Sport Pilot Talk

So I'm sitting here wondering why this thread had to degrade into name calling and ad hominem attacks. The discussion on the A5 has raised some very interesting questions and the ongoing Rotax vs Lyc/Cont discussion will never be settled. Concerning Icon, members should be free to discuss the histo...

I am the ultimate optimist, but I know BS when I smell it. First off, I deal with facts not speculation, the only thing that they "have brought to market" is ocean front property in Arizona, FACT. Secondly, Verne Rayburn is a substantial share holder in Icon, sits on the Board of Director...

Icon said it perfectly in their petition by reminding the FAA of their very own rules and objectives regarding Lsas: "In the LSA final rule, the FAA asserts in Section II, “Purpose of This Rule” (P.44774), that “ The FAA intends this rule to – increase safety in the light-sport aircraft communi...

As for being the biggest LSA manufacture Eclipse (who had several thousand orders and over a Billion dollars in investment, that's with a Billion with a B), Adams, Flight Designs Valkyrie and even the old LSA "Mermaid" was in the same position (order-wise with hundreds of orders) and reme...

Seems like a case of counting chickens before they hatch to be calling Icon "the biggest future lsa manufacturer". I think it was James Thurbur who said "Predictions are difficult, especially when they are about the future". If I am not mistaken, Icon has not delivered a single ...

Um, no. Icon knew the rules when they started playing the game. They didn't ask for an exemption then. They didn't claim to be building a spin-proof plane then. All the other LSA manufacturers played by the rules and built their airplanes as safe as they could within the rules that are in place. Th...

OK, 7900, I'm confused. Your post cited AvWeb quoting Rod Hightower, and then went on to quote an article on Dan Johnson's website. I guess you're saying that the paragraph citing Johnson was your comment, and didn't come from the same source as the one quoting Hightower. Correct? Yes, Icon has fil...

Dan Johnson's comments cited in that AvWeb article appear to be nothing but pure speculation (plus wishful thinking). I wouldn't hold your breath for the Cessna 150/152 ever being approved for Sport Pilots. :( Dan Johnson didn't comment on the AvWeb article, those comments came from EAA's Rod Hight...

I know that the FAA rarely gives weight exemption to LSAs, More like never :cry: would it be possible for the FAA to grant a weight exemption to certain 2 seater legacy aircraft like the 150 or 152? This has been much discussed, on these forums, within the LSA industry, and within the FAA. There ha...

I can tell you that there are over a hundred LSA manufacturers who would fight to the death any proposal to raise the LSA weight limit above 1320, after having committed all of their resources (and in some cases beyond) to developing, producing, and marketing planes within that limitation. Such a r...

Tecnam will not be importing the 0-233 powered aircraft due to being overweight for the LSA market in the US. I emailed Tecnam to get a clear answer and received the info. Direct from Eli Grimes of Tecnam North America on 12-8-11 after confirming with the factory in Italy, "We can offer the Ly...

Cessna is saving alot of money on labor manufacturing the 162 in China. Plus their material costs are most likely alot lower due to savings on bulk purchases. Their total cost is alot lower than for a smaller operation like Renegade. Yet Renegade delivers MORE plane for alot LESS money and is still ...

Compare the 162 to what you get in a Renegade Falcon. It's an American made LSA with a state of the art American made ( Lycoming ) engine and a long list of expensive options selling for $ 125,000. It comes with a Lycoming IO-233 engine, a 10" Dynon SkyView, full Garmin stack and dual electroni...

Exactly my point, thanks for sharing that eddie.

Don't see how the proposed exemption will do anything to revive GA. All indications are that it will be an exemption for the medical for pilots flying with RP priveledges. This may well keep existing pilots flying but is unlikely to spur sales of new $300K+ Part 23 aircraft. I was refering to stopp...