For more information on flight lessons or the Allegro, call LSA America at 252-586-1200.
July 4, 2012
by Roger Bell
I’ve never been one to love flying, but my time in the Allegro aircraft just might have changed my mind.
The Allegro is a two-seat light sport aircraft manufactured in Littleton by LSA America, which recently broke ground at the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport. LSA President Doug Hempstead, naturally, is a big believer in the plane, which, in addition to only costing around $100,000, has excellent fuel economy and can be powered by 87 octane automobile gas.
“You get more bang for your buck with the Allegro,” Hempstead said.
“What we deliver is real value. It’s not cheap, because cheap catches up with you, but it’s a real value.”
He added the Allegro is a very successful student airplane and is relatively easy to learn how to fly.
“This is one of the most fun things I’ve ever flown,” said Ross Kennedy, test pilot for LSA and the man with, perhaps, more hours flying the Allegro than any other person.
It was a clear, sunny, cloudless day when Kennedy and I climbed into the surprisingly roomy Allegro at Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport, and after putting on our headsets, the two of us were airborne only minutes later — it only took about 450 feet for the small plane to take off, and Kennedy said it can be done even more quickly.
For the first few minutes, I have to admit, I felt a little uncomfortable. In my childhood, long ago now, I used to have a fear of heights, and the Allegro’s visibility means you can see easily all around you and down to the ground. For a few minutes, the old fear came back, but I was able to tamp it down and started to take some photos of the Roanoke Valley from the air.
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