Highlighted By Significant Interest In Sport Pilot
Initiative
Preliminary figures from the
Thirty-Second Annual COPPERSTATE Regional EAA Fly-In, held October
7 through 10 at the Phoenix Regional Airport (A39) near Maricopa
(AZ), portend a bright future for sport aviation. Initial
indications are that the new Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft
(SP/LSA) rules, in effect since only September 1, have stimulated a
renewed interest in sport and recreational aviation for many
potential pilots.
The COPPERSTATE Ultralight area has always been a busy and
popular place during the event, as light sport aircraft aviators
from all over the Southwest gather to enjoy the fun and fellowship
of the Fly-In. This year, however, a record number of new faces
found their way to the Ultralight area to get a taste of such
flying-- organizers report an astounding 167% increase in the
number of Introductory Flights, as 80 people took the instructional
flights at this year’s event, compared to only 30 in 2003.
Ron Wagner (manager of EAA field relations and perhaps the
nation’s foremost SP/LSA authority) conducted seven well
attended Sport Pilot forums throughout the four days of the Fly-In,
and the turf around the many Light Sport Aircraft displayed on the
flight line took a beating-- an incongruous indication that grass
roots aviation is not only alive and well, but growing rapidly.
Safety was, of course, a primary goal during the Fly-In, and one
that was met with 100% success. Pilots of both display and
spectator aircraft performed their duties with their usual high
level of professionalism, aided by volunteer FAA air traffic
controllers from not only Phoenix Sky Harbor and Falcon Field, but
facilities as far away as Prescott and Denver —an indication
of both the dedication of the individuals involved, and the effort
made by local FAA officials to provide a safe air traffic
environment for the event. The only “incidents”
recorded on the field were a large number of dead batteries in
factory display aircraft—a rather predictable result of
gee-whiz boxes in their next-generation instrument panels being
constantly demonstrated to prospective customers.
While the SP/LSA oriented areas of COPPERSTATE showed large
increases, other aspects of the event showed growth as well,
although in more modest amounts. Total attendance was 7931, a 5%
increase from last year; exhibitor count was up 10% to 124; and the
registered camper tally was 194, an increase of 15%.
More than 600 aircraft flew in to the Phoenix Regional Airport
to attend the event, including 422 registered show planes, many of
which were submitted for judging in a variety of different
categories. As usual, the number of beautifully handcrafted or
restored aircraft made the task of the judges difficult, but their
eventual consensus was that the title of Grand Champion be awarded
to Jack Wigmore’s RV-6. Reserve Grand Champion honors went to
another airplane from the Van’s catalog, an RV-9A by Bob
Watson. A complete list of winners from all categories is
attached.