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 