A Song to Lift Your Spirits — Clever, Sleek, and Part 103-Capable from Future Vehicles

You know this airplane and you know this company, although a refresher might be in order.

You can be excused if this one slips you mind. The airplane in the nearby images was from years ago when you probably first saw it with an electric motor developed by Randall Fishman, one of the original pioneers in the electric aircraft space.

He was so far ahead of his time that a market for electric had yet to develop. When Randall flew his first battery-electric-powered trike 16 years ago at Oshkosh 2007, no one was using the terms “air taxi” or “multicopter.”

Electric Aircraft Corporation didn’t complete many sales but Randall’s developments were ground-breaking.

Now the handsome Song returns with a new producer, Future Vehicles. Earlier I wrote about the charming biplane Dingo, a modern-day follow-on to Hovey’s Whing Ding and worthy entry in the Part 103 space. Read more about Dingo in this article from July, 2023.

Sleek Song

“A cockpit with a perfect view and a focus on ergonomics, a rescue parachute system, and the joy of flying with the option to switch off the engine and soar on updrafts like in a glider, all in an aircraft that can qualify for Part 103,” said Future Vehicles.

Why did these two different sort of Part 103 entries (Song and Dingo) end up in the same company? “Song was designed by Ing. Marek Ivanov, the engineer who behind the Dingo aircraft.”

“Future Vehicles s.r.o. took over the production and sales of the aircraft at the end of 2021 based on an agreement with Gramex,” reported Future Vehicles.

Song is a single-seater, low-wing ultralight aircraft with a pusher engine and tricycle gear equipped with spring-loaded nose gear. The nose gear is steerable.

Song is designed according to the Czech regulation UL-2 and compliant with the requirements of the German regulation LTF-L for 120 kilogram aircraft (very similar to Part 103). This means it is eligible as for America’s Part 103 and Britain’s SSDR.

“Song is aerodynamically and structurally optimized and made of carbon composite materials, to minimize empty weight,” said Future Vehicles. “It has a distinctive twin-fuselage silhouette with the elevator located between the twin fins. The 11.2-meter (36.75 foot) wingspan wing is equipped with ailerons and air brakes.”

Song’s cockpit is fully enclosed with a plexiglass canopy with a ventilation window on the left side. The seat is equipped with a four-point safety harness and adjustable back seat.

The control stick is located in the center and the throttle and air brakes control levers on the left side. Ailerons are connected to the stick by push-pull rods, and both the elevator and rudder are controlled by cables. Rudders are interconnected by a push-pull rod. Rudder pedals have multiple positions and can be adjusted according to the pilot’s needs.

The 25-liter (6.6 gallon) fuel tank is located in the left wing, while the right wing provides a luggage compartment with access from the cabin. A slightly smaller tank will be required for Part 103 in the USA.

A significant advantage of Song is its minimal requirement for hangar space. “Thanks to a simple wing-to-fuselage connection system, known mainly from glider design, Song aircraft can be transported or stored disassembled and assembled for flight in less than 20 minutes,” reported Future Vehicles.

Song is delivered as “ready to fly,” meaning you just need to assemble it, and you’re ready to take off!

ARTICLE LINKS:

• Future Vehicles, contact info and more on this website, current supplier of Song and Dingo aircraft
• Electric Aircraft Corporation, Electraflyer ULS website, dated but functioning
• Song Airplane, original developer website
• Melody Aircraft, website for the Canada-based representative for Song Airplane
• Dave Loveman’s Light-Sport Aircraft Sport and Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel

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This video, ranking in our Top 50 (at 292,000 views) discusses the conventional, gasoline-powered Song aircraft.

Here’s the same Song aircraft but outfitted for electric propulsion by Randall Fishman, who is interviewed in this video that also passed 100,000 views.

And, with 29,000 views, here is a longer (better audio) interview with Randall Fishman of the electric Song, which he named ElectraFlyer ULS (for “Ultralight Specification”).