 Huntair Pathfinder Mark 1 ultralight During the late 1970s and early 1980s, many people sought to be able to fly affordably. As a result, many aviation authorities set up definitions of lightweight, slow-flying aeroplanes that could be subject to minimum regulation. The resulting aeroplanes are commonly called ultralight or microlight, although the weight and speed limits are rarely the same between any two countries. Download high resolution version (1500x1150, 399 KB) Huntair Pathfinder Mark 1 ultralight (G-MJWK) at Kemble Air Day, Kemble, Gloucestershire. ...
Download high resolution version (1500x1150, 399 KB) Huntair Pathfinder Mark 1 ultralight (G-MJWK) at Kemble Air Day, Kemble, Gloucestershire. ...
There is also an allowance of another 10% on Maximum Take Off Weight for seaplanes and amphibians, and some countries (such as Germany and France) also allow another 5% for installation of a ballistic parachute. A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery A seaplane is an aircraft designed to take off and land on water. ...
An amphibious or amphibian aircraft is an aircraft that can land on either land or water. ...
A parachute ejected from the casing via a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat. ...
The safety regulations used to approve microlights vary between countries, the strictest being the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and Germany, while they are almost non-existent in France and the United States. The disparity between regulations is a major barrier to international trade and overflight, as is the fact that these regulations are invariably sub-ICAO, which means that they are not internationally recognised. International trade is the exchange of goods and services across international boundaries or territories. ...
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...
In most affluent countries, microlights or ultralights now account for about 20% of the civil aircraft fleet. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 22 KB)Photo credit: Andre Zeman http://www. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 22 KB)Photo credit: Andre Zeman http://www. ...
Ultralight aircraft are generally called microlight aircraft in the UK and New Zealand, and ULMs in France and Italy. Some countries differentiate between weight shift and 3-axis aircraft, calling the former microlight and the latter ultralight.
The U.S. light-sport aircraft is similar to the UK and NZ Microlight in definition and licensing requirement, the U.S. 'Ultralight' being in a class of its own. Light-sport aircraft, or LSA, is a classification of aircraft specific to the United States. ...
Definitions
 Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat 3-Axis ultralight Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1738x1076, 331 KB) Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat ultralight at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1738x1076, 331 KB) Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat ultralight at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. ...
United States -
The USA FAA's definition of an ultralight is significantly different from that in most other countries and can lead to some confusion when discussing the topic. The governing regulation in the United States is FAR 103, which specifies a powered "ultralight" as a single seat vehicle of less than 5 US gallons (19 L) fuel capacity, empty weight of less than 254 pounds (115 kg), a top speed of 55 knots (102 km/h), a maximum stall speed not exceeding 24 knots (45 km/h), and are only allowed to fly during daylight hours and over unpopulated areas. An unpowered "ultralight" (hang-gliders, ect.) is limited to a weight of 115 lb (52 kg). Weight allowances can be made for two-seat trainers, amphibious landing gear, and ballistic parachute systems. Ultralight aircraft in the United States are a different type of aircraft compared to what the rest of the world considers an ultralight. ...
“FAA†redirects here. ...
The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. ...
Stall speed is an aerodynamic term. ...
In 2004 the FAA introduced the "Light-Sport Aircraft" category, which closely resembles other countries' ultralight categories.
 Ikarus C42, a German ultralight In the United States no license or training is required by law for ultralights, but training is highly advisable. For light-sport aircraft a sport pilot certificate is required, which is similar in requirements to other countries' ultralight license. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 525 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,166 × 1,422 pixels, file size: 2. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 525 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,166 × 1,422 pixels, file size: 2. ...
The Ikarus C42 is a two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation microlight airplane, used primarily for flight training, touring, and personal flying. ...
In the U.S., a Sport Pilot Certificate allows the pilot to operate a light-sport aircraft (a small, low-powered aircraft), under a limited set of flight conditions. ...
Ultralight aviation is represented by the United States Ultralight Association (USUA), which represents the US portion of the sport to the world through its affiliation with the FAI. The United States Ultralight Association, [1] USUA, is a non-profit organization that endeavors to support ultralight aviation (Ultralight aircraft (United States)). It is the oldest U.S. ultralight organization, forming after motors began appearing on hang gliders in the early 1980s. ...
Canada -
The Canadian Aviation Regulations define two types of ultralight aircraft: basic ultra-light aeroplane (BULA), and advanced ultra-light aeroplane (AULA). ...
Europe The definition of a microlight according to the Joint Aviation Authorities document JAR-1 is an aeroplane having no more than two seats, maximum stall speed (VS0) of 35 knots (65 km/h) CAS, and a maximum take-off mass of no more than: The Joint Aviation Authorities, or JAA, is the predominant regulatory body for aviation in Europe. ...
V speeds are speeds that define certain performance and limiting characteristics of an aircraft. ...
In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ...
- 300 kg for a landplane, single seater; or
- 450 kg for a landplane, two-seater; or
- 330 kg for an amphibian or floatplane, single seater; or
- 495 kg for an amphibian or floatplane, two-seater, provided that a microlight capable of operating as both a floatplane and a landplane falls below both MTOM limits, as appropriate.
Foot-launched aircraft are excluded from this definition.
Australia -
In Australia a "Sport/Recreational aircraft" must have: Recreational Aviation Australia (abbreviated to RAA or RA-Aus) formally known as the Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) is the governing body of ultralights in Australia. ...
- a maximum all-up weight (MAUW) of 544 kg or 1,200 lb or less;
- a stalling speed under 45 knots in landing configuration and
- a maximum of two seats.
New Zealand In New Zealand microlight aircraft are separated into two classes, basically single and two seat aircraft. All microlights are required to have a prescribed endurance testing period when they are first flown, and all microlights must have a minimum set of instrumentation to show airspeed (except powered parachutes), altitude and magnetic heading.
NZ Class 1 Single seat aircraft with a design gross weight of 544 kg (1,200 lb) (landplanes) or 579 kg (1,275 lb) (seaplanes or amphibians), or less, and a stall speed in the landing configuration of 45 knots or less. Requires aircraft registration, and annual condition inspections, but does not require a permit to fly.
NZ Class 2 Two seat aircraft with a design gross weight of 544 kg (landplanes) or 614 kg (seaplanes or amphibians), or less, and a stall speed of 45 knots or less in the landing configuration. Must meet minimum type acceptance standards which may be foreign standards which have been deemed acceptable, or via a temporary permit to fly and flight testing regime. Requires aircraft registration, annual condition inspections, and a current permit to fly.
Types of aircraft While ultralight-type planes date back to the early 1900s (such as the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle), there have been three generations of modern, fixed-wing ultralight aircraft designs, which are generally classed by the type of structure. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1056x660, 122 KB) A Quicksilver MXLII ultralight taxiing at the Angeles City Flying Club in the Philippines. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1056x660, 122 KB) A Quicksilver MXLII ultralight taxiing at the Angeles City Flying Club in the Philippines. ...
The first generation of modern ultralights were actually hang gliders with small engines added to them, for self-launching. The wings on these were braced by wires, and steered by shifting the pilot's weight under the wing. Hang gliding is one of the windsports. ...
The second generation ultralights began to arrive in the mid-1970s. These were designed as powered aircraft, but still used wire bracing and usually single-surface wings. Most of these have "2-Axis" control systems, operated by stick or yoke, which control the elevators (pitch) and the rudder (yaw) -- there are no ailerons, so may be no direct control of banking (roll). A few 2-Axis designs use spoilers on the top of the wings, and pedals for rudder control. Examples of 2-Axis ultralights are the "Pterodactyl" and the "Quicksilver MX". Spoiler could refer to Plot spoiling: a document, review, or comment which discloses plot details of a book, play, or film. ...
The third generation ultralights, arriving in the early 1980s, have strut-braced wings and airframe structure. Nearly all use 3-Axis control systems, as used on standard airplanes, and these are the most popular. Third generation designs include the "T-Bird," "Kolb" and "Challenger" families.
There are several types of aircraft which qualify as ultralights, but which do not have fixed-wing designs. These include:
- Weight shift - while the first generation ultralights were also controlled by weight shift, most of the current weight shift ultralights use a hang glider-style wing, below which is suspended a three wheeled pod which carries the engine and aviators. These aircraft are controlled by pushing against a horizontal bar in roughly the same way as a hang glider pilot flies. Trikes generally have impressive climb rates and are ideal for rough field operation, but are slower than other types of fixed-wing ultralights.
- Gyroplane - rotary wing with cart mounted engine (see autogyro), a gyrocopter is different from a helicopter in that the rotating wing is not powered, the engine provides forward thrust and the airflow through the rotary blades causes them to autorotate or "spin up" to create lift. Most of these use a design based on the Bensen Gyrocopter.
- Helicopter - there are a number of single-seat and two-place helicopters which fall under the microlight categories in countries such as New Zealand. However, few helicopter designs fall within the more restrictive ultralight category defined in the United States of America.
- Hot air balloon - there are numerous ultralight hot air balloons in the US, and several more have been built and flown in France and Australia in recent years. Some ultralight hot air balloons are hopper balloons, while others are regular hot air balloons that carry passengers in a basket.
A powered parachute with its wing stowed. ...
For other uses, see Scooter. ...
Skydiver about to land Parachuting, or skydiving, is a recreational activity, competitive sport and method of deployment of military personnel (and occasionally, firefighters). ...
Launch of a Powered Paraglider. ...
An autogyro is a type of rotorcraft invented by Juan de la Cierva in 1919, making its first successful flight on January 9, 1923 at Cuatro Vientos Airfield in Madrid, Spain. ...
Autorotation is the engineering term for the aerodynamics providing lift in a rotor-driven aircraft such as autogyro or helicopter. ...
An autogyro (only an autogiro when made by Cierva (see below)), sometimes called a gyroplane or Gyrocopter™, is an aircraft with an unpowered rotary wing, or rotor, that resembles a helicopter. ...
This article is about hot air balloons themselves. ...
A hopper balloon (or simply hopper) is a small, one-person hot air balloon. ...
Safety Historically, ultralights have had a poor safety reputation. Most of the early designs were fragile or unstable, and this resulted in a number of accidents. However, the reputation came largely from rumor and distrust of the new type of aircraft.[citation needed] Image File history File linksMetadata WikipediaHangmotor. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata WikipediaHangmotor. ...
Foot-Launched Powered Hang Glider. ...
As designs matured, pilot error was shown to be the cause of the vast majority of incidents involving ultralights. As a result, most countries now require an Ultralight Pilot's license/certificate, often regulated by one or more officially-delegated pilots' organizations. The United States does not have any such requirement, but pilots advise training for anyone interested in flying ultralights. For this purpose, the FAA permits instruction to be given in two-place versions of ultralights.
The build quality and airworthiness of ultralight aircraft (and homebuilt light-sport aircraft in the USA) now equals that of Certified light aircraft [citation needed]. Some types satisfy both sets of requirements and are available for registration to either Ultralight or Certified status. When registered as an ultralight (or Experimental), the pilot is permitted to do more of the simple maintenance tasks, resulting in a lower cost of operation, although this comes at the cost of restrictions such as avoiding densely populated urban areas, bad weather, or night. Many older pilots are willing to trade these operational restrictions for a lower drain on their retirement incomes, and as a result many ultralights are now flown by experienced General Aviation (GA) pilots or ex-commercial pilots. One other reason for this increase in acceptance is that any pilot is "only one medical away from being an ultralight pilot" -- a reference to the requirement that most other pilots must pass periodic physical examinations, but not to fly ultralights. A Rutan Long-EZ homebuilt in 1984 in England Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. ...
In generic use, an experimental aircraft is an aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in flight. ...
General aviation (abbr. ...
The future
 Weight Shift Ultralight ("Trike") Ultralight/microlight aircraft were once regarded as "flying clotheslines", since early aircraft were typically completely open, wire, tube and rag aircraft – these aircraft were seldom used for anything more than local area flying. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2054x1232, 643 KB) Summary Trike Flying in the Midwest (courtesy of www. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2054x1232, 643 KB) Summary Trike Flying in the Midwest (courtesy of www. ...
However, ultralights are rapidly transforming into high performance aircraft, capable of very respectable speed and range. In recent years there has been a dramatic rise in the number of General Aviation pilots flying high performance ultralights due to the cost benefits. General aviation (abbr. ...
These aircraft are now often referred to as recreational aircraft.
A rapidly growing area of the class is scale-replica "warbirds", such as the offerings from Titan Aircraft and Loehle Aircraft. Titan Aircraft is an aviation company specializing in kits for small, lightweight homebuilt aircraft. ...
Loehle Aircraft Corporation is an aviation company specializing in ultralight/light-sport aircraft kits. ...
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ultralight aircraft Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
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