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.

FMI: www.copperstate.org