Well, Her SLSA Certification. She's Had The Wings, But Convincing FAA....

Did our readers' comments help? We're waiting to hear from Sport Aircraft Works on that, but we CAN tell you that SAW's sexy Mermaid is the latest certified SLSA.

As Aero-News reported previously, this certification was held up by a snag at FAA relating to the FAA's interpretation of "repositionable" landing gear for amphibians. The FAA had painted itself into a corner with an interpretation of the rule that only allowed the gear to be retracted or extended on the surface, somewhat defeating the purpose of an amphibian. The FAA promised (informally) a more flexible interpretation, but in the meantime, SAW petitioned FAA for an exception. (Other LSA amphibs never ran into this FAA roadblock).

With the glitch resolved and over 100 deliveries promised, it's happy days at Sport Aircraft Works. "We're stopping work and popping the champagne cork right now," SAW President Danny Defelici said late Wednesday afternoon, February 15th. "We've been producing for customers all along, and by the end of the month, our first five customers will see their deliveries."

This is not just a business but also a personal triumph for Defelici, who was on the plane's design team with Chip Erwin (president of the manufacturing company, Czech Aircraft Works) and others. They've been trying to bring the plane to market for over two years. Chip bet the company, in effect, on the anticipated Sport Pilot and LSA rule, by designing an aircraft that was heavier than a JAR advanced ultralight (which is what most of the European LSAs we called the Young Turks stem from). 

The Mermaid is built in the Czech Republic to an American design, even using materials exported from the US so that any mechanic in the Americas can fix it (all the sheet aluminum, for instance, is American standard). It's of conventional semi-monocoque aluminum construction like a Cessna or Piper -- or a Lake LA-4, which is probably the flying boat most familiar to our readers. To us, the Mermaid looks a little like the Lake, but smaller, sportier, and a lot prettier.

With SLSA certification come some advantages that the builders of Experimental kits don't have. The SLSA can be flown with a Sport Pilot or higher licence, and no medical certificate is required (as long as your last FAA medical wasn't suspended or revoked). It can be used for flight training and flight schools can make it available as a rental (check your insurance... insurers get hinky about amphibs, especially if you don't coordinate in advance).

Best of all, the Mermaid as SLSA is delivered ready-to-fly. And the price they're quoting today is within a hair of the price Chip was shooting for when we talked to him in April, 2004, "the price of a premium SUV," Defelici notes. (Actual prices are on the SAW website, in the FMI link).

And with that price, Sport Aircraft Works throws in something the buyer can really use: flight training. If you haven't a license, you'll get a free Sport License course with your purchase. If you're already licensed, you'll get the transition training you need to qualify in the Mermaid.

And what if you like the training deal, but you're not sure an amphibian is really "you"? Well, training comes in the package with SAW's slinky Parrot landplane (the very first airplane designed from the ground up to the final SLSA rule to make it to market) or its economical (their term is "super-affordable") SportCruiser.

For the pilot that finds the Experimental-Amateur Built category more attractive that LSA, well, you don't get the training package, but they've got your six covered with a quick-build builder assistance program.

The Mermaid enters a market for light-sport amphibian aircraft that's far from empty. There are lighter machines like the Aventura, SeaRey, and Corsario; and the new LSA-Aero Gannet seaplane (an amphib version, "Freedom," is coming Real Soon Now). But lots of options are a buyer's delight. Each of these planes zeroes in on a slightly different owner/pilot, and there's less overlap between them than you would think. With its conventional construction and eye-catching looks, the Mermaid hits a sweet spot for a lot of would-be SLSA buyers. And now they can take it home.

FMI: www.sportaircraftworks.com