N
oticed a change at your local aero
club? Where once well-known brands
like Cessna and Piper tirelessly and
reliably plied their trade around the
circuit and training area, now other
aircraft types seem to be replacing
them. With names like Tecnam,
Jabiru, Foxbat and Aerosport,
these aircraft numbers are not only
increasing, but are enabling a larger
audience to discover the world of
aviation. Some might even say they
are an answer to declining private
aviation activity across Australia.
For the dyed-in-the-wool general
aviation pilot, RA-Aus aircraft may
go unnoticed, intentionally or not.
Certainly, for the content GA pilot,
there is no reason to consider RA-Aus
aircraft at all, because RA-Aus aircraft
fall under a different category and
administrative regime. So, why have
aero clubs started adding recreational
aircraft to the fleets? What are the
benefits and drawbacks of these aircraft?
Is this trend likely to continue?Background
RA-Aus is shorthand for Recreational
Aviation Australia, an incorporated
organisation responsible foradministering recreational aircraft
in Australia. These types of aircraft
are broadly categorised as either
recreational or Light Sport Aircraft
(LSA), and can be factory- or kit-
built. RA-Aus, similar to other
organisations like the Gliding
Federation of Australia, operates via
an authority delegated to it by the
Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
The responsibilities of RA-Aus are
broad, and include the certification
of pilots, flying instructors and
maintainers, the development and
promotion of flying safety standards,
as well as advocating on behalf of
members. Membership is quite large,
standing at approximately 10,000
currently, across an aircraft fleet of
about 3500, although not all of these
will be LSA.
The aircraft type of interest
here, which is driving the change
across the GA aero club scene, is
the LSA category aircraft. LSA is
now a world-wide category, although
there are slight variations between
jurisdictions. For a powered,
heavier-than-air aircraft registered
in Australia to be categorised as
an LSA, it must have the following
characteristics:- maximum take-off weight of 600
kgs (or 650 kgs for a seaplane) - a single piston engine
- maximum stall speed of 45 knots
in the landing configuration - an un-pressurised cabin
- maximum seating for two people
- fixed landing gear (except for
gliders and amphibians).
These broad characteristics have
led to a plethora of companies,
both Australian and from overseas,
offering their products in this class
across many designs. The Australian
Flying Buyers Guide in the July-
August 2013 edition gives examples.
Although LSAs are generally
lighter than most GA aircraft, they
are still affected by Newton’s laws of
physics, Bernoulli’s principle of lift
(if that’s your favourite aerodynamic
theory), and the five forces acting
on an aircraft (thrust, drag, lift,
weight ... the fifth force being money,
although perhaps not to the same
extent) in the same way as a GA
aircraft. In fact, there is little to
distinguish some LSAs from GA
aircraft. Some LSAs have far greater
performance than most GA aircraft,
due to the benefits of modern design
and construction techniques.
The swing to LSAs
Bruce Stark of Tecnam Australia
uses history to explain why aero
clubs are now turning towards
offering operations under RA-Aus.
“A lot depends on why they are in
the situation they find themselves
today. You go into a majority of aero
clubs around the country, and you’ll
see on their walls old photographs
showing, say, an Archer I, an Archer
II, and so on. These were new aircraft
the clubs were buying, which were
in turn then replaced with the
new, updated model. However, for
whatever reason, these clubs then
didn’t put enough money aside in
reserves to continue to afford new
replacement aircraft and then, over
time, costs began to rise, the major
GA manufacturers stopped single-
engine production for a while because
of liability issues, other distractionsStrangers on the
Flight Line
Aero Clubs PAUL RE Y NOL DS
Aero clubs are under as much pressure as commercial
flying schools when it comes to fleet planning, prompting
many clubs to investigate the concept of adding recreational
aircraft to the traditional fleet. Paul Reynolds compiled
this report on a growing trend.
50
AUSTRALIAN FLYING March – April 2015HASTINGS DISTRICT FLYING CLUB