I think it looks as though it has the razorback fuselage of an early Cessna 150
the tail of a later model 150
and the nose gear of a Grumman Yankee.
In other words, it looks kinda kludgy to me.
I'm not convinced that the LSA category is going to make it over the long haul. I don't see the market for $100,000 two-seaters that are limited to VFR day only (they can be flown at night, but you need a private pilot license for that, which defeats the whole "no medical exam required" purpose of LSA). Lots of companies are jumping into this market and, based on the boom-bust cycle of general aviation over the last 60+ years, I'd say most of them are going to lose their shirts.
$100K? Gah.
ReplyDeleteI sorta pine for the days immediately after WWII, when tens of thousands of cheap trainers flooded the market and you could pick up even war surplus DC-3's for less than the price of a luxury automobile. I wasn't alive back then, but I know people who were, and the stories they tell me sound like aviation heaven. Today... uhm, not so much.
-- Badtux the not-that-elderly Penguin
Yes, but those airplanes still needed to be maintained.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of people who bought airplanes and the price was made up by the free gas in the tank.
I wouldn't mind having a F6F in the yard. :)
Let's not forget that the Skycatcher and similar aircraft aren't the only options for LSA; beside a lot of used aircraft like J3's, Luscombe's and the like, and a lot of homebuilt types can be flown on the Sport ticket.
ReplyDeleteSure, if someone wants/needs to fly at night and in IFR conditions, they have to upgrade; but you have to upgrade for IFR anyway. Most private pilots do little other than day VFR once they have their license anyway.
The LSA manufacturers themselves, for the most part, aren't dependent on SLSA sales alone, since they tend to be entering the LSA market from position in other market areas, whether coming down from the U.S. GA market, like Cessna and Cirrus, or up from homebuilt or ultralight like Rans, or from Europe or Australia, like Remos, Jabiru, Tecnam, and so on.
Sure, shakeout is pretty much a certainty, but it's going to be the weaker ones that fall away.
At least LSA is a lot healthier than the previous Recreational rating turned out to be.
Nice - I'm currently training (for my PPL) in an Evektor Sportstar, and would like to try one of the new Cessnas when they become available.
ReplyDelete