Flight Training - March 2015 - 18

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NEWS

BY JILL W. TALLMAN

Sporty's unveils Cessna 172LITE project
Stripped-down Skyhawk to offer cheaper training
A REFURBISHED CESSNA 172 that
will offer more cost-effective flight
training is at the heart of Sporty's
Cessna 172LITE project.
"Sporty's is acquiring 172s and
equipping them with basic flight
instruments along with significant
interior and exterior enhancements," the company announced in
December 2014. The first one is on
the line at Sporty's Flight Academy
at Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio. It rents for $99 per hour.
With avionics limited to a
communications radio and a
transponder, the Cessna 172LITE
is intended to be a simple mission
trainer that will not overwhelm new students with "dozens
of switches, buttons, and knobs providing access to unneeded
information." At the same time, the airplane has been given a
new metal panel with new, durable switches, as well as new
paint-"for that attractive first impression," Sporty's said.
The Lycoming O-320 engine and the propeller were overhauled. The rear seat was removed; the seats have been
reupholstered; and the sidewalls, head liner, and floor covering
have been replaced.
The result is an airplane that looks new to the client, said
Sporty's Founder and Chairman Hal Shevers. "Due to the low

acquisition cost, we can offer it for just $99, lowering the cost
of admission in a Part 23 certified aircraft capable of flying two
real-sized adults," he said in a press release.
With only essential instrumentation, the student will learn
fundamental airmanship, Shevers said. After mastering those
necessary flight skills, the student could then advance to more
expensive aircraft to complete training, he said.
Sporty's said it plans to add a second Cessna 172LITE to the
flight line, and will share resources, best practices, and information with other flight schools interested in assembling a basic
trainer.

FAA site makes finding notams easier
Finding the notams relevant to your planned flights just got easier
THE FAA'S NEW online search tool streamlines the burdensome and confusing process of wading through scores of safety notices filled with obscure acronyms. The new system offers pilots
the ability to filter notams to their own preferences, and it presents the information more
clearly by offering plain language.
Pilots might consider bookmarking the website for
convenience (http://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/
disclaimer.html).
AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce
Landsberg said the new FAA system makes progress, but
he urged the agency to do more.
"If everything is important, nothing is important," he
said. "Prioritization is the key. If I'm flying day VFR, I don't need to be inundated with changes
to IFR procedures or unlit towers."
When it's fully complete in late 2015, the FAA says the search tool will make notams easier
and quicker to submit, and pilots will be able to retrieve the information on a wide variety of
devices.

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Flight Training - March 2015

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