www.PSFmagazine.com | November/December 2021 | 15 14 | November/December 2021 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft Light Sport Aircraft by Roy Beisswenger Various other producers have adapted this general shape and developed their own versions. I’ve reported on at least six such: CH-750 (the original, along with the 701); icp’s Savannah of Italy, SP30 from Russia, Sila from Serbia, and G1 from France. Even this list is not complete. G1 was reportedly modeled after yet another, the now-discontinued Alisport Puma. Clearly, this is a popular form of aircraft. One unique aspect of G1, however, is its folding wings. Another quality is the curved-corner fuselage, which is made easier for builders thanks to use of precision matchhole construction developed with cnc equipment, plus a substantial amount of work already completed from the factory. Wing and fuselage are largely built before shipping to Canada and usa. Mark said they estimate someone with average mechanical aptitude will need only 300 hours to assemble the kit. A customer who has built any kit previously could possibly assemble G1 in significantly less time, Mark believes. Use of match-hole construction makes it far more builder-friendly. Wings and fuselage come significantly assembled with a minimum number of rivets already in place to keep the skins where they belong. Builders earn their 51% contribution by pulling a lot of rivets (among other duties). A hydraulic pulling tool — available for around $100 — would be a smart investment, saving not only your wrist muscles but also more consistently-pulled rivets. “Matchhole,” for those that don’t know, means that cnc equipment has punched rivet holes in the right places so precisely that a builder can literally take a bag full of clecos, join the skins more firmly, and start riveting. G1’s fuselage construction further sets it off from others. You may recall that a CH-701 has a rather boxy fuselage. This is probably easy for homebuilders but lacks the smooth appearance G1 shows with its gently curved corners. As the nearby image shows, this is possible again due to cnc, match-hole, and the factory using their jigs to get most parts already in the right place. In addition to riveting, plumbing, electrical and other construction steps, a primary task for the builder is to join the wings to the fuselage, a step of some precision to get the dihedral right, and to assure the wing-join mechanisms work to facilitate folding the wings. Not only does G1 have a folding wing mechanism, but I found it unique. Again, nearby images will show the base of the wing struts are arranged in such a way to allow the wing to pivot from the middle rather than the trailing edge, as is common in designs like Kitfox, for example. When I looked at G1’s wing fold, I couldn’t quite envision how it worked until Mark explained that the flaps and ailerons are also designed to flip up over the wing such that when you fold the wings they actually cover a portion of the fuselage, keeping the width within the 8 feet that is needed to trailer this on most roadways. Linkages stay connected. It’s a pretty slick method and one that shows this is not a copy of the CH-750. A fourth interesting aspect of the design is its fold-forward control sticks. They move together and have no pins or levers. You merely push the joystick forward to the floor. When doing so, you’ll feel the over-center design that holds it flat to the flow, greatly easing cockpit entry. Once in, just pull it aft and prepare to taxi. In summer 2021, the G1 kit sells for $39,500 and a build-center-assist ready-to-fly model can get airborne for $79,500, depending on equipment an owner wants and the level of finish desired. • The Deland Showcase is not the biggest show by far, but it is a nice, relaxed show that always allows vendors and interested buyers a chance to really visit with each other. It also bookends the fly-in season with pleasant Florida November weather which is very comparable to the pleasant Florida April weather that Sun ‘n Fun convention-goers enjoy. One person who wasn’t nearly as visible as he has been in the past was aviation reporter and popular YouTube personality, Dan Johnson. For the first part of the show he was otherwise engaged in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where he was inducted into the eaa’s Ultralight Hall of Fame. He did make it back from the chilly north in time to provide a keynote address on Saturday attended by airplane owners and sellers. Dan provided information gleaned from the faa at meetings in Oshkosh held during AirVenture this summer on the faa’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates (mosaic) rules rewrite. Some information is more certain, other decisions will depend on a part of the faa that has been a little opaque. Here are the important things he presented: • There are big questions out there such as will light sport aircraft (lsa) gain additional capabilities such as increased weight, increased speed, increased capacity, extra seats, retractable gear, in-flight adjustable props and more? Which of the new aircraft will Sport Pilots be allowed to fly? Answers have been hinted but another division inside the faa called Flight Standards will decide. • ‘Rotorcraft’ will be included in mosaic. This almost guarantees that gyroplanes will finally be able to be approved as fully-built aircraft. But the term rotorcraft can imply accommodations for helicopters, too. • Aircraft that have received weight exemptions should no longer have to rely on exemptions. Those increased weights may now be incorporated into the regulation so the exemptions (intended as a short-term fix) can be ended. Notable companies such as Icon and SkyRunner won’t have to rely on weight exemptions and other companies may build aircraft with increased weights without having to apply for exemptions. • New powerplant options will arrive in concert with the capabilities mentioned above. Deland Showcase Wraps up the 2021 Airshow Season
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