I'll start with the certified, factory produced aircraft for which Silver Sky Aviation is a distributor. These aircraft are produced by Aircraft Manufacturing and Development, or AMD. They are all designed by an engineer by the name of Chris Heintz. He and his sons factory and kit versions of several different models.

The first is the Patriot 150, a high wing S-LSA powered by a Continental O-200. Like many LSAs, its performance is limited more by regulation than aerodynamics. It would be great for training or cruising and starts at $89,900.

Next is the only normal/utility category aircraft (not an LSA) that I'm writing about today, the Alarus. Powered by a 116 hp Lycoming O-235, the Alarus is a 2-place low wing that has performance numbers similar to those of an LSA. It reminds me of a Cherokee 140. The two most important facts to note about it are: 1) it is IFR certified and 2) it has a base price of $139,900. I don't know of another normal category IFR aircraft that you can touch for anywhere near that price. This would be the a great training aircraft for any flight school or cross country machine for a flying club.

Last, but not least are the Zodiac CH 601 XL and XLi. These low wing S-LSAs have bubble canopies for outstanding visibility and great performance numbers. Sky said they have done quite a bit of sport pilot training in theirs and even some formation flying. (If you want to learn to fly formation, Sky would be the instructor to go to. He taught USAF pilot training in the T-38 before going on to fly the F-4 Phantom.) The XLi model is especially impressive because the "i" stands for IFR certified.

Wait, this is an LSA right? How can it be IFR certified? Something a lot of pilots haven't fully grasped yet is the fact that a private or higher rated pilot can operate an LSA beyond the restrictions placed on a sport pilot as long as he or she is current and qualified and the aircraft is certified for those activities. The AMD website does a great job explaining why CH 601 XLi can be fully certified for night and instrument flying.

Yes, you can purchase an S-LSA certified for IFR operations for less than $100,000. Are you getting excited yet? Don't stop reading yet, there's more good news ahead.

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