Top 20 sport planes in Australia

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Scott

Yes, this is an ultralight! Photo by Michael Priesch

I was recently reading an article on bydanjohnson.com (a big USA-dominated aviation website covering light sport and ultralight aircraft) about the best selling recreational and light sport aircraft in Germany, comparing them with what’s top of the pops in the States.

Dan’s article got me thinking about the Australian Recreational and Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) market. Are our tastes different from the USA, Germany and other countries? I did some basic research on registrations and it seems Australians, Americans and Germans all have their own – different – ideas about what they like…no surprise really!

A particularly stunning piece of information from Germany is that the MTO-Sport gyrocopter lists at #2, with almost 350 on their ultralight register. What do the Germans know that we don’t? I have never been a fan of gyrocopters, believing them to be inherently lethal – but things must have changed a lot for them to be #2 in the German top 10. Additionally, Rotax reports that gyrocopter manufacturers are currently the biggest buyers of 912 engines out of any aircraft sector in the world. However, gyrocopters in Australia are a bit of a ‘grey’ area, not registered either with RA-Aus or CASA. The current (unofficial) Australian gyrocopter register suggests there may be 250-260 of all types in Australia, although they clearly state that there may be others flying which are unregistered.

For information, the #1 ultralight in Germany is the Ikarus C42 with 582 flying; there are but three examples in Australia.

Slightly unexpectedly and in spite of quite tough USA insurance conditions, Americans really go for the traditional tail dragger – Cub-alikes account for a major slice of their LSA market – while here and in Germany modern taildraggers are nowhere near as popular. Too difficult for us to fly?

An examination of the Australian ultralight and LSA registers (RA-Aus and CASA/VH-) shows some interesting statistics. Out of around 5,300 current ultralight and LSA registrations:
– about 5,200 are on the RA-Aus register and 100 on the VH- register
– about 2,700 of these are factory-built, the remainder are amateur built
– there are about 450 factory-built powered weight-shift/trikes
– there are about 350 factory-built powered parachutes
– the remainder, about 1,900, are broadly speaking factory-built ‘3-axis’ aircraft

Making type comparisons with other countries outside Australia is quite difficult, as different registration regimes are used – so for example weight-shift trikes are classified differently in Germany. However, here in summary, with a few comments, are some broad brush Australian figures. Please note – the numbers exclude amateur-built aircraft

The top 10 factory-built aircraft:

1. Jabiru, all models – 556. Not surprising really, as they have been in business for 25+ years and are generally seen as the least expensive 3-axis home-market offering.
2. Airborne Windsports – 402. Weight-shift/trikes are a big chunk of the Australian RA-Aus register; Airborne, the Australian manufacturer, has easily the lion’s share.
3. Aerochute Industries – 335. Personally, I am surprised at the number of powered parachutes on the register; I hardly ever see them flying (maybe I don’t get up early enough!).
4. Tecnam, all models (except twin) – 174. Tecnam has a plethora of models, some of which have sold only a handful – it must make spare parts quite a headache for the factory. Interesting to see that Tecnam has sold fewer S-LSA aircraft in USA than in Australia.
5. Thruster – 173. This British built ‘microlight’ is still in production, although it appears that the most recent new registration in Australia goes back to the early 2000’s.
6. Austflight Drifter – 139. The Drifter is, alas, no longer available as a new aircraft but was at one time the mainstay of ultralight flying in Australia.
7. Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat, both versions – 128. Australia is currently the leading market for Aeroprakt A22 aircraft.
8. Australian Lightwing (ALW) – 109. I understand that although the original Lightwing is no longer made, ALW now offers a much changed LSA version, of which I could find only one registered.
9. Skyfox Gazelle – 71. Another mainstay of ultralight flying, no longer in production.
10. Evektor Aircraft, SportStars & Harmonys – 53. It is surprising that, despite all the hype, similar aircraft by the same designer: Sport Cruiser/Pipersport, Rokospol and Aero Bristell combined have nowhere near matched the success of the SportStar.

The next 10 factory-built aircraft:

11. Flight Design CT – 42. This is the most popular S-LSA sold in the States, although its lead is slowly but surely being whittled away by the Cub S-LSA replica made by Cubcrafters (276 in USA at December 2013).
12. Pipistrel, all models – 36. Made in Slovenia, this company has a reputation for innovation and fuel economy. Also have sold fewer in USA than Australia.
13. FlySynthesis, mainly Texans & Storches – 34. Italian company, not yet accepted by FAA as S-LSA aircraft.
14. Eurofox, all models – 30. This is really an update of the old Gazelle. Currently the least expensive 3-axis factory-built S-LSA on the USA market.
15. TL Ultralight, mainly Sting & Sirius – 27. Czech company. Sting is a very pretty little plane.
16. Micro Aviation Bantam – 24. This New Zealand originated aircraft is still on the market but the most recent registration in Australia appears to have been over 6 years ago.
17. Savannah – 23. Savannah was more successful marketing kits for amateur building.
18. Alpi Pioneer – 19. Italian company, predominantly wood airframe. Pretty aeroplane, particularly the retractable.
19. FantasyAir Allegro – 18. Now made in USA.
20. Slepcev Storch – 18. Australian built, sadly no longer available.

Factory-built aircraft that didn’t quite make the top 20 include: Sport Cruiser/Pipersport (15), Brumby high & low-wing (15), Cessna 162 Sky Catcher (12), Zlin Savage Cub (12), Petrel (10), Sadler Vampire (9), Moyes Dragonfly (8), Kappa Sova (Sabre) (8), BRM Aero Bristell (8), FK-Lightplanes, all models (7) and Seamax (6). And there is a huge long tail of manufacturers who have registered 1-5 aircraft over the years.

A word of caution: the only two figures above, of which I am certain, are those for the Foxbat and the SportStar/Harmony, because I have the registration lists. There may be minor % errors in the other figures – but I have no reason to believe that the overall picture would change much, except maybe at the bottom end of the list. I am well prepared to eat humble pie if I have got any numbers significantly wrong. Firstly, the RA-Aus and CASA registers may not be up to date (heaven forbid!). Secondly, owners and manufacturers/importers unfortunately do not always use the same name terminology when registering aircraft, which makes tracking down every single one of a particular type quite difficult. For example, I checked ‘Foxbat’, ‘A22′, Aeroprakt’ and ‘Silverwing’ (a previous trading name of Foxbat Australia) and still the number of listed Foxbats did not match my own records of actual registrations. So it is quite likely this could be true of other makes too. I’m sure those involved will soon put me right – particularly if I quoted too low a number!

All comments welcome.

Portsea Beach – toy town style!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Scott

In an earlier post, I asked ‘How high do you like to fly?‘ and included a couple of photos, including one of Portsea Beach on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.

Andrew Cripps – of Business Image Graphics – in addition to making decals, is clearly a man of many talents. He sent me this picture of the beach with added ‘miniaturisation/tilt/blur’, which has the wonderful effect of turning an already excellent photo into something quite magical! Click on the picture for a bigger version.

Hope you like it.

Aircraft decals

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Scott

When I first started selling Foxbats in Australia, one of the immediate needs was to organise vinyl adhesive decals for the aircraft.

Apart from the mandatory registration numbers/letters and fuel type(s), there were a whole lot more I wanted to stick on the aircraft to ensure there was no doubt as to where you could push, pull, stand, what quantity of fuel you could fill etc etc. The factory necessarily supplied the minimum required stickers but were a bit limited in that these had to apply to each country they served – as you can imagine, every nationality has their own way of marking particular aspects of the aircraft, and Australia is certainly no exception! An example is the passenger warning sticker, which is slightly different in the UK, USA and Australia.

So I looked in the yellow pages (Remember them? They were what we used before the internet…) and asked around. And I ended up approaching Business Image Graphics, in Southport, south east Queensland, near where I was based at the time. Andrew Cripps, the owner was quite candid: ‘I’ve never made decals for an aircraft before’. But he was more than willing to start. And after a few discussions about outside use (ultraviolet and other weather resistance), sizes and colours, he produced the first batch for the first Foxbat I sold in Australia – 24-4114, and my original demonstrator, 24-4163, the aircraft I helped build in the UK.

That was in 2004 and the rest (at least the last 10 years) as they say is history. Andrew now knows the requirements so well I no longer have to send him graphic (!!) details of each set – just the registrations – and he does the rest. He’s now supplied all the decals for the 130 or so Foxbats and 55-ish SportStars in Australia, as well as for a few other aircraft I have imported both for myself and others.

It’s great to see older Foxbats with registrations numbers/letters as black (or white) as the day they were delivered and they are a great testimony to Andrew and his aim to provide a high quality decal which does the job.

Andrew’s website is: http://www.quickerstickers.com.au and you can also contact him by phone on 07 5503 0282 or by email at: bigraphics@optusnet.com.au

New Dynon firmware for SkyView

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Scott

Dynon Avionics has announced a significant upgrade to their SkyView firmware, along with updated base maps and terrain data.

There is a huge host of additions and improvements, some of which – I’m thinking of the weather information in particular – are not much use to us in Australia, as the data sources are not available.

However, there are a couple of items worth noting: the SkyView can now be interconnected with the Funkwerk ATR833 and TRIG TY92 VHF radios, so frequencies can be recovered from the navigation database. So those Foxbat owners with the Funkwerk or TRIG radios – they have been standard on Foxbats for the last 18 months or so – may want to consider connection at the next major service. Access to frequencies this way saves a lot of hunting about in ERSA and/or OzRunways and then entry into the radio.

The SkyView will also now display traffic information – if you have an ADSB-compliant Mode S transponder fitted. Quite a few recent Foxbats have the TRIG TT21 Mode S transponder and this should be compatible, as Dynon’s own SkyView XPNDR262 is manufactured by TRIG.

It also looks like you’ll now be able to watch TV on your SkyView. So all my friends who have jokingly referred to the SkyView as the ‘in flight entertainment system’ can eat their words. Although personally, I’m not sure watching TV is a good idea when you’re piloting a small single engine aircraft. Or even a big one for that matter!

Aeroprakt factory visit – 1

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Scott

In spite of misinformed rumours to the contrary, I can confirm (again) that the Aeroprakt factory is operating as normal. Here are just a couple of pictures taken today. Currently there are around 5 A22L2 aircraft in production, and 4 A22LS, including a couple of A22LS orders I just placed for an owner in the Philippines.

Later today, Doug King (New Zealand Foxbat agent) and I are going to the Aeroprakt Club airfield to do some flying on this gloriously sunny day in Kiev. More news soon…

10 films for flyers – part 2

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Scott

Here’s my second five of 10 films for flyers:

6. Twelve O’clock High. Sorry, another second world war movie. This one stars Gregory Peck as Brigadier General Frank Savage, who takes over the United States 918th Bomb Group, to lick it back into shape after a series of leadership disasters. The film has often been used by management development organisations as a great example of ‘situational leadership’. A variety of clips from the film are available legally on YouTube – search for Twelve O’clock High (surprise).

7. Spirit of St Louis. With James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh, this is the 1957 biopic of the story behind, and of, the first solo pilot aeroplane crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris – in fact, the aeroplane, built by Ryan Airlines specially for the trip, was designated ‘NYP’ for New York-Paris. It was built in only 60 days. For safety reasons – mainly the positioning of the oil tank ahead of the pilot – there could be no forward facing windshield. The aircraft carried over 1,700 litres of fuel for the flight and (barely) took off as it was about 450 kilos overweight. Contrary to the bitumen runway take-off scene in the film, the aircraft actually took off from a muddy grass field, with a 5-knot tail wind. The flight took 33 and a half hours. Here’s a link to the Spirit of St Louis film trailer and here’s a link to a series of short archival films about the event – click on the chapter title in the screen centre to open & watch each clip.

8. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. What more can I say? This is just a lot of spiffingly good harmless fun….here’s a link to the film trailer: Those Magnificent Men

9. Dark Blue World. This one’s just about at the other end of the spectrum from ‘Those Magnificent Men…’. It’s basically a love story involving Czech pilots flying for the RAF during world war 2. The cinematography is excellent, the story is…but I won’t spoil it for you. I suppose I’m just a big softie at heart. Well worth a watch and here’s the trailer: Dark Blue World

10. Dark Star. Now this one is not technically a flying movie but it’s one of the most hilarious space ship films I’ve seen. It’s maybe my immature sense of humour but even after all these years, it still brings a great grin to my face. Basically, it’s a very tongue in cheek story about a planetary demolition team, their dreams, their experiences and their encounters with alien life. And coping with a bomb with a mind of its own, which believes its destiny is to explode. Here’s the trailer: Dark Star

Happy viewing!

La petite aviation

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Scott

I’m currently in France, home of many and varied light aircraft. After all, even Cessna manufactured aircraft here – well known locally as the ‘Rheims Cessna’, named after the town where it was built. Certainly, a day hasn’t passed during my stay without a variety of small aircraft passing overhead – most recently an unusual combination of a gyrocopter, a trike and what looked like a small powered glider, flying in loose formation. Unfortunately, by the time I’d emerged after rushing inside to get my camera, they were rapidly disappearing dots. And my daughter, on holiday at Arcachon, west of Bordeaux, took a hastily grabbed and slightly fuzzy picture of what was definitely a red Foxbat flying over the beach.

To top it all, my friend and videographer, Mike Rudd has sent me a clipping from The Times (of London), published on 25 August, which nicely describes the laid back and encouraging attitude to flying in France, which you can read here: La petite aviation

Here’s to all flyers of small aeroplanes! Vive la France!

10 films for flyers – part 1

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Scott

I don’t often go to the cinema but when I do, I want to see a good film. And if it’s a film that includes aeroplanes and flying, it needs to be very good.

Here’s a short list of some of my more favourite films (in no particular order) which include flying sequences or aeroplanes. I have left out those old war cliches like Top Gun, The Dam Busters, and Battle of Britain and Tora Tora Tora and listed some of the maybe lesser known but equally interesting movies.

1. One-Six Right. This is a great documentary film on high resolution DVD that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation – the local airport. Featuring magnificent air-to-air photography, the film dispels misconceptions and criticism of General Aviation airports. Through the love story of one airport, past to present, the film shares the timeless romance of flying with all ages. It should be compulsory viewing for all politicians who cannot see the value of having local airports. Here’s a link to the opening sequence (lo-res, sorry): One-Six Right

2. Catch-22. This is one out of the box. Based on Joseph Heller’s best selling book of the same name, the 1970 film follows the story of a B-25 squadron during World War 2. The ‘Catch-22’ of the title is based on an insoluble problem like: if you lose your glasses, you can’t see to find them. Have a look at the official film trailer here for a complete explanation. The film is hilarious and shocking in almost equal measure and must be one of the more provocative war films made.

3. The High & the Mighty. Starring John Wayne and Robert Stack, this 1954 film is about a DC-4 airliner on a night journey from Honolulu to San Francisco. Although set in the airliner, with engine and fuel problems, the film is really an interesting drama about people with all sorts skeletons in (and not so ‘in’) their cupboards. Good fun. Interesting fact – composer Dimitri Tiomkin won an Academy Award for his original film music score including the title song, but the title song did not actually appear in release prints. Here’s a (very low quality) clip of John Wayne being very macho in the cockpit.

4. The Flight of the Phoenix. This is one for all you amateur builders out there. Dennis Quaid stars in this 2004 remake of the 1965 film, based on the novel of the same name. Flying across the Gobi Desert, a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar crashes. As its name suggests, the C-119 is not the most photogenic of aircraft, with its inverted gull-wing and high twin-tail boom design. But the aircraft design does at least make the story reasonably plausible. It tells of how the crew transforms the crashed aircraft into a single engine version to enable them to fly out. Needless to say, the story takes many twists and turns and not everyone makes it out. Not very successful at the box office, it’s an interesting film nevertheless.

5. Capricorn One. Although a thriller about a faked Mars landing, it includes one of the best aeroplane chases on film. Here’s a link to the whole chase: Capricorn One Bi-Plane Helicopter Chase. This film was made in the days before computer generated graphics (CGI) and remote controlled helicopters, so all the footage is shot for real – and very well shot too. Interesting fact: Telly Savalas – he of ‘Kojak’ detective fame – plays the role of the crop dusting pilot who rescues our hero (Elliot Gould) in his red bi-plane.

Look out for part 2 coming up soon. Meanwhile – do you have any favourite flying films?

First solo at 15 – Tristan Sigley

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Scott

Congratulations to Tristan Sigley who has flown his first solo – on his 15th birthday! This happy event took place in an A22LS Foxbat belonging to his father, Nick, at Heck Field, Jacobs Well, in South East Queensland.

Here’s a YouTube link to a short video of Tristan’s First Solo

Well done Tristan, it’s a flight you’ll remember for the rest of your flying career.

* In Australia, your fifteenth birthday is legally the first time you are allowed to fly an aircraft solo.

Kenmore Air Harbor Seattle

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Scott

If water flying is your thing, the Kenmore Air Harbor seaplane base at the north end of Lake Washington north of Seattle is the place to be.

My friend Jack Vevers sent me this photo, taken on his way back to Australia, after a visit to FAA’s AirVenture at Oshkosh. It is of the only remaining airworthy Hamilton H-47 metalplane, originally built in 1928. It has recently been totally renovated and converted to a float plane. The present owner flies it regularly from Kenmore. It’s powered by a 9-cylinder radial Pratt & Whitney engine, which develops 525 hp. For all its size (55′ wingspan x 35′ length), the Hamilton carries just six people, plus two crew. What a lovely old plane – have a look at the photos in this link: Hamilton H-47. I particularly love the huge twin ‘steering wheel’ control yokes.

Founded in 1946 by three high school friends, the Kenmore base now covers around 5 acres/2.25 hectares, with two designated seaplane landing areas, the larger of which is 10,000 x 1,000 feet – that’s over 3,000 metres by 300 metres for us metrically minded people. In a typical year, there are over 50,000 seaplane aircraft take-offs and landings – that’s over 130 a day. There is a wide range of services available for water based planes, including mooring, maintenance, flight schools, charter and more.

If you’re ever lucky enough to travel near Seattle, Jack says it’s well worth a visit – if only to watch the steady stream of take-offs and landings.

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