"Peter Dohm" wrote in message
If Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft reach their full potential, then
we
should have reasonably priced aircraft with the payload of the 150/152 and
the
speed (forgive the misuse of the word) and range of the 172.

For a flyable aircraft, new, roughly 1/3rd the cost of a new aircraft from
Cessna or Piper.

That is certainly not a given; since I think that the gross weight limit
is
about 250 to 350 pounds lower than it should be, and that the average LSA
will
frequently operate over gross.

Actually, that's not quite true. It would be true if we were talking about
existing certified aircraft. A Cessna 150 weighs 1600 lbs. I am disappointed
that LSA does not cover the Cessna 150 or Piper Tomahawk. However, for
homebuilt planes, the weight is okay. My only disappointment there was the
Murphy Rebel which is too heavy; the Murphy Maverick fits because it was
designed for the overseas microlight market. Almost all of the aircraft from
Fisher fit the category although they perform more like a Piper Cub than a
172. There are aircraft from Capella, Rans, and Zenith that fit the class.

It should also be noted that even EAA only recommended an increase to 1300
lbs even and that was only to allow additional (heavier) engines. As it
currently stands, the primary engines would be either Rotax or Jabiru
(perhaps Hirth). With an additional 78 lbs, Suburu conversions, Continental
O-200s and Lycoming 235's as well as the smallest Franklin are usable.

As far as the weight being a problem, again a Cessna 150 at 1600 lbs only
has a 600lb payload. A Zenith 601 at 1200lbs has the same 600lb payload. My
feeling was that they should have put in a waver for certified aircraft to
allow light trainers to exceed the weight limit. However, it won't be a
problem for homebuilts.