I'm really pleased that the Skyleader factory is actively developing the GP One.  
Their sales people and design engineers have listened carefully and been very responsive to any suggestions that we make. When I visited the factory last August, I saw that they had already incorporated many of our ideas into the GP One production models.

They offered at that stage to upgrade our GP One demonstrator to the current production specs. 
So in early May, one of the Skyleader engineers will travel to NZ to install the new parts. 

The most significant changes are a new exhaust design/cowling and increased flap travel. In addition, a whole raft of minor improvements (e.g. brake lines routed inside the undercarriage legs, tweaked flight control system, easier door latches, etc) will be fitted.

It's a very generous move which shows how Skyleader stands behind their product and that they are committed to the NZ market, even though we are on the far side of the world.

Wow! I didn't realise that January would be so busy with aviation. 
In late January, when the U-Fly lease finished, I flew our Skyleader GP One back to Manapouri from Wanaka. A longer trip than planned because I chose to divert further south-east via Roxburgh and Tapanui to avoid bad weather. Even so, I was dodging around rain showers.

A long spell of lovely fine weather allowed me to do lots of solo training in the GP One. Practising 'forced' landings at random moments was much easier than expected - the GP One glides so well that you have plenty of time to make decisions about suitable landing sites and to line up for your chosen paddock. I even found that EFATO exercises were not stressful in the GP One.