New designs worth watching - Curt Lewis

Sky pioneers: A light aircraft revolution is taking off

(CNN) Inside a hangar in the San Francisco Bay Area, a young French entrepreneur is busy readying a small, odd-looking, bubble-shaped aircraft.

Not far away, on the way to Sacramento, less than 100 miles away, another start-up is rolling out the first serially produced units of a new concept of amphibious foldable aircraft so compact they can be kept in a standard car garage.

Further north, in the mountains of Idaho, inventor and aviation legend Burt Rutan is preparing to fly to distant lands on the latest of his creations, a weird-looking seaplane with retractable skis, powered by a single roof-mounted propeller.

These planes are all part of a new generation of groundbreaking light (or small) aircraft models aiming to disrupt an industry that hasn't changed much in decades.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration defines "small" (also called "light") aircraft as "an aircraft of 12,500 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight." (Depending on the category, according to the FAA, small airplanes can reach up to 19,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight.)

The Cobalt Valkyrie-X

Cobalt Valkyrie-X: Available for pre-order.

The Cobalt Valkyrie-X is a futuristic-looking but piston-engined aircraft that French-born California-based entrepreneur David Loury is about to launch.

The Valkyrie is designed to impress at first sight: sleek and beautiful, you could compare it to a high end sports car.

Or, maybe, an Apple product.

As Cobalt's founder and CEO, Loury explains that his idea of a design-centric aircraft is rooted in the realization that, in the iPhone era, making beautiful products is no longer a choice but a mandate.

The light aircraft industry is ripe for upheaval, he says.

It's time for new concepts.

Piston-engine technology
The Valkyrie-X isn't a toy.

Its main purpose isn't recreation, but moving people around over relatively long distances.

For example, the aircraft makes it possible to reach most of Western Europe from London without refueling.

It's being marketed as an affordable way to travel in style.

Its piston-engine technology keeps costs low, Loury says.

An operational cost of $150 per hour is an affordable proposition for many in the growing amateur pilot community, even more so when you factor in that the Valkyrie-X can carry up to five people.

The price starts at $699,000 -- more if the client wants to customize it with extras.

Cobalt is currently rolling out its first test aircraft and aims to produce about 50 a year.

Loury says strong pre-launch interest means he's ready to double production if necessary.

Icon A5 foldable seaplane

"Awesome comes standard," proclaims the Icon A5's website.

Another newly launched design-led aircraft is the two-seat Icon A5 foldable seaplane, from California-based Icon Aircraft.

The first production units were delivered in July 2015.

Unlike the Valkyrie, the Icon A5 is primarily a recreational aircraft.

It can be flown by anyone holding a sport pilot license -- which takes about half the time to get as a standard license.

In addition to a sleek, compact design and intuitive high-visibility cockpit, one of the Icon A5's selling points is its foldability.

Back from the dead: The legendary Junkers F13 flies again
The return of the Junkers F13
It also fits in most car garages and can be towed behind a vehicle for overland transport.

Icon Aircraft claims to have already received more than 1,800 orders for the Icon A5.

That amounts to about a $400 million order book, which is likely to make investors happy -- an illustrious roster that includes Ross Perot Jr. and Google's Eric Schmidt.

The base price of the aircraft is $197,000, rising to $247,000 with additional features.

Burt Rutan's SkiGull

Yep, those are skis.

Burt Rutan, of SpaceShipOne fame, has also joined the fray with the SkiGull, his own light aircraft concept.

Like the Icon A5, the SkiGull is a small amphibious aircraft that fits in a single-car garage, after having folded its wings.

But it's the planes's unusual configuration -- a single engine located directly above the cockpit that is itself suspended from the wings in a gondola-like cabin -- that's drawing instant interest across the industry.

Then there's the SkiGull's retractable, flexible ski system.

The skis provide five times the shock absorption deflection of a typical land plane, making it possible for the SkiGull to operate in considerably rougher environments than most other seaplanes.

This includes the ability to perform water landings on beach waves and ocean crests.

Small wheels protrude from the bottom of the skis, making it possible to land on surfaces such as snow or grass.

Unconventional structure
According to Rutan, the SkiGull's all-composite structure means he can avoid conventional structural design and fabrication methods.

No specific details have been made available yet, although he does give an intriguing hint: "For now all I can say is that its structure is more like nature than conventional."

The SkiGull might well be the last of Burt Rutan's creations.

"It will be the last time I design and build an airplane, since I want to enjoy this one for myself," says the 72-year-old Rutan.

He's already planning to fly the SkiGull from Idaho to Hawaii.

It's a trip that comes with its own planned moments of bliss.

"To avoid flying in darkness on the Hawaii trip, we will fly during a low sea-state. (We'll) land and sleep on the ocean in two hammocks stretched from the two wing-fold fittings to the tail."

New Merlin LSA takes flight

Merlin PSA photo courtesy of Aeromarine LSA.

If it's all about the flying, and you want to keep all the fun to yourself while getting airborne at a comparatively low cost, Chip W. Erwin, the founder of Aeromarine LSA, has an airplane to sell you.

Erwin is the creator of the Merlin PSA (personal sport aircraft, which is not an official FAA designation but is legal as a light sport aircraft) that will carry you skyward at a faster clip than many LSAs. The single-seat, amateur-built design took flight Feb. 12 in Lakeland, Florida, home of the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo, and Erwin reported Merlin's fun quotient was high.

"The acceleration and climb rate are exhilarating," Erwin said of his design in a news release Feb. 15. The aircraft is powered by a Rotax 582 two-cylinder engine producing 65 horsepower. At the gross weight of 715 pounds listed on the Aeromarine LSA website, Merlin's power-to-weight ratio is 20 percent higher than a 1,320-pound aircraft with a 100-hp engine. Additional engine options, including the Pegasus O-100 and an electric alternative, are in the works.


Merlin PSA photo courtesy of Aeromarine LSA.

Where Merlin really dusts the competition, albeit with only one seat, is price: A kit complete with engine, basic instruments, and a builder assist program that requires spending "a couple of weeks" at South Lakeland Airport, where the company is located, costs $34,900.

Available options include a matched set of Aeromarine amphibious floats with retractable wheels that can be raised or lowered with a mobile device using Bluetooth. The airplane also can be fitted with tundra tires for those who prefer a taildragger configuration. A well-equipped model with glass panel displays, autopilot, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out, a BRS parachute, and other options costs about $50,000.

The aluminum airframe was created on 3-D computer-aided design and manufacturing equipment, which resulted in assemblies with matched holes that require no fixtures, so "build time is measured in days rather than months," the press release noted.

Erwin rolled his latest creation out at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, in January, and the demonstration airplane's first flight followed soon after.

"Flight conditions were less than ideal, with gusty winds and choppy turbulence but the Merlin handles these conditions perfectly," Erwin said in the press release. "The pilot sits right on the longitudinal axis and the wing loading is higher than the average LSA, so it is quite comfortable flying all day long. I was seeing cruise speeds over 100 mph and climb rates of 1,400 FPM."