The Worm Turns!
How many times have we heard it said of light sport aircraft? “Oh. They might sell a few, but they’ll never have any effect on real aviation.” “They’ll never amount to anything on my airport.” “I mean, like, for crying out loud, don’t they have snowmobile engines in those things?”
The worm has turned. Cessna showed up at Oshkosh last week with an LSA with a Rotax engine. True, it was a “proof-of-concept” airplane. Even if, as seems likely, it goes into production there is no guarantee that the final version will have a Rotax engine.
Makes no difference. Cessna—the 800-pound gorilla—has an LSA with a Rotax engine. Cessna is taking LSA seriously. The world will never be the same again.
The interesting thing is that Cessna (according to my inside source at Cessna) doesn’t see LSA as just a toy airplane for old pilots with no medical. Cessna sees this as the potential training aircraft of the future. As—thank goodness and at long last—a less expensive entry aircraft. As the first step for pilots who will upgrade to bigger, better, and more expensive airplanes just as pilots have for lo these many years.
In short, Cessna hopes LSA will replace the ubiquitous—and old—Cessna 150/152.
Makes sense to me. These little LSA cost less, burn less fuel, and leap tall buildings. The cabins are often wider, they carry more weight, visibility is better, and they are beautiful. If any aircraft can put the excitement back into primary training, LSA might.
Pay attention, folks. These may well be the pioneering years that we will be talking about for decades to come!
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Hi-Would “Dan Petrie” email me? I have questions about the StingSport.
Thanks,
Rich
By golly, Michael, you said it all, and did a great job of saying it. “Full citizens”–I love it!
Thanks,
Ralph Hood
As an LSA dealer, I admit I’m biased. Without giving away all of our business strategies for the world to read, I will say that there are a surprising number of applications for these capable little planes. Did you notice during Cessna’s announcement that they did not call them LSAs or Light Sport Aircraft? Cessna referred to them as “sport planes”. It appears that Cessna sees these aircraft as full citizens in the aviation community. We get 3-4 new pilot starts utilizing our sport planes for every new pilot start in our C-172. The numbers speak for themselves. The people want sport planes. And every one of these new pilot starts intends to complete their Private Pilot certificate. They fly the sport planes because they are sexy, new, cost effective, and fun to fly. Oh, and it is easier to sell your wife or girlfriend on flying with you in a new sport plane than in an old C-152.
Fred–
Thanks so much. I am honored that you wish to reprint the BLOG in a Canadian publication. I will brag to my buddies at the coffee shop about being quoted internationally!
Ralph Hood
Enjoyed your perspective Ralph, indeed I printed your remarks for possible quotation (with attribution of course) in a report I will be preparing next week or WINGS Canada’s National Aviation Magazine that I contribute to.
On a personal note, I have almost 200 hours on my StingSport LSA I took delivery of at Sebring Oct 2004. It is ever bit as capable of any basic Cessna or Piper, at 2/3 the gas. Indeed it is the same carbon-fibre, glass cockpit, ballistic chute technology as a Cirrus. Only half the seats (and not quite as fast) but less than 1/4 the cost. It is keeping this old goat flying.
Greg–
Thanks for the comment. I hear the same things, and LSA just might be the answer. LSA are sure bringing some much-needed publicity to the industry.
Thanks,
Ralph Hood
Ralph: Like Dan Z, I think you are on target. Cessna IS the 800 lb gorilla of GA and as such, doesn’t spend as much as they probably did for a “proof of concept” without seeing what is coming as well. Thanks for bucking the trend of writers saying LSA is a “flash in the pan”. As an airport manager, pilot and aviation afficionado, I’m worried by the decline I’ve seen in the number of new pilots. The primary reason I frequently hear is the cost of getting that golden ticket. I hope that LSA can bring some sanity back to the cost of flight training and open up a new world to the next generation of pilots.
Dan–
Thanks so much. Trouble is, when I’m right, nobody remembers. When I’m wrong, nobody forgets!
Ralph Hood
Ralph, only time will tell, but I believe you are correct.
Thanks for the article
Dan Zichek