Onex is LSA-Eligible
Like everyone in aviation, we strive for perfection and occasionally fall short. We received several letters expressing concern that the Onex design from Sonex Aircraft, LLC was not listed as LSA legal in our Annual Buyer’s Guide (December 2014). This is an error-the Onex does, indeed, qualify as an LSA.-Ed.
Mistrals Available?
I am not sure if you or your readers are aware, but Mistral is not selling engines or parts to anybody and appears some time ago to have gone into limbo. Most rotary fanatics are aware of them, but they are not very supportive of the Experimental world, despite what the articles [“Mistral Magic,” November, December 2014, and January 2015] allude to.
-Marcus Wiese
You’re right-one of the tough things about the aviation business is that it is always tough to do business. Companies have good times and bad-they go on hiatus and come roaring back. We included this article because of the technical interest in the motor. Whether Mistral is selling engines now or later will be determined by the market.-Ed.
Souls On Board
Great article on the new AC 90-116, Additional Pilot Program for Phase I [“Souls On Board: Two,” December 2014]. I am surprised that since the FAA interpretation of “essential personnel” has meant only one person can be onboard single-engine airplanes, this new AC still makes no mention of whether or not an additional person can be considered essential for conducting heavyweight flights, even for airplanes not using the Additional Pilot Program. Using ballast during this phase of flight testing has resulted in fatal crashes when the ballast broke loose and jammed controls.
As an aside, I concur with your comments about how the pros do it. I only see a reason for a second pilot in very special cases on the first few flights of Phase I .
-Eric Puschmann
We appreciate the many well-reasoned comments that have been made on the Additional Pilot Program. Many feel this has been a long time coming, others are absolutely against the idea-but the discussion has been good. We always need to remember, however, that the primary purpose of Phase 1 is to test the aircraft, and that has to be foremost. With regards to ballast: Non-live ballast is the primary method used in the professional testing world-properly secured, of course.-Ed.
Buyer’s Guide Tune-up
Congrats on bringing back the print listing of available kits. Past Buyer’s Guide issues were a joke. I hated having to log into the KITPLANES web site with a password to access listings. I love having a magazine that I can actually pick up and browse available kits without having to open a web site. Thanks again!
-James Foley
There are many variables that go into building our annual Buyer’s Guide, and we are trying hard to find a mix that satisfies most of our readers’ needs. We’re glad we seem to be finding a sweet spot for you-and will keep tuning it to make it work better for everyone.-Ed.
Write to editorial@kitplanes.com.
