Central Florida Sportair has an address. This week has been very active in the construction of my new facility in Ft. White/High Springs. The grading work is complete and the formers are being laid for my concrete pad. My building is scheduled to be installed the second week in April so anybody flying thru to Sun n Fun should stop by for a peak. The entry from the runway for parking is 200′ deep by 150′ wide so I should have plenty of room.

Construction Zone

The planning and preparation for my building is coming along nicely and I should be up and running before April. Right now it will be just a hangar and shop, but my hope is to build a house next to my hangar within the next year. Lots of cool plans for next airplane are on the dream sheet right at the moment, but I will have plenty to keep me busy for the next 8-10 months.

Frank Kimp flying his new Highlander

The Sebring Expo is always a great way to see all the latest and greatest things happening in Light Sport. One of the really amazing DYK things to report is that Piper has entered the Light Sport game by purchasing Sport Cruise/ CZ Aircraft Works (or whoever they call them selves this week). It happened so suddenly, even the Sport Cruiser dealers in the US are uncertain as to what is going on. I did spend some time with my friends at Progressive Aerodyne, AKA Searey. The refinements being made to this fun little airplane are VERY impressive and I should have some great intel to report on the operation in the next few weeks. The big news for me at the show was that I have sold my demo plane….yes my Highlander is leaving the nest to live in the northern most reaches of California. She will be missed. As to what I will be up to next, please stay tuned, I hope to build my hangar and shop in the next few months and will go from there.

Today was my first day in my new location. The move went well, with a little help from some great friends. The Highlander is tucked in next to a beautiful Rans S7 and feels right at home. Please feel free to call and stop by….it may look narrow, but it is really 100 feet wide….just stay in the middle. LOL

The light sport aircraft category was truly created for the enjoyment of recreational flying. Aircraft designed to meet this niche vary widely in materials and configuration, yet all meet the basic standard: single engine, fixed landing gear (amphibious exemptions), fixed pitch propeller (some ground adjustable), maximum of 120 knots in normal cruise flight, and maximum of 39 knots stall speed. Once you plug all this into your flight experience, you will find that in most cases a modern light sport airplane is the best light airplane you have ever flown. I hope to help explore the aerodynamics and flight characteristics of these aircraft thoroughly enough in this article to help improve all of our awareness and thus safety of operation.

A common theme in the light sport aircraft manufactures is wing area. In order to achieve the lowest stall speeds possible you have to improve your wing loading, airfoil shape and area to maximize effect at slow speed. For most designers, the easiest answer is to build a bigger wing on a smaller airplane. Viola! We will get into the “good news”, “bad new” of the big wing/little airplane more thoroughly as we go, but you may be starting to get the idea. A good Cub driver will tell you, having a BIG wing isn’t always your friend.

Remember when you were a kid building paper airplanes. The long distance flyers had a little meat to them. Maybe you stuck a few strategically located paper clips on the noise or the belly to give it a little oomph. Many of us have plenty of time flying the good old C172 or PA-28 airplanes at some point. Now, take that airplane with a 28-31 foot wingspan, weighing in at 1800-2200 pounds and let’s start comparing it with light sport. Most light sports (LSAs) also have a wingspan between 28-31 feet, but have the max gross of 1320 pounds. Many of the LSAs have wing area of as much as 180 square feet.  Which airplane will glide better without power, and more importantly, which one will stay airborne longer? Remember: glide ratio is a function of time and speed. Sometimes having a little “junk in your trunk” can push you along nicely, but forward momentum isn’t a good thing in forced landings or aborted takeoffs. Many of us will need to change our sight picture significantly to compensate for this major change in our aerodynamic efficiency from a traditional glide path. Now, as pilots we need to start training ourselves to look for a different kind of good. I can now land my LSA safely in 400’ vs. 1200’, since not only am I going slower, I am also a lot lighter and can therefore stop quicker.  This is also important in decision making, since you can abort a takeoff quickly and more safely.

For most pilots this category has been a godsend that has re-invigorated our love and participation in flying. Many designs available in this category are basically an improved version of the tried and true “tube and fabric” airframes like the Legend Cub, Just Aircraft Highlander, Sport Cub, Kitfox and Rans S6 and S7. While some like the CT, Sting Sport and Remos are pushing the high tech, slick aerodynamic, almost a motor-glider edge. For the most part, all have commonality in wing area and weight so let’s start with the good news.

Light Sport airplanes are fun and affordable to operate with many great safety features installed like modern GPS and parachute recovery systems. The short field performance and flight handling in many of them are just short of spectacular, like my Highlander with a max gross takeoff distance of 280’. The power to weight ratio in all of them will allow for quick acceleration during recovery from stalls or go around maneuvers.  Compare: the original LSA, a stock J-3 Cub with a gross weight of 1100 pounds and 65 hp has a power to weight ratio of 16.9:1, while almost all LSAs sold today are 13.2:1.  This gives us a remarkable 20% increase in overall performance.

Now for the bad news: few flight-training facilities have light sport aircraft, and even the ones that do have not developed specialized flight-training modules to help with the transition or introduction to flight in this style aircraft. While the airplanes are simple single, low speed, straightforward designs, some have distinct weaknesses. The most common weakness is lack of rudder area for wing area. The second is a larger wing area with less mass. If you pull your throttle to idle you can lose your forward momentum quickly.  Also, because of the slower approach speed, the visual glide path looks steep compared to what you expect in a normal category single engine aircraft. If you attempt to hold the nose up in what you perceive to be the normal attitude you will bleed airspeed quickly and develop a strong sink rate due to the larger wing area slowing the aircraft more rapidly.

Many imports are constructed of composite materials with lightweight wheels and brakes. Also, many of the tricycle gear airplanes have a much narrower stance with a tighter geometry in the landing gear. This has not been kind to the pilots transitioning from larger aircraft or beginners trying to learn takeoff and landings. A vast majority of the incidence involving aircraft damage have precipitated from hard landings with side loads, causing failure of a brake, tire or wheel attachment. That being said, focusing training on slow, controlled, touchdowns and the proper use of braking as well as slower taxi speeds can virtually eliminate this risk. Starting your student on a smooth grass runway can help them build confidence without incident. Use great caution when choosing the soft runway. Having smaller tires can create a hazard on soft sand or tall grass so make sure it is a well groomed surface.

The flight instructor should become the expert on each model they plan to instruct in. If you haven’t experienced the airframe’s weaknesses aerodynamically you cannot teach your fellow pilot how to master the control of a light sport airplane. Smooth recovery from all types of upsets and perfect flight coordination must be mastered. Each aircraft will have different control ratios and many have a small rudder and elevator surfaces so go out and push the envelope before you try to teach. I have had a CFI acting as PIC fail to correct for the crosswind to the point of leaving the runway. Light aircraft can be vulnerable to high winds so don’t let yourself be pushed around. A good rule of thumb for light aircraft is 10 knots max crosswind, but each aircraft will vary and a good indicator should be, “How big is my rudder?”  If your wing area is 120 square feet and your rudder is 2 square feet you are going to need to limit yourself. The Remos, CT and Allegro aircraft are good examples of the small rudder, big wing aircraft. A good technique to use in windy conditions with small rudder aircraft is to add a small amount of power as you enter ground effect until you touch down, giving more airflow over the tail surface and helping to maintain more positive directional control.

The vast majority of aircraft damaged in the LSA category have been during landing. Many of the pilots returning to flying after long sabbaticals are having difficulty with the LSA flight characteristics. The largest grouping of the incidents occur for 2 reasons, first is failure to fly at the proper approach speed for the airframe, usually around 20 knots slower than anything they have flown in a long while, and second is failure to maintain directional control.  The directional control in most cases relates directly to the good old “stick and rudder” skills required for all light aircraft.

As a professional pilot and aircraft addict, I have flown a large number of aircraft and with each one, I am forced to re-tune my skills to meet the aircraft’s needs.  Some aircraft are so similar it can be a total non-event, but in all cases it is vital that you learn the aircraft thoroughly before you teach in it or use it for taking a buddy out for that hamburger.  Even if you think you are good, you can always make yourself better with focused flight envelope exploration. I have taken 25-35 hours to explore a new airplane and get “the feel” down pat. Challenge yourself to take your flying up to that next level and get really good with the airplane. Advance your skills by getting a tail wheel sign off or find an instructor that is well versed in the Light Sport aircraft because it’s not your old Cessna 150; it’s a whole new ball game. The most important thing of all is: practice, practice, practice. Operationally an LSA is half the cost and twice the fun, so get out and fly.

Fall weather has finally reached Florida and the weather is spectacular. I have moved to my new location on the Williston airport at the south end of the grass runway 18-36. The city of Williston recently moved the fence surrounding the airport to include runway 18-36 which is 300′ wide and 3000′ long. It is currently a little lumpy for small tires and tight wheel pants, but the grass is being mowed and they arrangements have been made to roll the full length later this month. I am planning to visit the AOPA Summit in Tampa and hope to see you there.