Archive for January, 2010
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
 Piper enters the Light Sport Aircraft Market
Piper entered the Light Sport Aircraft market with its announcement at last month’s Sebring Expo of an exclusive licensing and marketing agreement made with Czech Sport Aircraft for the SportCruiser light sport aircraft manufactured in the Czech Republic. The deal gives Piper a low-wing LSA to compete with the other prominent entry in this market, Cessna’s Skycatcher.
The financial stability of Czech Sport Aircraft was sales killer
In my dealings with buyers considering the SportCruiser, the financial stability of Czech Sport Aircraft company was a stumbling block. The original SportCruiser manufacturer, the Czech Aircraft Works founded by American Chip Erwin declaring bankruptcy in 2008. The company was take over by Slave Capital, renamed Czech Sport Aircraft and Martin Zikes was installed to run the company. Sales still flounder due in part to the global recession and also to linger doubts about financial solvency of the the company. No one wanted to buy a plane from a company that may be out of business in a year.
Piper and Czech Sport Aircraft have hit a home-run
With the deal, both companies may have hit a home-run. Piper gets a one of the top LSA in the market to add to their stable of aircraft without the costs Cessna incurred (and bad press) in development of the Skycatcher. The Czech Sport Aircraft company now has a solid partner in Piper to handle worldwide distribution and sales with an established dealer network.
Piper CEO Kevin Gould introducing the new PiperSport during the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, FL recalled, “Seventy-five years ago, Piper offered an aircraft that was easy-to-learn in, fun-to-fly, and affordable,” Gould said. “The PiperSport has the same characteristics, and it will have the same impact on aviation. It’s a blast to fly, and it will lead people to fall in love with our sport and our industry.”
Will Piper fully embrace an aircraft not actually made by them
One issue I see is how strongly will Piper and its dealers with fully embrace and support an aircraft not actually made by them. In addition, the margins on the PiperSport will be much lower for dealers, who may be much more interested in selling the million dollar Piper Meridians and Matix. Another issue is whether Piper will continue to provide service and support for SportCruisers already in the market.
In spite of these issues, on the surface, with the backing of Piper, the SportCruiser, rebranded as the PiperSport should have a great future.
Tags: Aviation Marketing, branding, Cessna Skycatcher, Czech Support Aircraft, Light Sport Aircraft, Piper, Piper CEO Kevin Gould, PiperSport, Sebring, SportCruiser
Posted in Light Sport Aircraft, Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
 Cessna made good on its plans to become a major contributor to Light Sport Aircraft market with their first Model 162 Skycatcher, delivered following Cessna’s incessant determination that the aircraft has demonstrated compliance with ASTM standards. The anxiously awaited Skycatcher was delivered to none other than Rose Pelton, wife of Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton, in Wichita, KS, home of Yingling Aircraft.
Yingling is one of three U.S. facilities that will reassemble the Skycatchers, produced by Shenyang Aircraft Company (SAC) in Shenyang, China. SAC builds the Skycatchers, integrates the engines and avionics, and then ships the aircraft to the U.S. for reassembly.
After announcing plans to enter the LSA market with the Model 162 Skycatcher two-place, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft during the AirVenture Oshkosh in 2007, has since accumulated more than 1,000 orders for the aircraft, which was priced at $111,500.
Designed to fit within the LSA category, the Skycatcher must have a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds or less and a top speed of no more than 120 knots. Powered by the Continental O-200D 100-horsepower, air-cooled engine and a fixed-pitch propeller, the aircraft will cruise at speeds of up to 118 knots and have a 470-nautical-mile range. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with Garmin G300 avionics, and includes a single, split-screen primary flight display with a multifunction display, or two full-screen displays. Cessna said the aircraft would be capable of Visual Flight Rules/Day/Night operations.
Tags: Cessna, Garmin avionics, Jack Pelton, LSA Skycatcher, Model 162, Skycatcher, Yingling Aircraft
Posted in Commercial Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft | 4 Comments »
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Aviation junkies rejoice! The light sport pilots hungry for tech, aviation, and business industry information will find that and more with James Lawrence joining the team at the leading light-sport aircraft website, ByDanJonson.com.
 Professional blogger and aviation enthusiast James Lawrence promises over 200 blogs a year — with the added bonus of his high quality, award winning aviation photography. Lawrence is the LSA editor for Plane & Pilot Magazine and now we get all his insights for free with one click at ByDanJonson.com. There’s no need to register or pay a single dime: just click away for the latest developments and news in the light-sport aviation industry and check out James Lawrence’s take on our industry. He’s an incredible writer, phenomenal photographer, and all ‘round great guy! Read for yourself!
Tags: aviation business, aviation tech, DanJohnson.com, free aviation news, James Lawrence, LSA blogs, Plane & Pilot
Posted in General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft, Online Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, January 8th, 2010
 News of Remos Aircraft’s death have been greatly exaggerated! Rest easy Remos enthusiasts; this is really, really good news.
Remos Aircraft announced December 10 a generous capital infusion from investors that will significantly strengthen the company well into 2010, drastically changing the dire financial outlook of the struggling German manufacturer of light sport aircraft.
German manufacturer Remos had previously filed papers “notice of insolvency” in early December. But investors have since come through with the infusion of capital, and the notice has been withdrawn. Remos execs declined to say how much, citing investor confidentiality (boo hoo).
LSA enthusiasts have been adequately frantic. It’s the dreaded domino effect: light aircraft struggling in this recession and even market leaders like Remos hurting and other manufacturers shutting their doors, it’s no wonder consumers stand warily on the sidelines afraid to buy, compounding the problem.
“We are fully funded operational company,” said Corvin Huber, the Remos Managing Director. He stated there has been no change in ownership or control, nor any major restructuring. The company is in good standing with suppliers, meeting all obligations, and ordering materials for aircraft production.
But even market leaders like Remos are feeling the hurt of the current recession. Many manufacturers have shut their doors, leaving owners of light sport aircraft in the lurch looking for parts and supplies for their planes.
Long considered a leader in LSAs in the States, Remos was ranked fourth in market share as recently as August 2009, behind Flight Design, American Legend, and Tecnam, after an aggressive US marketing campaign. LSA owners and admirers were hitting the blogosphere incessantly when Remos showed signs of faltering. Now, there is hope and then some!
Tags: bankruptcy, capital infusion, Remos investors, Remos LSA, Remos solvent
Posted in General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft | 1 Comment »
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