Exploring

Meet a new South African import LSA, read news from Jeppesen about updating your Chelton system, and a paint sprayer/respirator combination unit may interest the would-be plane painters among you.

When pilot/builder Amy Laboda planted the seed in her husband's mind that the most suitable next airplane for them would be a glass-panel RV-10, the suggestion was met with something akin to a sneer-despite her sincere offer to help with the build. Still, the project has turned out to be a joint effort, complete with all the give and take one would anticipate in such an endeavor.

Columnist Dave Martin had the good fortune to be able to tour the new Rotax engine factory in Gunskirchen, Austria, and he offers a report on the trip including a side trip to Salzburgs Hangar-7.

Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook discusses the relative merits of internal versus external antennas, after using his Glastar Sportsman 2+2 as a test bed. His conclusions have to do with both the material used to build the airplane as well as location of the antenna on the aircraft.

This months column includes information on new anti-collision strobe lights and LED position lights, a micro belt sander, a smart servo controller for trim, a desktop model of the Cozy Mark IV and the announcement of a taildragger configuration option for the Eurofox SLSA.

When you join two halves of a flat aviation engine together, they often weep between the starter and the alternator. Not only is this unsightly, its wasteful and makes completing an overhaul more cumbersome than need be. Enter Ly-Con, whose groovy O-ring process promises to stop leaks before they start.

With Bose and LightSpeed competing neck and neck (ear to ear?) in the ANR headset arena, author Jack Cowell does a side-by-side comparison to see which model excels.

Motivated by an irresistible bargain and at least a modicum of nostalgia, author Dave Martin recaptures a piece of his earlier flying years when he purchases a twin-engine Lazair ultralight in partnership with two buddies. The Lazair is an unusual design to say the least, and Martin hasnt forgotten how to fly it, so both of his partners will benefit from his experience.

In keeping with the spirit of this years Directory of Plansbuilt Aircraft, Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook extols the virtues of enjoying the process of building of an airplane as much as the flying of it.

Among the news items this month are the announcement of extended-range fuel tanks for the Arion Aircraft Lightning, a flight bag thats customized for RV aircraft, a light-aircraft jack and a new transceiver from Microair Avionics of Australia.