www.PSFmagazine.com | November/December 2021 | 11 10 | November/December 2021 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft Support Our Advertisers Midwest lsa Expo 2021 Many readers know I love this event, the Midwest lsa Expo at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois airport about one hour’s drive east of St. Louis, Missouri. Led by capable, enthusiastic, and friendly Chris Collins, this has become a regular event for many… that is, many vendors, many pilots, and me. I only missed once when we were facing a major hurricane in Florida. This was my 12th, but it’s officially the 13th annual running of the show. Why do people keep returning? Because pilots enjoy looking over aircraft in a more relaxed manner than is possible at crowd-jammed events like Oshkosh or Sun ‘n Fun. Airplane reps keep coming back because they make sales in Mt. Vernon. Many have said these smaller shows are better because they can spend the time with pilots as needed to answer all their questions. Once so satisfied, pilots in the market turn into buyers. It’s all good. On the second day of the event, I did a talk about coming changes in faa’s latest regulation. Midwest lsa Expo‘s forum organizers called the turnout a “record crowd.” Some 95 pilots entered their email on an faa Wings credit sign-in sheet and that didn’t include everyone present. This topic always generates lots of interest. A number of vendors told me they wanted to attend but couldn’t because they didn’t feel they could leave their exhibit. The event was that busy. That’s a great problem: plenty of people who want to talk to you. That Day 2, Friday the 10th, was a strong day, even better than Thursday’s good early start. Add in another beautiful day plus the Orange Shirt (volunteer) Crew doing a terrific job of taking care of everyone —Midwest lsa Expo has blossomed into a fine event. Even though foot traffic seemed good, any visitor could talk to a vendor as long as they wanted. It makes for well-informed consumers and satisfied exhibitors who can interact with customers and prospective customers and provide demo flights. After concentrating on faa rule making for the morning it was a great pleasure to go flying in the afternoon. Another beautiful day served up by Mt. Vernon. The green fields and forests surrounding mvn Outland Airport looked lush and verdant against a deep blue sky, picturesque stuff that. We'll talk about that soon. On the final day of the Midwest lsa Expo 2021, winds came up as predicted and energy levels began to come down to Earth, but it was a fitting conclusion to what appeared to be a very successful show. I talked to people from all over, several from California two thousand miles to the west. Most attendees were probably Midwestern pilots, but a surprising number of visitors came a long way, hailing from both coasts. The reputation for this event, now finishing its thirteenth year, has grown beyond what many once anticipated. I’d still call it a regional event but one with a long reach. Pilots came to examine aircraft, to see how they fit in them, to learn more about ones of particular interest, to learn more about developments in the industry, and to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow recreational pilots. Smiles were plentiful. Quite a few pilots made purchase decisions and went away with an order confirmation in hand. I spoke with numerous vendors who reported that at least one and in multiple cases more than one order was taken at the show. Many good prospects had ample time to talk to airplane reps and everyone seemed pleased about the experience. The only downside: lead times are up. Some vendors are quoting delivery well into 2022. Let's talk airplanes at the show! Built for Aerobatics: Magnus Fusion 212 One area of light aircraft flight — lsa, kits, or ultralights — that gets less attention is aerobatics. “Oh, we can’ t encourage that from Sport Pilots,” some lament, but those who say that are not considering one aspect of flight training that also gets less attention than it deserves: upset recovery training. Some call it unusual attitude recovery, but the purpose is to prepare pilots for potentially threatening positions where the pilot should promptly execute practiced control actions to restore normal flight. When I did conventional flight instruction many years ago, we always included spin recovery training, even for the Private Pilot certificate. In those days, before any student was signed off for a checkride, he or she had likely done full spins to recovery. We thought it made good sense for pilots to at least know how to perform when they find themselves in unusual attitudes. The handsome Fusion 212 you see in the nearby pictures was not initially conceived as a Light Sport Aircraft. It was first built to perform in a Red Bull flight demonstrations series for two years. When that Red Bull pilot retired from performing, the Magnus team wanted to create an aerobatic trainer, and, as they said, “Fusion 212 was born.” Magnus Aircraft in Hungary developed Fusion 212 as a training aircraft because while having a very strong wing, it also exhibits predictable flight qualities. When I flew it I found the controls brisk but not overly sensitive, a good combination. I also clearly recall, when maneuvering in Fusion, that it felt extremely solid. Later I learned that this aircraft uses a single-piece wing (as does the Cirrus SR series). This no doubt aided the tight feel I experienced. At that time the man in charge of Magnus in the usa was not stressing the aerobatic capability. In a 2018 article announcing the Fusion as the newest slsa in the U.S. market, this appeared: “This low-wing monoplane [has a] symmetrical wing profile that provides it
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