A spectacular parade of planes through the wide streets of Palm Springs, California kicked off the annual Expo staged annually by the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

Palm Springs is the only place left that AOPA can have the parade, which leads from the international airport to the city's downtown convention centre where the Expo was held. More than 100 aircraft took part, with Cessna's new Light Sport Aircraft leading the exhibitors.

The Expo is an exuberant mix of new aircraft, modified aircraft, an exhibition hall full of vendors offering equipment and accessories, plus a series of meetings and seminars covering subjects ranging from safety and flying technique to medical issues and technology. It's also an opportunity for AOPA staff, FAA officials, the industry and pilots to meet.

This year's event was the biggest ever, with almost 13,000 pilots attending over the three-day show - many flying in. Palm Springs International ran out of parking space at one point and had to direct aircraft to the desert city's other smaller airport, Bermuda Dunes.
The event is held in a different location each year. Next year's event will be in Hartford, Conneticut, from 4-6 October. Anyone can attend.

W: www.aopa.org/expo

CESSNA: NGP RULES OK CESSNA boss Jack Pelton gave an upbeat picture of his company's health and tried to suggest that decisions over whether it should go ahead with its two-seat Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) and bigger New Generation Piston (NGP) designs would be made next year. Yeah, right.  Cessna would be mad not to proceed with both these projects given the effusive welcome given to them at both the Expo and last summer's Oshkosh event, and it's clear Pelton and his engineers are right behind them.

The Expo saw a mockup of the NGP's cabin at close hand, though not the flying proof-of-concept aircraft we glimpsed from afar at Oshkosh - that was shown to Cessna dealers before the Expo though.

"The mockup on display represents a concept for a new family of airplanes we are evaluating," said Pelton. "Cessna has been the undisputed leader in general aviation for more than 50 years, and we are committed to increasing that lead, so we have been assessing a range of technologies, features, materials and processes.

"We want this innovative new family of Cessna aircraft to set the standard for performance, comfort and value, making it a strong competitor to current single engine piston designs from other manufacturers."
Pelton said the flying proof-of-concept aircraft is exceeding expectations with more than 80 hours in the air to date. The aircraft's first flight was last June.

"Aerodynamically, the airplane design is very clean," Pelton said. "Stalls are going well, and stability and control are both very good. This family of aircraft would be a great addition to our current single engine piston lineup.

"They would fill a new market niche, offering speed and performance levels beyond our current 230-horsepower, 140-knot 182 Skylane model, while maintaining the excellent handling characteristics our airplanes are known for."

Pelton announced some upgrades to the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit fitted to Cessna's existing piston singles, and also the Direct Operating Costs for the company's latest jet, the Mustang. The VLJ will cost US users $2.06 per nautical mile during the three-year warranty period.
W: www.cessna.com

CIRRUS: SILVER IS THE NEW WHITE BOY, there are some tough words floating around among manufacturers offering turbocharged piston singles - that's Columbia, Mooney and now Cirrus. While Cirrus says its new SR22 Turbo isn't the fastest, it does say potential buyers should look closely at how top speed claims of 230kt+ are achieved and the actual speeds attained in real world situations.

Its turbo engine is a conversion made by specialists Tornado Alley Turbo, configured to provide just enough boost to 'turbo-normalise', ie equivalent to operating at sea level whatever the 'hot and high' conditions.

But while turbos are of limited benefit here in 'cold and low' UK, the new silver finish now available is appealing. Called 'Sterling', the silver finish has been developed by PPG, a specialist paint maker.
Cirrus also announced it had produced its 3000th aeroplane since startying production in 1999.
W: www.cirrusdesign.com

COLUMBIA: BETTER TIMES AHEAD WHILE 2006 was a fairly torrid year for Columbia, with delays over certification of the G1000-equipped 400 and then having 60 planes damaged in a hailstorm, the future looks bright, according to boss Bing Lantis. Production of the normally-aspirated 350 and turbo 400 has increased substantially and Columbia handed over

DIAMOND: DA40XL DEBUT DIAMOND'S new derivative of the DA40, the XL, had its US debut at the Expo. Fitted with a 180hp fuel-injected Lycoming engine and new three-blade MT constant-speed prop, plus upturned winglets and Garmin G1000 panel, the XL is challenging Cirrus's SR20 on performance and equipment - and is said to burn only 10 USG/hour at 75% power which gives a cruise of 150kt. W: www.diamond-air.at

NEXAER: BUILT BIG THE unusual looking Nexaer stood out in the special area devoted to Light Sport Aircraft, with its bright red and silver paint scheme, high gull-wing doors and, well, just plain strange fuselage shape.  It's been designed and built by an ex-US Air Force husband-and-wife duo, Paul and Cindy Klahn, to be a comfortable and easy-to-fly Light Sport Aircraft.

The class has a max top speed of 120kt so reducing drag to a minimum was not the main objective, explained Paul. Instead, he concentrated on making the cabin as big and comfortable as possible, recognising that many Americans are 200lb+. So the cabin is an astonishing 54in wide with seats that wouldn't disgrace a prestige car, and a car-like dashboard, sorry, panel.

The Nexaer had its first flight in October, and production is planned to start in about 18 months after the company has moved its base to Laramie, Wyoming. The all-carbon fibre composite construction will have a range of engines available, including the 120hp Jabiru 3300.
W: www.nexaer.com

BEECHCRAFT: BONANZA CELEBRATES Beechcraft is celebrating 60 years of its single-engine piston Bonanza with a special edition of the latest G36 and a significant upgrade to the interior. Up to 3in in elbow has been gained by reshaping the cabin sides, embossed leather covers the seats, headrests and control yokes, and the exterior colour scheme is a stunning silver, white and black design.

"The Beechcraft Bonanza is an icon of general aviation," said Brad Hatt, of Raytheon Aircraft which owns Beechcraft. "It is a legendary airplane design that exemplifies the proud history of Beechcraft. With over 18,000 Bonanzas built, today's airplane has all the refinements of a luxury sports car, and 60 years later it is still the standard to which other aircraft are compared."
W: www.raytheonaircraft.com

FOUND: MONSTER TRUCK Massive 29in Alaska Tundra tyres are fitted to this Bush Hawk made by Canadian specialists Found Aircraft. The company was started ten years ago to create the ultimate bush plane and this is it. With a max load of 1525lb, the 300hp Bush Hawk can be configured with five seats or as a cargo carrier to reach remote spots. Floats and skis can be fitted in place of the wheels. W: www.foundair.com

FOXJET: RESURRECTED TWINJET FIRST seen in 1977, the twin-engine single pilot, 6-seat Foxjet is being resurrected by Californian company, Millenium Aerospace. Designed by entrepreneur Tony Fox, now aged 84, the Foxjet could be said to be the first 'Very Light Jet'. The original Williams WR-44 fanjet engines (later used by the USAF for cruise missiles) will be replaced by modern engines.

MOONEY: NEED FOR SPEED FOLLOWING hot on the heels of the 'Need for Speed' tour, Mooney launched the 'Lead with Speed' multi-city roadshow at Palm Springs. The Texas company will be taking its 273mph Mooney Acclaim and Ovation3 GX, both high-spec models fully-equipped with Garmin G1000 glass cockpits and luxury leather interiors around the US for customer demo flights. W: www.mooney.com

EPIC: DYNASTY CERTIFIED EPIC Aircraft is moving its entire factory from Oregon, USA to Calgary, Canada. As part of the move, Epic is certifying its LT turboprop with the Canadian authorities, which has reciprocal agreements with the US FAA, and has already logged 1100 flight hours. The single-engine pressurised six-seater has been the subject of court action with the group behind the Farnborough F1, now called Kestrel (see News), because of the similarities in design. Epic was a contractor in the construction of the F1 prototype.

The $1.9 million LT's cruise speed of 340kt and range of 1874nm puts it into VLJ territory.
W: www.epicaircraft.com

LUSCOMBE LSA-8
THE Luscombe keeps on going... the latest twist in the 60-year plus story is the LSA-8, built at Flabob Airport, California to meet the US Light Sport Aircraft regs. Fitted with a 100hp Continental O-200 engine, the LSA-8 is claimed to cruise at 120mph, with a climb rate of 900ft/min. Price is $90,000.
W: www.luscombe-silvaire.com

SOLOY
TURBOPROP conversions for piston-engine aircraft abound in the US including this Soloy Rolls-Royce kit for Cessna's 206. It's the Mark 2 of this conversion - several Mark 1s are in use in Europe as parachute drop planes - and offers 417shp takeoff power, and 322shp continuous. It'll lift a payload of 662kg.
W: www.soloy.com

SPORT CUB
CUBCRAFTERS is one of two US companies offering modern Piper Cubs - Legend Cub is the other. The Wasingston State based company's latest variant is the Sport Cub, said to be all-new to meet the new LSA regs. Beautifully finished, the Sport Cub has a 100hp Continental O-200 and can be supplied fully equipped with digital panel.
W: www.cubcrafters.com

AOPA SUCCESS
THIS was the most successful Expo that AOPA has held with 13,000 pilots attending the three-day show. It's a great opportunity to see the latest aircraft and accessories in a relatively small show, with days full of useful safety and informative seminars. Next year's event will be held at Hartford, Connecticut from 4-6 October.

W: www.aopa.org/expo