Small Jet Lease

I’ve worn glasses since my early teens (I’m in my early 70s today). Over the years my eyes deteriorated to a point where I found myself using trifocals.

When we lived in West Texas and Oklahoma, I found the brightness almost unbearable much of the year so I always searched for the best sunglasses I could find. I tried prescription sunglasses, transition lenses (the kind that get dark when you go into the sun and lighten up indoors), clip-ons, and I don’t know what else. None seemed entirely satisfactory. Polarized lenses worked OK, but they wouldn’t let me see glass cockpit instruments properly.

Several years ago I ran into Bruce Holden, owner of Zurich International, at one of the many aviation events that I’ve attended. An optician by trade, he has been marketing sunglasses that fit over your regular glasses for years using something called Extreme Glare Technology.

I tried them out and discovered very quickly they were the best things I had ever used.

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===> Posted on May 31, 2010 by Dave Sclair. No comments. © GAN 2010

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Oil spills. Greece’s staggering finances. Skyrocketing U.S. government debt, plus California and Illinois pension troubles. Tensions with North Korea and Iran. Goodness, the headlines probably unnerve a steely-eyed billionaire investor.

These current events also affect the confidence of pilots. No wonder aircraft sales are slow. Also, near the end of May, FAA released its report on the LSA Assessment Project it started in 2008 and finished more than a year ago. The report delivers some tough love for LSA suppliers. While many areas were found be good or even excellent, FAA observed shortcomings that must be addressed.

Whew! Let’s take a breath and think this through. All the geopolitical stuff is far beyond the control of Light-Sport vendors. We have an LSA industry that is just past five years old and, while plenty of work remains, this newest community of airplane builders generated positive reviews from FAA’s top man, Randy Babbitt, speaking publicly at AirVenture 2009 and again at Sun ‘n Fun 2010. Puzzle pieces of the LSA industry are steadily finding their right locations. And, despite the downturn, most companies appear to be holding their own.

Cessna, Piper, and the leading kit builder, Van’s, are all delivering LSA aircraft. Meanwhile, as two LSAs circle the globe, Light-Sport continues to provide a spark to all of aviation. As one leader put it, “Countries with vibrant small aviation also tend to have more successful big aviation.” Maybe that’s why flight schools continue to look closely at LSA.

===> Posted on May 31, 2010 by Dan Johnson. No comments. © GAN 2010

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