A Case Study of Design, Performance and Economic Analysis of Light Sport Airplanes

The introduction of the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) along with the Sport Pilot certificate regulations in 2004 provided a major impetus in access to sport and recreational aviation. These changes were the most significant enacted by the FAA in fifty years and allow for easier and lower cost means to the privilege of enjoying the benefits of flying. Special Light-Sport Aircraft or S-LSA, are 100% factory built light aircraft that may be used commercially for flight training instruction and rental. These aircrafts are certified using industry consensus standards created with guidance from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International and approved by the FAA. These include fixed-wing airplanes, weight-shift control (trikes), powered parachutes, gliders, gyroplanes, and lighter-than-air (balloons and airships). This paper presents a case study of select special light sport airplanes comparing and analyzing their airplane design, performance and cost. A systems architecture based design-structure matrix (DSM) analysis has been carried out for the Allegro LSA. It also provides an overview of the sport pilot certification and its impact in pilot training time and cost and in increasing the general pilot population. An economic analysis of the S-LSA marketplace is also highlighted.