Archive for the ‘Light Sport Aircraft’ Category
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 But investors have since come through with the infusion of capital, and the notice has been withdrawn.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 »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
 The FAA reported in November 2009 that the LSA accident rate is “very compatible with what’s going on in the rest of the general aviation world,” according to Randy Babbit, the new FAA Administrator in Flight International.
This is nothing new for LSA enthusiasts, but should extinguish the aura of skeptism surrounding our beloved pastime. While each individual loss is tragic and heartbreaking, the statistical facts prove the fatalities are nothing out of the norm.
In the four-year period from August 2005 to June 2009, the LSAS experienced 12 fatal accidents, resulting in the loss of 18 lives. Altogether, 10 manufacturers were affected. In 2007, an unusually year of high sales and activity, the industry experienced 5 crashes and 8 fatalities. The other measured years had half or less.
Manufacturers and entire LSAS community are making constant strides and continuous efforts in providing safety measures throughout the industry and it show. And now the FAA stats are here to back them up.
Tags: aviation fatalities, FAA safety report, LSA sport safety, Randy Babbit
Posted in Light Sport Aircraft | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
 Talk about pressure:
With 15 pilot colleagues looking over his shoulder, Nicholas Plumer flawlessly rolled the airplane down the runway centerline. All smiles as he stepped out of the Frasca Cirrus SR22 simulator at the Learn to Fly Center at the 2009 AOPA Summit in Tampa, FL, he nodded to the spectators with confidence.
Plumer was one hundreds of pilots and non-pilots who demoed the simulators first-hand, thanks to Frasca who brought three such simulators to the Summit to inspire those non-pilots not already hooked on flying.
At AOPA Summit, flight simulator developers and operators discussed the cutting edge technology available for students and experienced pilots, with ground-based training devices. Flight simulators reduce the cost of training, and allow students to experience emergency situations from the safety of a classroom before entering the cockpit.
It seems staying grounded will get you up in the air sooner and better educated and prepared, so was the consensus at the AOPA Aviation Summit. With flight simulators, students can practice virtual flights, without the expense of avgas or even log time. In fact, a flight student can log up to 20 hours of intricate training without ever leaving the ground.
“And it’s totally awesome,” said several wannabe pilots as they exited the simulator to quickly search out where others were located at the convention. Check out the AOPA website for a complete wrap up of this year’s AOPA Aviation Summit.
Tags: 2009 Summit, AOPA, flight simulators, Frasca, Summit, Tampa aviation
Posted in General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Contrary to our current economic conditions, the light sport category of aircraft manufactures were highly represented at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, with over 20 manufacturers on exhibit. I personally looked at almost every one of the light sport aircraft on display and came away as probably most prospective consumers – bewildered!!! There are so many choices available in this category; it is hard for the average pilot to determine what makes one particular manufacturer or model better than the others. In addition, the news regarding the Light Sport category of aircraft has not been very positive of late. There have been some hostile takeovers, cash-strapped manufacturers, and fatalities because of in-flight structural failures.
In this kind of unsettled environment, the manufacture that can project an image of stability, credibility and professionalism can win significant marketshare.
Consider that Cessna has already taken 1,000 orders for its light sport aircraft, the Skycatcher, which I found to a rather under-whelming light sport entry. The fact that Cessna has not yet delivered a single aircraft illustrates that brand recognition and Cessna’s reputation are more than enough to get people to buy their aircraft.
The other top manufacturers in terms of marketshare have done so with effective marketing and PR, in spite of the fact that their aircraft have been described as average, abet this comment made by a competitor who has made few sales, is struggling to raise, and in danger of going out of business.
In many industries, the company with the better mousetrap rarely wins. There are so many examples of inferior products that come to dominate an industry, consider this point if you’re reading this on a Windows computer rather a Mac.
Savvy marketing can generate enough sales to overcome the mediocre product.
Make enough sales and your company gains credibility, stability and awareness of its product. Properly managed, this success begins to feed on itself and continues to build momentum which leads to more sales, product improvements, and higher margins, which leads to greater profits and greater success, which leads to more sales, etc. etc.
Tags: Cessna, Fly-In, Light Sport Aircraft, Skycatcher, Sun 'n Fun
Posted in General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft | No Comments »
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