Cessna has announced they will take the wraps off of their new plane marking their entry into the LSA market on Monday at 9:30. (At Oshkosh of course.) Cessna will then hold a news conference where they are expected to talk about the aircraft as well as release details about new prop aircraft they are developing…. Likely the Cirrus Killer everyone has been expecting.

Further indicating that Cessna is serious about producing a light sport aircraft we are now hearing that they have joined the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association.
“We have all the important producers in the emerging light sport aviation industry, so as Cessna studies the opportunities, we believe that aligning with LAMA was the right thing to do.” Tom Gunnarson, President of Cessna.

The Wichita Eagle is reporting that Cessna is looking into a light sport aircraft and will display a full scale model at Oshkosh next month. With Light Sport being the highest growth rate segment of aviation, this would be a logical next step.
Cessna says they have not yet decided if they will put a light sport aircraft into production and that decision won’t come until next year.

In case you couldn’t be there to hear it yourslef, the FAA has posted a copy of Marion Blakey’s speech at Sun-n-Fun. During the speech, the Administrator talked about safety, Light Sport rules, and FAA funding as they pertain to GA.
Let me use this opportunity to tip my hat to the GA community for helping us develop two new products on the web site. I’m talking about the weather, decision-making tips, and the guidance for flight instructors on including weather and risk-management skills in flight review activities.
We can’t control the weather, but we can control how we deal with it. …read more

The FAA has granted an exception for the Mermaid Amphibian Aircraft due to the retractable gear. Since the Amphibian has retractable gear for its amphibious operations, it doesn’t otherwise qualify for SLSA. However the FAA has granted an exception finally allowing Mermaid Amphibian owners a path to operate under SLSA.
“The FAA finds the structural integrity of the Mermaid aircraft is enhanced by its ‘flying boat’ design. This design offers increased protection for the occupants in event of landing with improperly positioned landing gear. We also find the simple method of actuating and monitoring the position of the landing …read more

N109CT, a Flight Design CTSW, became the second aircraft in the USA to be registered into SLSA (Special Light Sport Aircraft). After receiving its papers, N109CT flew to Sun-n-Fun where it was displayed by the FAA as an example of SLSC certified aircraft.
The CTSW cruises at 112 knots, can climb at 960 ft/min and has a max range (no reserve) of 1080 miles.

An MIT student has won a $30,000 inventor’s prize and started a company called Terrafugia to produce the flying car he has designed. The flying car will be called the Transition and it will meet the criteria of the FAA’s light sport aircraft. (We would post a picture, but we have not yet received permission to post the picture here. However you can view a photo by clicking here showing the Terrafugia Transition in airplane mode and clicking here to see it in the automobile mode.
Terrafugia says the vehicle should fly up to 500 miles on one tank of …read more

AmSafe has announced that the Alarus CH2000 and Zodiac XL (CH601) will now be available with their inflatable restraints (airbags).
“Many of our customers have ordered the AAIR for their light sport planes,” said John Degonia, AMD’s director of sales and Federal Aviation Administration production test pilot. “The Zodiac is the only light sport aircraft built by a Part 23 factory and, therefore, for most of our Alarus designs, we try to carry over the same features, including the AAIR into our light sport airplanes.”
This is becoming a trend in light aircraft following other companies offering the airbags in their aircraft. …read more

Taylorcraft has announced that the Taylorcraft Taylor Sport has received a Special Light Sport Airworthiness Certificate. Standard equipment is a Continental 100HP engine with an 1800 hour TBO, two 21 gallon wing tanks and a McCauley fixed pitch prop.
75% Cruise sped is 115mph, stall speed is 43mph and the take-off roll is a mere 375 feet. The base model can be yours for $69,995.

RANS has announced that the RANS S-7LS has been certified into the light sport category of aircraft. The aircraft start at about $75,000 and typically come with a Rotax 912S 100hp engine.
“It is a charmer, a well loved plane with outstanding STOL performance, 91 to 100 kts cruise with about 500 pounds payload. It is a practical plane, can handle lots of surface and cross wind, easy to enter and exit, super forgiving slow flight, and light and fun handling. In everyway this plane retains the nostalgic fun flying of the past with the advantage of advances in aerodynamics, engines, …read more