Ever met someone you instantly liked? The MD3 Rider is one friendly yet .

By James Lawrence

Someone recently told me that all LSA are 'fun' and pretty much fly the same. That notion challenges my beliefs. Everything in life is subjective, even scientific observation. And if you're the least bit sensitive to your environment, you'll probably agree that any vehicle, just like any person you meet, has a distinct feel and personality. Call it the Mazda Miata vs. VW Beetle syndrome: Every ride has its own ineffable feel.

My bias was reinforced when I made my first flight in the MD3 Rider. I didn't know exactly why initially, but I immediately felt at home in the friendly little airplane. The Rider comes from European sport aircraft maker Flyitalia (www.flyitalia.it), based near Milan, Italy. Designed by celebrated Czech designer Jaroslav Dostál, the S-LSA, which received ASTM approval in April, is conventionally built with an all-metal semi-monocoque airframe and aluminum skin. We'll get to the design and construction in due course.

MD3 Rider is noticed in the article about this year Sun'n Fun airshow:

Making its american debut at the show was the Italian-built MD3 Rider. The all-metal, semi-monocoque, high-wing aircraft is built by Flyitalia and distributed by Space Coast Aviastion Services Inc., from Sharpes, Fla. One of the LSA's options is that it can come with folding wings and tail for simpler storage.

Recognize that tail? You've seen it twice before on designs that earned Special Light-Sport Aircraft approval: Interplane's Skyboy and FlyItalia's Sport Rider. Designer Jaro Dostal's signature is the shark fin vertical stabilizer. Skyboy is sold in the U.S. by LSA America. SportRider (MD-3 Rider in Europe) is not presently available in the USA. *** Now from the fertile mind of Dostal comes the Shark. It will be produced by Comp-Let, a producer of composite parts for many companies including Diamond, Aeropro, and FK Lightplanes. Jaro's design bureau is leading the development effort. "SportShark will fit LSA rules with a larger wing, simpler flaps, fixed landing gear and prop," declared Comp-Let. "We are finishing the aerodynamic design calculations (forces, structure, stability). Designers prepared a cockpit mockup. We have started to work on a fuselage model. The plan is to fly a prototype by spring 2008. Serial production will start gradually by summer." Shark is but one example of a new LSA as the industry continues its acceleration. Keep clicking ByDanJohnson.com for more...

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MD3 Rider and COMP-LET Shark are now shown in one page of Fliegermagazin, describing this year's AERO Friedrichshafen: