed. Of course the goal there is to make the kit as easy as possible to build while making the design fit the faa 51% amateur-built standard. Gyro Technic is located in Kasota, Minnesota, which makes for a compact flying season. The flying season is shorter, but he tries to tough it out as long as he can without having to wear heavy clothing. Denis considers flying bulked up to be less comfortable and he can’t feel the flight controls with heavy gloves. That means the winter gives him time to work on his designs. For those in the grassroots side of the gyro movement, that is a great boon. It is good to have someone like Denis pursuing his flying passion by thinking and working on gyro designs. That benefits us all! Learn more about Gyro Technic at gyrotechnic.com and learn more about Denis’ primary business at prairieautomation.com. •
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34 | December 2017 | Powered Sport Flying Swing Set Aviator Funny Fear We’ve all been there–something we’ve done a hundred times before is now giving us somewhat of an awkward apprehension. It may be obvious like a reverse launch in lighter-than-usual winds, or a running forward in a slightly stronger breeze than what we’re used to. More often than not though it may be just a normal launch on a routine day. Whatever the case may be, this strange apprehension is here and it’s caught us off guard now. Think about the last time it happened to you. It’s what I like to call, “ funny fear.” What Fear Is, and What It Isn’t... Fear is a powerful emotion that keeps us alive and can prevent us from truly living. The outcome of its effects on us depends on what kind of fear it is–the notion of more than one kind of fear used to seem completely foreign to me, as I used to group all of my fears into the same category; that is, a state of being I didn’t much appreciate. The truth of it is, I found that my fear fell into different categories. In order to figure this out I had to fully analyze my fears each time they happened before I could differentiate the different types of fear I experience. Let’s underscore something right off the bat though. Fear is a good thing and it should be respected. People who pontificate their fearlessness from the highest mountaintops are, in my humble opinion, good actors. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who walk around scared of their own shadows; they aren’t truly living, to me. I think prioritizing where we exist within this matrix can be one of the keys to a good life. It’s important to start this as early as you can though. The younger we get a handle on understanding our fears, the more we’ll respect them and truly understand how they affect our lives. Rational and Irrational Fear When I analyze my fear I can always relegate it into two primary flavors: Rational and Irrational. Rational fear will keep my fingers off a hot stove–pretty simple. Irrational fear, on the other hand, is harder to diagnose; but if I’m nervous about something and can’t figure out why, I go for facts. Once I know the facts and my fear still has no logical reason for existence, I relegate it to the irrational category. This doesn’t mean I dismiss it completely, mind you; rather, I find myself empowered in that I have realized that my fear is irrational. Facts and logic are powerfully persuasive arguments against irrational fear, or “ funny fear” as I like to call it. Imagine all the people in the world who are ruled by their irrational fear. I speculate that the percentage of the population is quite high and would even argue some obvious examples lie in plain sight as proof. For instance, if cost weren’t a factor, how many people would get their pilot’s license or get certified in scuba diving? Both are doorways to entirely new worlds but surprisingly few choose to endeavor, even in spite of the costs. One would think that accessing new worlds would outweigh cost as the main limitation–as the old saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way, right? Perhaps I’m being a little too presumptuous in my assumptions. I freely admit it, not everyone is an explorer at heart. Nevertheless, being naturally curious without irrational fear is one of the keys to an incredibly free and rewarding life, in my opinion. “Fear is a powerful emotion that keeps us alive and can prevent us from truly living. The outcome of its effects on us depends on what kind of fear it is.”
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