www.PSFmagazine.com | March-April 2019 | 15 14 | March-April 2019 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Expo Sebring Day 4 —Wrapping Up The final day of the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo brought good flying conditions until mid-afternoon when light precipitation returned. The good start allowed me to fly two aircraft, the MagnumAircraft all-carbon-fiber Fusion 212 and the fully enclosed SilverLight Aviation American Ranger AR1 gyroplane. One surprise arrival was Aeromarine lsa‘s Mermaid. Remember this model? This Chip Erwin creation was really the forerunner of the modern lsa seaplane category. Before Mermaid, we had Progressive Aerodyne‘s Searey and Aero Adventure‘s Aventura. Both those models have been upgraded for the time of astm standards compliance but early in the new millennium it was accurate to call them “ultralight seaplanes” built of gusseted aluminum structures covered with sewn Dacron surfaces. When Mermaid arrived about as the Light Sport Aircraft sector was given birth by faa’s new regulation, this all-metal, clean sheet design wowed crowds at Sun ‘n Fun. Many responded by putting down deposits. For complex reasons I won’t go into here, Mermaid never made the splash many anticipated but neither has it disappeared. For the final day, Mermaid came and replaced another lsa seaplane that chose to exit their space early. The intriguing shoulder-wing design steadily attracted interested pilots. Mermaid was the first lsa seaplane to declare compliance with astm standards and was #28 catalogued on our popular slsa List. It was fun to see Mermaid again. Gone Flying… for You! Magnum Fusion — Magnum Aircraft usa is the manufacturer of a Hungarian design called Fusion 212. Designed in 2013 with first flight in 2015, and faa acceptance as a Special lsa in 2017, Fusion is one of the newest aircraft in the slsa List, in the #146 spot. The U.S. assembly site brings in carbon components fromHungary but the American operation is acknowledged by faa as the official producer of the lsa version, according to boss Istvan Foldesi. This all-carbon-fiber design is a low wing side-by-side model with dashing performance featuring quick climb rates with the Rotax 912 uls. Fusion cruises at 110-115 knots and exhibited very accommodating handling. SilverLight AR1 — To handle this flight review a bit differently, I asked pilot/instructor Greg Spicola to pretend I was a new gyroplane student. That’s close to accurate as I have about four hours under my belt in a variety of gyroplanes. However, except for a few differences associated with a spinning wing, AR1, like all gyroplanes, can be flown essentially as you’d operate a fixed-wing lsa. “Power before pitch” was a mantra Greg drilled into me and that with a few other differences — such as operating the rotor pre-rotator and learning to brake the rotor disk before making abrupt turns on the ground—are easy enough to learn. It only takes a bit of ‘unlearning’ so one’s fixed-wing habits don’t result in the wrong actions by the pilot. These aircraft are special in many ways — the ability to descend vertically (although not land that way) and to make seriously tight turns about a point — that combine with massive visibility at affordable prices… all of which explain some of the growing popularity of these aircraft types. Again, look for many more details and views when the video emerges from the edit suite. As the show wound down, I talked with Sebring Airport Executive Director Mike Willingham and Executive Assistant Bev Glarner. The longtime team are the key players behind the event these days but I also asked questions about the airport itself. The short version is that they are very happy with this year’s event and with the visibility the event has given the airport. Beyond providing a great venue for light sport aircraft manufacturers and future owners, it is helping make Sebring a gateway for international businesses in the United States.• An unanticipated event on Sebring’s closing day was the arrival of the somewhat hidden-fromview Aeromarine LSA Mermaid LSA seaplane, the first such to win faa acceptance as a SLSA. SilverLight Aircraft’s American Ranger AR1 gyroplane with full enclosure. USUA News Weight Shift Control • Claim Number: 18612 • Sub-Class: rwl1t / Microlights: Weight-shift Control / Landplane / Flown with one person / Thermal Engine • Category: Not applicable • Group: Not applicable • Type of Record: Distance in a straight line without engine power • Course/Location: Sandy, Bedfordshire /United Kingdom) • Performance: 34.54 km (21.46 miles) • Pilot: David Broom (United Kingdom) • Aircraft: 3DC / Grif Italia powered by Ciscomotors C-max 175 • Date: 06/15/2018 • Previous Record: No record set yet. Powered Parachute • Claim Number: 18760 • Sub-Class: rpl2t / Paramotors: Paraglider 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: Krakow (Poland)–Zakrzewo (Poland) • Performance: 427.07 km (265.36 miles) • Pilot: Krzysztof Romicki (Poland) • Members: Wojciech Strzyzakowski (Poland) • Aircraft: Hadron Cabrio 34 / Dudek powered by Polini Thor 250 • Date: 10/17/2018 • Previous Record: 406.99 km (252.89 miles) (02/24/2018) Setting a Record 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 from the microlight section of www.fai.org 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 World Records and Attempts FAI has ratified the following Class R (Microlights) World records. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the National Aeronautic Association, the United States Ultralight Association and Powered Sport Flying Magazine all congratulate the Pilots on their splendid achievements.
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