A few sources confirmed $1,000 is a common fee. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying a check ride isn't worth that much; it's merely a bigger number than expected, although my young pilot friend still has to come up with that amount of dough. Whew!
When friends and family complain about grocery store prices or the cost of air travel, I shrug and say, "Tell me something that has not gone up by 50 or 100% in the last three years." No one loves the situation but those are economic facts. The cost of everything is up, a lot. Why would a Private check ride not be subject to the same market forces?
To finish an airplane in Spain for this year's show in Lakeland, the team must make sure everything is right, prepare TrueLite for shipment, cross the ocean, pass Customs, get it delivered locally, and finally get it checked out and ready for close examination at Sun 'n Fun. All that needs to happen in 10 weeks. I'm telling you after many years of reporting such developments — that will be a challenge.
Aviad owner and TrueLite designer Francesco Di Martino proceeded this rush of activity with more of his own. He relocated his production facility, established operations at the new quarters and has produced a TrueLite for American debut in his new facility (nearby images).
On a recent trip to Spain, Chip expressed, "I checked out Francesco's new long wing with slotted flaps installed on the TrueLite in Spain." He also noted the improved wing tip, saying, "Francesco is waiting on good flying weather for the test flights." After this last modification is proved, the plan is for that aircraft to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Sun 'n Fun.
"TrueLite has electric flaps operating twin teleflex cables," Chip added. "The control and flap indicator will be on the instrument panel. And, TrueLite's wings still fold in under two minutes by a single person!"
"Come see this cool ultralight at Sun 'n Fun this April," Chip urged!
"The engine is working great! …and I was able to reduce fuel consumption to 5 liters hour (about 1.25 gallons per hour) at a lower cruise speed but I can maintain the same 95-100 kilometers per hour (59-63 miles per hour) at same rpm as before with the shorter wing!
"I'm sure that once people test TrueLite, they'll love it. It's incredibly safe at any speed and with any flap angle. It practically eliminates the risk of accidental stall.
"Last, I put [TrueLite] on scales yesterday. It weighed 114 kilograms (251 pounds) so even a parachute is not required to stay legal [although adding the parachute adds no weight penalty].
"I'll take some time to write a blog post on my page and share all my thoughts (see Aviad link above)."
Article UPDATED 1/29/24 — See at bottom —DJ You may have experienced this but I just got sticker shock. A young pilot told me he is facing a $1,000 fee for his Private Pilot check ride. What?! I got my license so long ago I forgot how much I paid but, obviously… “A dollar doesn’t buy what it used to!” A few sources confirmed $1,000 is a common fee. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying a check ride isn’t worth that much; it’s merely a bigger number than expected, although my young pilot friend still has to come up with that amount of dough. Whew! When friends and family complain about grocery store prices or the cost of air travel, I shrug and say, “Tell me something that has not gone up by 50 or 100% in the last three years.” No one loves the situation but those are economic facts.
"TrueLite is a fresh new ultralight design with a very nice feature that the wing can be folded for transport in only two minutes. This feature is huge as hangars are not only difficult to find but very expensive." Any pilot seeking hangar space almost anywhere is aware Chip is right. "TrueLite owners can roll their aircraft up on a small custom trailer for transport to their home garage," Chip finished.
He identified that TrueLite's folding wings open up many possibilities like:
"To better meet the Part 103 parameters, Aeromarine has commissioned Aviad to build a longer wing with large slotted flaps incorporated. This new wing will also increase the endurance on our planned electric-powered version," Chip ventured.
"I am here working side-by-side with Francesco to make this first prototype wing. Francesco has completed the design in SolidWorks 3D software," Chip observed. "We are then cutting and bending and assembling the parts to assure perfect match-hole fit and finish. We have just completed the new flaps and now are preparing the wing and spar parts. In the next few days the wing will be assembled."
"Then we will install the new wings on the original TrueLite for a series of test flights. Once verified and proven, we will build a new airframe for the wing. This completely new TrueLite will be the first production model and will be shipped to Florida in time for flight demos and display at 
"In addition to our aircraft kits, we now offer fully assembled aircraft," he finished.
TrueLite can meet common European regulations such as Germany's 120-Kilo Class or UK's SSDR. Many European nations handle what they call ultralights (with gross weights about 1,000 pounds) via country-by-country regulation, where LSA types increasingly follow EU-wide EASA regulations.
In the USA, Florida-based Aeromarine-LSA will assemble TrueLites in their collaboration with Paul Mather's M-Squared operation in Alabama (
Here are unedited views of Francesco flying TrueLite, which is now preparing to enter production. NOTE the sound is natural. 
Beside importing aircraft to the USA and helping customers build them, Chip experimented with 
Zigolo Mg21 starts out with multiple versions, mainly differences in wings and wing controls.
Since beginning in 2007, Francesco has delivered more than 50 aircraft to 16 countries and the new model looks to be a solid upgrade from the Mg12.
Aviad's three variations address different national regulations. The short-wing version is currently being tested. That will work in Europe, but will be too fast in some countries, such as the USA. A longer wing version will follow — and may be appreciated by those searching for a modestly-priced motorglider. Finally, a longer-wing version with flaps is planned for the American market to fit properly in Part 103. All versions have a single wing strut and will lose much of the wire bracing that helped keep Mg12 so very light.
Mg21's central structure is a lower box beam running from an aerodynamically-shaped nose containing a digital instrument panel to a tubular empennage boom. In the center of the structure, two rectangular box-section beams support a fixed center wing section and the engine.
As nearby images show, this new Mg21 model has wings that can be folded "by one person in less than two minutes," according to a report in 
Flight testing is ongoing but stall speeds are estimated at 63 kilometers per hour or 34 knots for the short wing, 60 km/h (32 knots) for the long wing, and 52 km/h (28 knots) for the long wing with flap. Francesco will need to slow it another 4 knots to meet 
"For the USA market, I’m sure we can have a 55 knot cruise speed with climb at 800-900 feet per minute plus the easy-fold system (nearby photo), and a competitive price for an advanced [quick-build-type] kit. Due to very small pack size, we can use air shipment. I’m working with DHL to have worldwide fast shipment without the expensive container charges. I worked very hard to keep all measures inside the maximum permitted by DHL" Given numerous reports of container shipment costs rising by double, triple, or even more, air shipment might ironically turn out to be cheaper for such a cleverly-packaged product.
Francesco added, "I prefer Mg21 as a taildragger, but I'm studying a tricycle-gear version."
"All production will be managed internally from my workshop," observed Francesco. "We can fabricate all components."
"Accessories, engine, and instruments are included in the kit but will be shipped separately," said Francesco. "A customer will receive the airframe kit with all necessary to start the work, and a second shipment will bring the accessories.
Please keep in mind these prices are subject to change given supply problems affecting all industries. "In any case, I will state an offering price for each batch of airplanes because the prices change on all materials," said Francesco. A first batch of 10 kits will be offered at close to the prices mentioned above but 
I've also written about the $16,000 (or so) fully-built 
Let's jet down to Lima Peru and visit the project. Nearby images show the Zigolo going together and taking flight over Peru.
"Zigolo was built from a kit in only 15 days in the basement garage of the owner Marco Peter," said Chip. The finished aircraft was then transported to a small desert airstrip just south of Lima for the test flight.
"The mission was to finish the Zigolo build, test fly, and show Marco how to fly all in the short term of Nov 3 to 23, 2015. That's just 20 days less two Sunday afternoons off to watch the Packers," said Chip. He hails from Florida these days, but grew up in Wisconsin and those Packer loyalties run deep and last long. Even with time out for football, Chip reported, "This mission was accomplished with a day to spare."
First test flights were made by Chip with Marco making several flights in his new ultralight motorglider afterward but all in the short window of time. For another perspective on how Zigolo flies, 
The mission proved the Part 103-capable Zigolo can be built as quickly as advertised. What Chip didn't mention was the bargain price of the machine.
As we told you at its first U.S. appearance — see the second half of 
As the fun diminished the costs rose in proportion. One of the original ideas behind the whole LSA concept was affordability, but with some aircraft now priced up to $200,000 that particular principle seems to have been forgotten [though more modestly priced LSA do remain available]. Consequently, when Chip Erwin of 
It was the great Leonardo (da Vinci, not di Caprio) who observed that, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" — and this seemingly simple machine is indeed quite sophisticated. Looking rather like a 1950's Slingsby T.38 'Grasshopper' primary glider, it features a traditional tubular structure with the wings and tail surfaces covered with fabric. It is currently powered by a two-stroke single cylinder Vittorazi Moster 185 engine that produces 25 horsepower yet only weighs a very impressive 25 pounds, although Chip also told me that plans to produce an electric-powered version are well advanced.
Lightweight and fun, the Zigolo is also extremely competitively priced. As previously mentioned, the Almost-Ready-To-Fly version (which — it is claimed — can be assembled in an afternoon) is $16,000. The classic kit is only $14,500, with a claimed build time of about 100 hours. I flew it the week following the show, becoming only the second Zigolo pilot in the US of A in the process. While having a quick poke round it at Aeromarine LSA's South Lakeland base before taking it up for a quick flip, I couldn't help but notice that some of the engineering and materials were perhaps not quite of the high standard I've come to expect from Chip, but in his defense his primary agenda had been to fly an aircraft into the show — and he did. Production kits will use AN bolts, and the other minor snags I noticed will be addressed.
As you'd expect the instruments are an object display in minimalism, being a single LCD unit for rpm, CHT etc., plus a very simple ASI. Intriguingly the Zigolo is offered with a choice of whole aircraft recovery systems as standard — either a rocket-propelled BRS or the pneumatic Comelli system. The empty weight is 210 pounds and it's 18 feet long, with a wingspan of 36 feet 4 inches and a wing loading of 2.8 pounds per square foot. Zigolo stalls at 19 knots, cruises at 36 knots while burning 1.6 gallons per hour and has a Vne of 52 knots, while the minimum sink rate is 276 fpm and the best glide a claimed 11:1 Anyway, that's enough facts and figures — is this thing as much fun to fly as it looks? Absolutely! Having strapped it onto me (well, that's what it feels like) Chip gave the pull-start an energetic tug and the little motor burst into life. With Chip's parting words ringing in my ears — "no stalls, spins or high-speed stuff — we haven't had a chance to expand the envelope yet" — I resolved to keep everything right in the middle and just buzz around while getting a feel for the thing.
As I'd expected, as you have three wheels, no brakes and a fixed tailwheel (a castoring unit is in design) the trickiest part is taxiing. It requires a certain boldness, as the only way to do a 180 is stick full forward, squeeze the trigger (to blip the engine), full rudder and deftly pirouette while blipping the engine to keep the tail up! Oh, did I mention the throttle? It's a trigger on the stick. [As Dave mentioned above, instrumentation is similarly basic, for one, using the elegantly simple Hall Windspeed Meter that never needs a battery or any maintenance. Very simple aircraft like Zigolo do not need fancy glass cockpits to operate as a motorglider — ideally going aloft for engine shut down to exploring soaring flight, an act that will be even easier with an electric motor in the works. However, adding 
Once lined up I realized that there really isn't anything to either check, set or adjust, so simply squeeze the trigger and off I jolly well went. The acceleration is reasonably good, and got better once I lifted the tiny tailwheel off the ground. As it slid into the sky I immediately saw the attraction of this curious contraption. The forward field of view is exceptional, the aircraft feels surprisingly stable and it's just — well — fun! As I know this is the sole Zigolo in the country and it has only a few hours on it I content myself with buzzing up and down the runway for Jim Lawrence's camera and making lots of take offs and landings. It's a real hoot, and I'd love to fly the electric version on a gentle summer's evening and spend a lazy hour simply floating about as the last of the day's thermals waft out of a warm wood. One of my favorite maxims is "never fly over anything you can't glide clear of" — and having an electric motor would definitely be nice, as with a best L/D of only 11:1 Zigolo won't glide too far.
Of course, all SSDRs have their limitations. Quite obviously, any wind much more than a gentle zephyr would make flying it most disagreeable. However, if you want a simple, affordable machine whose primary purpose is to simply allow people to experience the joy of flight then this could be just the thing. So can the Zigolo make sport flying truly affordable? I hope so. As the late but not overly lamented Spice Girls might have put it, I really, really, really want to zig-a-zig Zigolo!
