www.PSFmagazine.com | January/February 2021 | 13 12 | January/February 2021 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft Registrations are not sales or deliveries. Kit-built aircraft are rarely registered in the same year they were delivered so kit registrations in 2020 may not reflect 2020 sales, which could have been lower or higher. Special and Experimental LSA of any kind are likely to be registered the same year they were manufactured. Over time, registrations and deliveries tend to align. 2020 Market Rank by Make All Aircraft: LSA & Kit-Built Number of Aircraft Registrations # Manufacturer Main Model* 2018 2019 2020 Totals 623 636 665 1 Zenair/Zenith CH750 82 71 86 2 Vans RV-12 39 52 55 3 Kitfox S7 Sport 29 39 54 4 Rans S-21 Outbound 35 49 49 5 Sonex Sonex/Waiex 25 29 44 6 Just Highlander 18 21 27 7 Magni M-24 Orion 18 10 22 8 Powrachute Airwolf 22 11 20 9 Quad City Challlenger 12 16 19 Vashon Ranger R7 8 14 19 11 Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey 21 19 18 12 Aeroprakt A22LS Foxbat 5 3 15 American Legend Legend Cub 11 16 15 14 Evolution Rev X 12 6 14 15 AutoGyro MTO 21 21 13 16 Icon • A5 45 42 13 17 BRM Bristell 15 11 12 18 Kolb Mark iii 8 4 11 19 Scoda Super Petrel 4 2 10 20 Quicksilver MX 4 9 9 Tecnam P2008 12 7 9 22 Aeropro (Aerotrek) A240/A220 5 11 8 23 Pipistrel Sinus 25 13 7 Sling Aircraft Sling 6 10 7 25 Texas Aircraft Colt 100 1 1 6 things: First, a lot of people finished their kit planes in 2020 – more than finished them in 2019 (so that ’s how they spent their lockdown time). Secondly, people are buying more kits than factory-built aircraft. Of course, there’s a lag in the data*. Some of those 2020 completions represent purchases from years before. Still, the kit segment has overtaken the factory-built segment.” Special and Experimental Light Sport Aircraft Aside from fixed-wing Sport Pilot Kits, Italian gyroplane maker Magni more than doubled its registrations. And among ready-to-fly (rtf) models, Scoda’s Super Petrel amphibian had a breakout year. Yet all is not well. Icon sank from 5th place to 15th, with just 13 registrations, down from 42 last year. AutoGyro’s numbers dropped 38%. “The largest gyroplane manufacturer in the world is reportedly undergoing a ‘corporate restructuring,’ Steve noted. We do not cover the Primary Aircraft category where some AutoGyro models may appear after they spent generously to achieve that certification with faa. With the coming lsa regulation preparing (we believe) to allow slsa gyroplanes, the advantage in having Primary Category approval is diminishing.” Fleet Growth by Certi cation Total Aircraft in the FAA Registry Over 15 Years 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 4500 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 SLSA & ELSA Aircraft Kit-Built Sport Pilot Aircraft Total in Fleet in 2000 = 51% Fleet Growth by Certification Year All Segments SLSA/ELSA Light Kit-Built (Sport Pilot Kits) 2020 665 247 418 2019 636 263 373 2018 63 278 345 Whatever the explanation, Italy-based Magni surged from well behind the market leader to race ahead in the American gyroplane market for 2020. lsa Seaplanes — a category all its own. Two companies stand out from the rest in 2020. Datastician Steve wrote, “Progressive Aerodyne’s SeaRey is the leader among amphibians now that Icon has slipped.” This must be particularly delicious for those working at the Tavares, Florida airplane manufacturer. SeaRey existed long before Icon Aircraft. Once solely a kit builder, after adding slsa models Progressive has steadily marched forward, even during ownership and management changes. SeaRey’s steady performance year in and year out wins the match against A5. These days, the two are priced dramatically Support Our Advertisers 2020 Market Rank by Make Special Light Sport Seaplanes Number of Aircraft Registrations # Manufacturer Main Model* 2018 2019 2020 Totals 79 76 48 1 Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey 21 19 18 2 Icon • A5 45 42 13 3 Scoda Super Petrel 4 2 10 4 SeaMax M-22 4 5 4 5 Aero Adventure Aventura II 3 3 3 6 Airtime Cygnet 2 5 0
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