New Aircraft And Avionics For LSA
It’s a busy show ahead this week for the light sport segment, Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, told AVweb at the LSA Mall on Sunday. The brand-new amphibious Akoya design from France will be here for the first time, and is sure to invite a lot of comparisons with the amphibious Icon LSA that has been working its way toward the market for several years. One big difference between the two is price — Icon sells for about $139,000, while the Akoya, which comes complete with a training package, is listed at more than $350,000. The Quicksilver company, which has turned out more than 15,000 sport aircraft over the years, now is under new ownership, Johnson said. The new owners are holding a news conference later in the week to talk about their plans for the company. More new aircraft and products also will be introduced over the span of the show.
It's a busy show ahead this week for the light sport segment, Dan Johnson, chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association, told AVweb at the LSA Mall on Sunday. The brand-new amphibious Akoya design from France will be here for the first time, and is sure to invite a lot of comparisons with the amphibious Icon LSA that has been working its way toward the market for several years. One big difference between the two is price -- Icon sells for about $139,000, while the Akoya, which comes complete with a training package, is listed at more than $350,000. The Quicksilver company, which has turned out more than 15,000 sport aircraft over the years, now is under new ownership, Johnson said. The new owners are holding a news conference later in the week to talk about their plans for the company. More new aircraft and products also will be introduced over the span of the show.
Johnson said several manufacturers, including Garmin, Dynon, and Dual Aviation, will be showing low-cost ADS-B units that are attractive to LSA fliers, with prices in the under-$1,000 range for capabilities that just a few years ago were expected to cost $10,000 and up. Pipistrel will have its new $85,000 Alpha trainer at the show, and Just Aircraft is bringing a new STOL aircraft, not yet named, that has "dual-segment automatic leading-edge slats" and some other interesting design features for maneuvering at slow speeds, Johnson said. Jabiru USA also will have a new LSA on display, Johnson said, at a "really good price" of $74,900. AVweb staffers are on site at EAA AirVenture all week, and will bring more details on these stories and more about LSA in our daily reports, podcasts, and videos.
