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LSA Step-Downs: Training Is a Must

But so is picking the right light sport model. The Van’s RV-12 series is one top pick for handling, build quality and the latest tech.

Larry Anglisano
Verified

Edited By:

Mark Phelps

RV-12iS S-LSA

When covering the Light Sport Expo in Sebring, Florida, somewhere around 2013, two things were clear to me at the show. Senior pilots (many were career professionals stepping down into GA) liked what they saw in the new LSA market: modern two-placers with far more tech than the average Skyhawk or Cherokee—not bad machines for golden-years fun. The other was that the just-intro’d Van’s RV-12 factory-built S-LSA was a setup for success.

Today, the difficult insurance market is forcing plenty of aging pilots out of retracs, twins and turbines. For many who aren’t ready to quit, stepping down into an LSA makes sense.

Larry Anglisano

Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.