Sport Pilot Talk

There was a Cessna flight center at KFDK for about forever, and this looks like the same building. Can anyone verify that the CFC is gone now?

Real hot. I had about 20 hours of instruction in a SportStar in Sacramento. If you can get a top visor for it, it definitely helps. I have about 100 hours in an Evektor Sportstar, and in the summer the heat is unbearable at low altitudes in Maryland where I live. The overhead shade helps a little, ...

Check out http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/medical_certification/sportpilots/response4/ It clearly states that "You should consult your private physician to determine whether you have a medical deficiency that would interfere with the safe performance of sport piloting duties." So ...

I fly the Evektor Sportstar and have found numerous trouble with headsets. Everything from David clarks to lightspeed headsets have produced a horrible squealing when the mic button is pushed. Feedback of some sort I presume. I've found this in two separate planes and it has been very frustrating. ...

Go to the Sporty's web site and buy a clear plastic fuel dipstick (search "fuel gauge." Be sure to buy one long enough so it can't fall into the fuel tank. Next time a tank is low, have a fuel truck come over and put a few gallons in at a time until the tank is full, taking a reading on th...

I have noticed that the Evektor Sportstar has not increased its number of registrations in the USA in a long time now. I also note that 18 Sportstars have crashed in the last 2.5 years out of a registered fleet of 93. Is there a connection? Is there a US representative now? While a little slower tha...

Haven't even taken delivery yet, as I'm having the vortex generator mod installed to up the max gross to the 1320 pound S-LSA limit Are you sure that the VG's are all that are needed to get to 1320#? Does Evektor approve of this mod to the Plus model? LSA's need to have the manufacturer's approval ...

I'm 58 in pretty good shape...retired firefighter....I hope to get some honest input about several things I am considering. First, am I too old to learn to fly? If I took this next year to get licensed how much longer could I expect to fly safely? I have a son in Utah and one in Georgia. Would it b...

An EFIS and EMS look great, but can be a pain to set up (firmware updates must be made) and use. For example, to set the altimeter, on the Dynon unit you must push various buttons rather than simply twist a knob. OTOH, the remote compass on an EFIS is much better than a whiskey compass - it is nearl...

The first Sportstar sold in the USA had a gross weight of 1213 lb and had the fuel tank (about 17 gals) in the fuselage. The Sportstar SE was next, and had the fuel in the wings (about 32 gals). The SE could be upgraded to the Plus via an STC to a gross of 1268 lb (550 kg.). This was a pure paper ex...

I agree that some training under the hood is a good thing for sport pilots. In the mid-Atlantic where I am based, on many hot summer days the haze is such that the horizon is not visible at altitudes above several thousand feet even though the coditions are legally VFR. I see no reason why the sport...

It is really impractical to own a new LS aircraft, unless the cost is within your means. The fixed costs just kill you. You need to seek out partners.

I have taken two flights now in a Tecnam Super Echo rented from Chesapeake Sport Aviation at W29. This is a superb airplane! It flies like a C172 with power steering - it is effortless to fly, and very responsive. It slips very well, and landings are easy. Stalls are nonevents. The airplane has a 13...

I have both summer and winter experience (Maryland) in an Evektor Sportstar. The winters are great. When its 30 deg out, on a sunny day you can fly in shirtsleeves. Summers are a bit grim. It is absolutely necessary to taxi with the canopy held open a bit, and to keep all vents open in the air. If t...

Cessna will probably do well with it until the Chinese copy the design, improve it a bit and start selling it back to the states for a third less than Cessna charges. Companies never seem to learn that manufacturing items in China is essentially giving away their intellectual property as well a tra...