AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 62

“But the fact that Piper won’t be involved in the future isn’t a show-stopper for me. I need the right airplane to train students—and I’m completely convinced that this is the best one for the job.” Met in Florida Fleming was introduced to the PiperSport at the same time Piper introduced it to the world—at the Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, in January 2010. Fleming had flown his Seneca to the event and planned to take a close look at the Light Sport aircraft models on display there. But when Piper announced with great fanfare that it was entering the LSA market by acquiring the rights to the former SportCruiser—modifying it slightly, renaming it PiperSport, and starting a dealership network to sell and service the airplanes—Fleming took notice. “I liked the way it looks from the very start,” he said. “It’s a sexy, attractive airplane. My flight school was oriented toward

car. Student pilots don’t have any problems with it, but it’s an adjustment for some veteran pilots.” Learning lab Kyle Mitchell of Gaithersburg, Maryland, said he chose the PiperSport as a trainer for both practical and philosophical reasons. Fleming’s was the closest flight school that offered sport pilot training, and he liked the idea of a new airplane with an airframe parachute. “The ballistic recovery system is extraordinarily appealing to someone who has never flown before,” Mitchell said. “And even though it doesn’t matter as much to trained pilots, it still provides the same comfort to my passengers that it once did for me.” The PiperSport has much lighter control forces than most other trainers—especially in pitch. But Mitchell said the control sensitivity isn’t startling or unpleasant, and light stick forces are just

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Competitively, Piper appeared to have beaten rivals Cessna and Cirrus to the punch in the LSA market with the PiperSport.
young people, and it was obvious this airplane would appeal to them. And it has.” Fleming bought a top-of-the-line model (retail price: $140,000) with a glasspanel cockpit, IFR instrumentation, and an airframe parachute. He took delivery in early 2010, and the airplane quickly became a magnet for the kinds of students he sought. At a rental rate of $99 an hour, the new airplane compared favorably to older trainers that required more maintenance and consumed more fuel. “I was busy right out of the gate,” he said, “and I actually had to stop advertising for new students because the airplane was booked all the time on the weekends. Demand has exceeded my expectations from the very beginning.” Even with adverse weather during his flight school’s first autumn and winter, the PiperSport logged more than 200 flight hours. And its engine and airframe have held up to the rigors of the flighttraining environment without protest. The only part he’s had to replace is a fastener on an oil door. “It’s held up fine,” Fleming said of the red-and-white airplane that appears new despite its frequent use. “Starting the Rotax engine is just like starting a
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one of the countless new factors that a new sport pilot must master in learning to fly. The glass panel took some time to learn, Mitchell said. But he also likes the precision and accuracy that the Dynon EFIS and Garmin GPS provide. “My favorite part is a little magenta triangle [on the EFIS] that shows my course corrected for wind,” he said. Mitchell passed the sport pilot flight test on his first attempt and said he feels much more comfortable taking passengers flying in a new and modern airplane than he would a decades-old airframe. “It’s really nice being able to take friends and family up in such a sleeklooking aircraft,” he said. “It gives them confidence when the blue-tinted bubble canopy goes down, the full glass panel lights up, and a soft, automated voice speaks to you through the headset. For a moment they forget I’ve only had a pilot’s license for three weeks.” Czeching it twice Piper said it backed out of the PiperSport program because of ongoing philosophical differences with managers of Czech Sport Aircraft, the production facility that builds the air-

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62 • MARCH

2011


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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011
Contents
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
Rally GA: Help is on the Way
A Higher Calling
Out in the Cold
The Perfect Howard
GA Serves America: Back to Life
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Strange and Unusual Crashes
Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: Panel Countdown
Challenges: Thunder on the Water
Wx Watch: Zooming Through Jet Cores
Pilot Products: New Ideas
Avionics: Don’t Leave Home Without It
Dogfight: Run the Tank Dry?
Never Again
Fly Outs
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Rally GA: Help is on the Way
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - A Higher Calling
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Out in the Cold
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - The Perfect Howard
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - GA Serves America: Back to Life
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Strange and Unusual Crashes
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: Panel Countdown
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Challenges: Thunder on the Water
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Wx Watch: Zooming Through Jet Cores
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Pilot Products: New Ideas
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Avionics: Don’t Leave Home Without It
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Dogfight: Run the Tank Dry?
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Fly Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - Cover4
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