Ultralights

Fancy a Flying Boat?

By Andrew on 29/09/2020

If you want a Seaplane and your budget is tight maybe one of these Flying boats might suit you well. Not sure how much commercial success any of the following designs has received but they sure do look fun. Don’t expect to cruise fast, cruise speed for these craft is around 40 knots with stall […]

The Best Ultralight Seaplanes

By Andrew on 28/09/2020

Today we are looking at what we refer to in Europe as Ultralight Seaplanes (LSA Seaplanes in the USA). This list is dominated by monohull designs. Strangely, I was only able to find one factory built ultralight aircraft offering floats as an option. There are however many aftermarket float options available for just about every […]

Europe finally gets 600 kg Ultralights

By Andrew on 23/09/2020

16 years after the United States FAA approved 600 kg Light Sport Aircraft, EASA (the European Safety Agency) is finally allowing 600 kg Ultralights which are the equivalent of USA Light Sport Aircraft in Europe. (See this article for more background on the topic) The way regulation works is that EU Member states need to […]

Ultralight hours can now be used towards EASA PPL SEP Renewal

By Andrew on 23/09/2020

After years of lobbying by the aviation community, EASA in 2020 made a concession to allow Ultralight (and Sailplane) to be used towards PPL SEP (and LAPL license) renewals. This is great news for pilots who predominantly fly ultralights. As European pilots know, PPL SEP class renewal needs to be done every 2 years and […]

Differences in EASA and the FAA approach to Recreational Flying

By Andrew on 19/09/2020

EASA and the FAA have taken a different approach to managing Recreational Aircraft within General Aviation. Traditionally, both regulators have tried to keep their regulation well aligned for the purpose of easy international transit as laid out in the Chicago Convention of 1944. It was recognised however that Recreational Aircraft usually operate nationally and hence […]

The Best 2 Seater Bush planes

By Andrew on 17/09/2020

If you like flying low and slow it doesn’t get much better than a bush plane. Short take-off and landing (STOL) performance opens up a lot of possibilities to visit back strips and experience places that are not always so accessible. Most of the 2 Seater Bush Plane options available are either Ultralights (if commercially […]

The Best 2 Seater Ultralights (Cruisers)

By Andrew on 13/09/2020

The ultralight segment in General Aviation is one of the few spaces within aviation that has not been completely over regulated. Ultralights by definition are experimental and hence have been awarded some degree of latitude to innovate. This has lead to the creation of some spectacular aircraft, the best of which we will take a […]

Certified vs. Experimental vs. Ultralight Aircraft – What’s the difference?

By Andrew on 08/09/2020

What type of certification an aircraft has matters – it determines how the aircraft must be maintained, where and how it can be flown, and how the hours flown in the aircraft can be logged. Finnish registrations: Left is Certified Aircraft (OH-_ _ _), Center is Experimental (OH-X_ _), Right is an Ultralight OH-U_ _ […]

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