The regulations for modifying the avionics in a modern Light Sport are lenient. Space, electrical capacity and budget may prove to be much tighter.

By Larry Anglisano

As Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSAs) begin to occupy more hangars and flight-school flight lines, attention is shifting to aftermarket avionics upgrades. Some owners take delivery with little more than a handheld transceiver, which will hardly cut it in the real world. For others, their checkbooks are simply tempted by a smorgasbord of gee-whiz gadgetry.

Retrofitting LSAs is uncharted territory for most avionics shops and most of these lightweights might have unfamiliar engines and, in many cases, minimal electrical systems. LSAs are small, so available space and weight restrictions need to be considered. The rules for return-to-service following an upgrade are different for

The Zaon XRX is a great, low-cost traffic advisory tool, but with an LSA, you can wire it permenantly to a panelmounted handheld such as the Garmin GPSMAP 496.

modern S-LSAs than what’s required of Part…