"Ron Wanttaja" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 14:43:13 +0000 (UTC), (Paul
Tomblin) wrote:

You may be right about the LSA being a response to the mircrolights of
Eroupe....

Not precisely. The Sport Pilot limits were established to coincide with
the
European Microlight definition. This meant that most, if not all, of the
existing, in-production Microlights already met Sport Pilot. To sell
their
aircraft as ready-to-fly in the US, the European manufacturers then merely
had
to take their aircraft through the new LSA certification process.

Until the LSA regulations were finalized, a US manufacturer didn't dare
produce
an aircraft unless they intended to compete in the already-crowded
European
market.

As for Cessna's proof of concept. I would be very suprised if it sold
for under $120,000.

I would be very surprised if it wasn't between $90K and $100K, since that
seems to be the competitive price for LSA.

I've heard that the new Cessna isn't intended as an LSA. It meets the
Sport
Pilot limits, but Cessna will supposedly certify it in the Normal
category.

It makes a heck of a lot of sense. Cessna has all the corporate processes
for a
Normal category certification, and they minimize their liability exposure
since
maintenance and inspections will still require A&Ps.


snip

Personally, I think Cessna has nailed it. The LSA will be the new 152,
flight schools can use it for both PPL and SP instruction, insurance will be
lower, and they build the brand. And their new "next generation" aircraft
appears to be the right plane at the right time as well.