I take it there was nothing “commercially viable” to replace the Cessna 150/2?
You mean other than Aquilla/Diamond and the numerous LSA?
Also I have a few where I can’t find the limits (Italy
You mean you found a chart for Italy? We should do a group project to digitise this rare historical artefact 
mh wrote:
Aquilla
Peter wrote:
We should do a group project to digitise this rare historical artefact
I have got myself a license for Sky Demon (Have been a fan of EasyVFR for a long time 
). I haven’t actually used SD yet in flying, but having studied the charts in SD, I can’t for the life of me find any reason why a VFR pilot would urge for any other charts. Traditionally I have used the military low flying charts, the M517 charts 1:250k, as most other VFR pilots here. As of yet I have not found anything in those charts that are not in the SD charts. For me, any map problems are non existent, SD is Europe wide, almost word wide. I would even say that the SD charts are the de facto industrial standard for VFR charts today. I’m all for competition and also open map solutions, but going back to digitized raster type charts is simply not an option anymore.
Michal wrote:
Aquilla is very visible aircraft – on fairs. But I can´t remember the last I saw this aircraft in a real operation
They have sold a couple of hundred VLAs, and everything I have heard about them is positive. A school here did a test of all the VLA/LSA types available, and the Aquila came out on top far above any other. But the VLA class is a strange construct. Almost, but not really a real aircraft, yet with lower performance than LSA and microlight.
There are several clubs and schools in Germany operating A210s. Here around they are quite visible. Can’t say they have a huge impact on recruting new atudents, though.
Almost, but not really a real aircraft, yet with lower performance than LSA and microlight.
Sorry, but that’s nonsense. Furthermore LSA and ULM are completely different classes.
mh wrote:
Furthermore LSA and ULM are completely different classes
no really, this is overall stupid arrangement of the current regulations – an flying vehicle with empty weight of 250-350 kg, 2 person on board can be ULM, RTC, LSA or VLA, part 23 or even TMG. And many UL manufactures did upgrade their ULs into RTC, LSA or VLA. Looking visually similar but there might be some differences under the skin. But I am not aware of any UL manufactures producing RTC/LSA/VLA in bigger numbers apart from Tecnam. Couple of hundreds for Aquilla is a surprise for me….
I believe there are (relatively speaking) a good number of French aeroclubs that have Aquilas in their fleets. A Google search yields at least:
There is a great article on LSA in the current US AOPA mag. When I get time I will summarise it. It paints a bleak picture for LSA because of the way the manufacturers can screw the owners. In the US they have an escape route (the Exp category) but not in Europe. You would need to be mad to go LSA on this basis, especially as nearly the whole point of the “homebuilt/ultralight” scene (in terms of cost savings) is owner maintenance and sourcing OEM etc parts.
The Aquila is quite a common type, yes, though not ubiquitous. Belgium even saw one crash .
