aerobatics

Cavagnaro and others told us that the Aerobat particularly shines in snap rolls and spins--although, as with all aerobatic airplanes, entering a snap roll too fast is likely to result in structural damage.

The Aerobat ranked especially high because so many LOC accidents are low-energy, low-altitude stall events, so training in lower-powered aerobatic airplanes is valuable.

The Aerobat version--which first appeared in the 150 in 1970--made a much bigger splash, although not in the water.

In our view, if the unit is approved for plain-vanilla 150s, it might be easy to gain approval for your aerobat, especially if the unit has approval in other aerobatic models.

It's easy to see why the Great Lakes remains such a well-liked aerobat. Its handling seems to hide no surprises and its comfortably responsive without having the excessively light stick forces that hamper some LSAs.

Energy management is something Aerobat pilots learn early.

Aerobat owners should be aware that hanging a larger engine results in loss of aerobatic category certification.

Given the LSA market's tilt toward sport flying, FK (and Hansen) are figuring there will be some takers for an affordable aerobat that offers the promise of flying not limited to just the staid boring of holes in straight-and-level flight.

For one who came up in acro flying an Aerobat or Citabria, the overwhelming feeling is it's only necessary to think about a maneuver to fly it.

SELECT RECENT ADs AD 2005-24-10 AILERON CABLE INSPECTION AD 2000-25-02 REPAIR OR REPLACE DAMAGED WOOD WING SPARS AD 1998-2-8 INSPECTION OF INNER BORE OF CRANKSHAFT FOR CORROSION AD 1990-11-15 FRONT SPAR STRUT FITTING INSPECTION, REPAIR AD 1974-23-04 INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF WING RIB FATIGUE CRACKS SELECT LATE-MODEL COMPARISONS [GRAPHICS OMITTED] PRICE COMPARISONS 1978 CITABRIA ($35,000) 1978 DECATHLON ($50,000) 1977 CESSNA 150 AEROBAT $26,000) 1980 PITTS S2 ($60,000) BEECHRAFT-34 ($180,000) Note: Table made from bar graph.

Some airplanes are more tolerant of this manhandling than others and although the Seneca is no structural butterfly, it's also not a high-G aerobat. Fuel exhaustion or mismanagement was also a significant player, accounting for four of the 36 accidents.