Flight Reports

When new aircraft from two very different designers, in this case Randy Schlitter and Richard VanGrunsven, surface with considerable similarities, consensus about basic design tenets must be blowing in the wind. Certainly Light Sport regs do constrain performance considerations, but human factors are more up for grabs, and that’s where one or another design can truly shine; by Marc Cook.

If you can't own an original, it's the next best thing.

For the Pitts Model 12 from Jim Kimball Enterprises, the name of the game is power. By Ed Wischmeyer.

For pure flying excitement and adventure, the Christen Eagle remains hard to beat. By Bob Grimstead.

The need for (affordable) speed.

Van’s founder Dick VanGrunsven has long been active in the development of consensus standards for Light Sport Aircraft. Until recently, however, no one knew he was developing an LSA of his own. Enter the proof-of-concept RV-12. If testing bears out the viability of the concept, it may become available as an amateur-built kit.

The Steen Skybolt is a fabric-covered, wood-ribbed biplane that is built for aerobatics—and doesn’t disappoint. By Ed Wischmeyer.

The original homebuilt.

In typical fashion, Van’s Aircraft refused to rest on its laurels after the RV-12’s prototype debut last year, and sought to improve on an already good design. The new production airplane has changed (beyond its color), with a castering nosewheel, toe brakes instead of a grip, reshaped control sticks for better clearance, ground-adjustable seats fore and aft as well as in tilt, and the list goes on. Best of all, this day/VFR machine is still a delight to fly; by Ed Kolano.

A custom-built ultralight hot air balloon that fits in an RV-7.