IMHO,
If sport pilot gets to the every plane costs 80G it will die. Other than
a few rich fellows that are going to lose their medicals the people that
sport pilot was intended to target to add to aviation will be left out in
the cold.
Not all, but in alot of cases people into ultralights are there because
they can not afford a certified aircraft,...a smart plane or kit builder
could make those ultralighters sport pilots which would be a great
percentage of their biz, or they can choose to cater to the rich and only
get 3 to 4 % of the biz.
You are correct in the dwindling number of taildraggers available for
rent because of ridiculas insurance. There are a few places left but you
really have to look for them. Insurance companies will always find a way to
screw people ..so this is just par for the course for those leeches.
A sport plane at tops should be in the 20-40 G range, if a company could
make one lower all the better. Why would it cost 60 G for a place to make a
new Cub or Champ? Simple GREED....and as long as that mentality prevails GA
will die. Yes a company needs to make a profit but not 200%-300% from every
sale.
The metal to build a 601 or Sonex will run in the 3000-4000 price range,
figure an engine to be 10 G , and there is nothing to building one of these
planes so labor SHOULD not be a boatload. But I have seen these sell for
40-60G , and it's highway robbery. 25G would be good , and 30G probably not
unreasonable. Hey they are not building 777's , just a small plane. I speak
from experience in production of aircraft, from MD-80's to Learjets.
A greedy company that wants to sell a 25G plane for 50G may sell
100...if he sold them for 25G he has the potential of selling 500, simply
because it opens the market for more people. All I can fly is sport category
and I WILL NEVER pay as much for a light sport plane as a 172, etc. I would
simply build my own plane before that happens, or even a certified old
project plane that meets the sport category. I realize some may not have the
know how or tools to do that..they will find ultralights very cheap in the
next few years if the sport category really takes off. Or they can surely
check with a local EAA group and probably gets tons of help building their
own light sport plane. When we "poor boys" HAVE to build one, it's one less
they can sell at a trumped up price, one less that will be rented on the
flight line. Just my take on it anyways

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech
"John T" wrote in message
...
Ryan, I think one of the big roadblocks to LSA is economics. Insurance
companies won't insure classic taildraggers for student solo, so someone
(FBO, student, flying club) is going to have to buy/lease a trike geared
LSA for training. That means one of the new planes which seem to have a
base price of 80,000 buckeroos. For that kind of money, you could get a
decent 182! And don't forget checkouts for the instructor, parts inventory
(which should be relatively small for such new planes), and maybe even
metric tools (1)

If someone is limited to SP, then yeah, 80 grand might seem like a good
idea, or they could go experimental, but you'd still have to find an
instructor to give lessons in a homebuilt...after you get the phase one
flown off, of course.
I really liked some of the new LSA's, and I hope it takes off...I'd like
to fly some of these planes.

John

(1) The week before Oshkosh, I dropped by the FBO hangar where there was a
NEW Katana (not the FBO's). The guys in the shop had to buy metric tools
cause they didn't have any! This was a FBO that had been around for 75
years!