Sport Pilot Talk

Not the E-LSA that I own and operate. There is no mention of IFR operation approval, nor any provision for obtaining such approval. Blame the DAR who wrote your Operating Limitations, Jim! That's the "interresting" part - my E-LSA was signed off by an FAA person, not by a DAR. It's a RANS...

Any LSA aircraft in the E-LSA or EAB experimental categories can be flown IFR with the appropriate equipment (assuming it has current operational limitations). A S-LSA can be converted to E-LSA also. So it would be appropriate to use an LSA for your purposes. It will be difficult to find one in the...

"IFR Rated" and $60K likely takes you out of Light Sport and into standard-category aircraft. One airplane I would suggest you consider is the Grumman-American AA-5 series: the Traveler and Cheetah. These 4-place sliding-canopy airplanes cruise quite a bit faster than a 172 on 150 hp, but ...

The thing with E-LSA is that the vast majority of FAA folks don't really know and understand it very well. I went through an almost year-long hassle with my local FSDO just to get the test flight area changed (originally built in Montana, now operating in Texas). The guy was very apologetic and all ...

There's an ironic twist to this... Sim flying can become every bit as addictive (perhaps more so) than "real" flying... My son is not a pilot, but is an avid sim-flyer. So much so that he's invested in some very high-end cockpit simulations, a huge curved screen with a couple of additional...

As for the "how could this be missed on a pre-buy?" question, that falls into the "you'll never know the true answer to that" category. The trim time could have still been absolutely fine during the pre-purchase inspection, then come loose during the ferry flight. If it was alrea...

By the time you get something to support selecting the squawk code it is $4500. It is a neat option, but not a budget option. Unless you already have an EFIS that supports it, such as a GRT or MGL. Others might work as well. He said he has a Dynon D6 which doesn't support a transponder, hence the r...

Anyone installed a uAvionix tailBeaconX? Transponder, ADSB out, GPS, antennae, position light all built into one unit. Looks sweet! https://uavionix.com/products/tailbeaconx/ By the time you get something to support selecting the squawk code it is $4500. It is a neat option, but not a budget option...

Good find! And thanks for sharing the end result with us. Never know when it could help someone else!

Thanks for sharing the links for those of us who can't make it. So cool to watch the arrivals.

Glad to hear you're home safe. I know exactly what you mean when you say "with only moments of terror!" And those "pre-dawn" takeoffs are incredibly peaceful. It's fun to watch the sun rise in the air...

There is another thread about C-162 flight characteristics, which gives some good information about the SkyCatcher. Personally, if someone gave me one, I would immediately turn around and put it back on the market. Useful load is so low it would be totally useless for me.

I sent an email to the FSDO to get their take. Over a week now, with no response. Par for the course.

Just wanted to close the loop on this... I spoke to Mel Asbury (he's an EAA member in my old chapter as well as being a DAR), and he confirmed that changing a prop (other than "like for like") is a major change, and requires the airplane to be put back into Phase 1 test flight program for ...

It is odd to me that a Sky Ranger would be that expensive... I have a RANS S-6ES E-LSA with an insured value of $45,000 and I'm paying $1,045 for $1,000,000 liability / $100,000 per passenger (no sub-limit for non-passengers) with zero deductibles. The physical damage portion is $812 and the liabili...