Richard Collins "Discusses" Light Sport

In a recent issue of "FLYING" Magazine (you know, the one with the Jets on every cover) Richard Collins has a fractured and rambling column on LSA in general and my AMD-made Zenith 601XL in particular. I like Richard Collins. I have trained with videos featuring his explanations and in those videos he was a good explainer. In this column he was.... fractured.

His attitude was clearly, "This Light Sport Aviation and these airplanes are not important and maybe they are dangerous." Richard, that's over the top, but typical of what I would expect from "FLYING" Magazine (I don't subscribe, so I can't even cancel my subscription!)

He supports his attitude with the fact that a Sport Pilot might have only 20 hours of flight time. Maybe, but that seems like a weak way to indict the whole class.

Then he says that some of the airplanes come from Europe and (horrors) aren't FAA certified. And that pilots can put things anywhere they want in the cockpit and instruments anywhere they want on the panel. YES!

I owned a nice certificated airplane, a Grumman Cheetah. I loved it. But, if I wanted to replace the old steam guages with some of the slick and affordable new avionics I saw at Sun N'Fun, I couldn't do it. The wonderful Grumman Gang discussion group is full of people who would like to do neat things to their nice airplanes, but face mountains of paperwork, cost, and time.

Now, I own a brand new $80,000 airplane with really cool avionics, that was made in the USA. I had more flexibility in choice, more options, and less cost. Richard Collins apparently doesn't get the importance of that flexibility.

Richard did get a few things right, but he ruined it all with one awful comparison. The 601XL is heavier in roll than in pitch. It takes a pilot 5 minutes of flight time to become comfortable with the big elevator. The 100 HP 601 is noisier inside than my 150 HP Grumman. Yes, because it is lighter, the 601XL doesn't smooth the bumps as well as my Grumman did. The 601 has a couple of hundred pounds less payload, but it flies just as far and as fast as the Grumman.

Which, Richard, is one hell of a lot faster than a Cessna 150. That comparison Richard made between the 601 and a 150 was the most lame thing in the whole article. They have the same engine and they each can carry two people, that's the end of the valid comparison. The 601 is way roomier, faster, has better visibility, and is a lot more fun to fly.

Richard's article then wanders off to praise the ability to have a weather display in the cockpit. I have a weather display in my airplane because I can have anything I want on the panel. How many Cessna flyers can say that?

Richard, Light Sport is adding life to the industry. It is generating business in aviation. We don't all need or want turbo props or fan jets. If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.