L i g h t P l a n e Wor l d
Copies of the low-cost Aerotrek A220 are "fying of the shelves" as fast as they can build them.
A Look at the
2013 Sebring Expo
What's new in the light-sport
aircraft industry
By Dan Grunloh
The 9th annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, held January
17 to 20 in Sebring, Florida, was a success according to
Expo Director Jana Filip, who added the weather wasn't
as kind as last year. Some afternoons were windy, and
light rain moved through the area a couple of times, but
flying hardly stopped at any time during the four-day
event. If the past is any indication, at least 10 percent of
all the special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) that will be sold
this year in the United States will have been purchased
during the event. If follow-up sales are included, the Sebring event's contribution could rise to nearly 15 percent.
The Expo was also a success in other ways. Even the
name of the event indicates its focus has a wider scope
Photography by Dan Grunloh
than just light-sport aircraft (LSA). Amateur-built aircraft
were well represented with the displays by Rans, Zenith,
and Sonex, which had an indoor presence. Be sure to
read the online EAA news story "What's New at Sebring
2013," and check out our photo album on Facebook.
Besides selling airplanes, another important function of
the Expo is to promote light-sport aviation to the rest of
the aviation community and the general public. It accomplishes this in January when there is little else going on
to promote our favorite sport, and nothing did that better
than Team Breezer. The group of four matching Breezer
LSA, including two flown by high school–age pilots, did
EAA Experimenter
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