Pilots around the world are aware of Part 103 Ultralights but many have a blurry view of the industry that produces these aircraft. Most are unaware how well this often-overlooked segment is doing in recent years, even during Covid 2020.
FAA refers to these lightweight flying machines as “ultralight vehicles,” a term that creative rulewriters adopted in the early 1980s to avoid heavy regulations typical for “aircraft.” This wording helped the young industry grow and develop. It worked so well the regulation has not been altered for decades.
Aerolite 103 — great artwork from talented Rich Jennings.
Even ultralight enthusiasts in America and other countries may not be fully aware how popular ultralights have become in recent years. When Light-Sport Aircraft came on the scene in 2004 they knocked out the ultralight two-seater training fleet. Many believe ultralights never recovered.
How wrong they were, yet who can blame them because no one truly knows how many ultralights are being built and sold these days. That’s about to change!
Calling All Ultralights!
With this blog post on ByDanJohnson.com, I am putting out a call to identify all active manufacturers of ultralight vehicles. Below you will see a list that I’ve identified. I’m sure I missed some.
Kolb‘s hot-selling Fireflycan also be mounted on floats.
If you know of an aircraft or manufacturer not appearing on the list below, please identify it in the comments below.
Do not send email. Why? Because using the comment section may stimulate others to report an aircraft I haven’t listed below.
Before you inform all of us… see the four-point checklist below. While I’m intrigued by earlier aircraft that could qualify (like these in our Vintage Ultralight series of articles), I will limit the Part 103 List to aircraft you can buy new today. I’m interested in aircraft from anywhere in the world, but all must comply with U.S. Part 103 parameters.
The CGS Hawk line got a breath of fresh air in 2020 with the entry of Joseph Shirley’s Hawk production.
Non-U.S. Readers… With one-third of all readers of ByDanJohnson.com residing outside the United States, I expect some additional entries originating in another country. They are welcome for the Part 103 List whether represented in America or not, but please only submit entries that genuinely qualify for Part 103 in the USA. Do so using the comment section; do not send email. Entries qualifying for Germany’s 120-Kilo Class and UK’s Sub-70 Class will be accepted. Others will be evaluated individually.
Counting the Fleet
In addition to this announcement, I will be writing to all producers. My request is simple: How many units did you deliver to customers in 2019 and 2020? In the interest of simplicity and accuracy, I will only ask for data on the last two calendar years.
The most-delivered ultralight ever is Quicksilver, now supplied by Air-Tech. In addition, a customized version called Smithsilver is supported by Tri-State Kites.
As most readers know, we built a very accurate system to count all FAA-registered Light-Sport Aircraft, Experimental kits that Sport Pilots can fly (“Sport Pilot Kits”), and modern gyroplanes, most of which are registered as Experimental. You can check every single aircraft in lists, charts, and graphs on Tableau Public.
However, because FAA does not require registration for ultralight vehicles — a good thing, many believe — we cannot use their database to count ultralights in the fleet. The only option is to go direct to each company and ask for information.
North Wing sells Part 103 ultralights and also makes wings for many other trike manufacturers.
You may ask, “Well, can’t the manufacturer just lie about his unit deliveries, since you have no way to verify their claims?” Right you are. Yet I know this industry rather intimately and believe I can detect gross exaggerations. If I keep asking year after year, I will get additional information that should help cull most errors.
This is important — Because many producers sell small numbers, they may not want to share their info publicly. I will respect that. To assure builders willing to provide their delivery numbers, I will not report them by company.
Aero Adventure sells a UL version of their popular two-seat Aventura II. Prices are modest and its history is long.
In tech terms, I will anonymize manufacturer data in reporting results. I will present these numbers in ways I believe readers will find useful as they consider purchase of a 103 ultralight.
Later, perhaps I can reveal which companies are the most successful but to encourage early responses, I will protect the data with my reputation. I will not share confidential information.
How Can Ultralights Qualify
for the Part 103 List?
Here is the criteria I established to make sure this list has value to pilots and future buyers.
Although it is a long time coming to market, Just Aircraft’s 103 Solo created lots of interest.
1️⃣ Current production aircraft only. I do not want to include any ultralight that is no longer produced. Examples are: American Eagle, Easy Riser, Pterodactyl, and so on. If it isn’t made today, I will not include it. Later, I may include some older models as they can still be found for sale but for now, I prefer to keep it simple, reliable, and useful.
2️⃣ The aircraft must be able to make Part 103 according to Advisory Circular AC-103-7. I don’t object to a company selling Part 103-like aircraft that a buyer may register in Experimental class. However, the company must offer at least one currently-produced model that genuinely complies with Part 103 parameters. I will accept aircraft delivered either fully-built or as a kit but only if it can legitimately meet Part 103. Aircraft entries that comply with Germany’s 120-Kilo Class and UK’s Sub-70 Class will be accepted.
Six Chuter makes a Part 103 powered parachute called P3 Lite.
3️⃣ For now, I will collect info only on powered, wheeled aircraft in fixed wing, weight shift trike, powered parachute, gyroplane, or motorglider configurations. While I personally love hang gliders, foot launched powered paragliders, and unpowered gliders/sailplanes, I will not include them in this initial effort (maybe later?). A powered paraglider with wheeled carriage is acceptable.
4️⃣ I will not accept one-off, custom designs or aircraft still in an early development phase. I only want aircraft that a customer can buy for delivery within a reasonable time. At this time, neither will I include any multicopter designs, such as Kitty Hawk’s Flyer or others as they have not entered the market.
List of Ultralight Producers
The Part 103 List
This list is not in any particular order. Please attach no significance to the position in the list. An American flag after the aircraft signifies both the origin of the design and the location of its manufacture is the United States. This is just for illustration and carries no particular meaning. Articles about most planes in the list below can be found on this website; use the Search bar at the top.
As the the Part 103 List develops, I will add web addresses and email addresses for all companies plus links to all articles on this website about that aircraft or company. For now, we begin with this draft list …to be expanded with reader input:
- U-Fly-It Aerolite 103 ??
- Kolb Firefly ??
- Quicksilver Sprint / Sport ??
- Better Half VW Legal Eagle ??
- Aeromarine-LSA Merlin Lite
- Aeromarine-LSA Zigolo
- Badland Aircraft F-series ?? formerly Kitfox Lite
- Just Aircraft 103 Solo (in development) ??
- Hummel Aviation UltraCruiser ??
- TEAM MiniMax, multiple models ??
- Fisher Flying Products, multiple models
- Aero Adventure Aventura UL ?? formerly Buccaneer
- JH Aircraft Corsair
- SD Planes SD-1
- AVI/Modern Wings Swan 120
- Quad City Ultralight Challenger 103 ??
- CGS Hawk 103, Ultra ??
- Phantom Classic (X-1) ??
- Innovator Technologies Mosquito Helicopter
- M-Squared Breeze SS ??
- Ekolot Elf KR-01A
- Earthstar Gull 2000, Soaring Gull ??
- Carlson Sparrow (market reentry underway) ??
- Sherwood Kub
- Eurofly Minifox
- Lazair Nouveau
- Thunderbird SNS-8 Hiperlight ??
- Airsport Song UL, Song SSDR
- North Wing ATF, Solairus, Maverick ??
- Evolution Rev ??
- Fly Hard Trikes Skycycle ??
- Air Creation Pixel
- AirBorne Australia T-Lite
- Airtime Aircraft Explorer 103 ??
- Infinity PPC Challenger ??
- Six Chuter P3 Lite ??
- Fusioncopter Nano gyroplane
- Star LSA Star Bee Gyro ??
- Blackhawk LowBoy III, Quad ??
All art items in this article were created by Rich Jennings.
Please remember… if you know of another aircraft that should be included, please tell me (and everyone) using the comment system. I will approve uploaded comments as quickly as time allows. THANKS!
How about the plans-built Affordaplane from Dave Edwards, which is what I in the process of building right now.
It’s already on the Part 103 List.
Freebird 103 in AU
Thanks, Brad. 👍🏻 I will reach out to them.
The Flitplane and Phoenix103 are manufactured by Wings of Freedom LLC.
Look I know attorneys who work closely with the FAA and I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that (I’m paraphrasing here) “there is 0% chance that any changes made to 103 are going to result in more freedom than we have right now.” There is no scenario short of a Presidential directive where we come out the other end of a change with what we have now plus something more. The terms “don’t poke a sleeping bear” and “never kick a bee hive” seem especially relevant here.
If you want more weight or exceptions for batteries or whatever else then for all our sakes please petition them to make a new classification. Ask that they model it after 103 as much as possible but please don’t even mention changing what we have now.
You are confirming what I already have written in articles numerous times: LAMA will ask for no Part 103 change as it cannot get better without risking losing its great freedoms. Your suggestion about a petition is better, but given what FAA has gone through to create their new LSA regulation, I doubt they are open for any new regulation at this time.
Hi Dan, Kolb Aircraft is again selling plans for their Ultrastar, the predecessor to the Firefly, so that should be on your list.
Also many if not most paramotor manufacturers offer a trike option.
Dan: The old Beaver RX550 which is not 103, and the Beaver SS which will be Part 103 (I think) have been purchased and are going back into production (as their website says in 2020).
Dan, I’ve just come across a Part 103 gyroplane, see https://www.gyro103.com/
It uses the Polini Thor engine like so many others do. Production started last June.
Hi Steve: This one is on the list (#37). You found their U.S. dealer website, which shows U.S. representation is already in place. When all entries are added to the final Part 103 List, it will show about 50 producers and I’m guessing that’s quite a few more than most pilots believed were available.
Maybe the Air-Bike103
http://www.jordanlakeaero.com
Great! I was not aware of this supplier.
If you should have some ultralight aircraft to sell and if you should have the contacts of Valdir Lacerda in Sao Paulo area this could really give me a great pleasure.
Aldo
Aldo: ByDanJohnson.com reports on ultralight aircraft. We do not sell aircraft. Please use Search this website (top right) to contact any company that interests you.
I’ve run across a couple of formerly defunct designs that may (similar to the Carlson Sparrow’s situation) no longer be out of production. It looks like maybe the Mitchell Wing is available again on a made-to-order basis. Also the Sadler Vampire is currently offered by Wedgetail Aircraft Australia, although I cannot say for sure if their variant can make Part 103.
Mitchell Wing’s current owners: http://www.mitchellwings.com
Wedgetail Aircraft Australia: http://www.wedgetailaircraft.com.au
Hello Dan,
My new project is Quantum 103. Our prototype has a total flight time of 50h and we are having great feedbacks from all pilots. Quantum’s flight is identical to that of an LSA as it is all aluminum (its wings are from our LSA HERO) has speeds over 60kt and currently uses the Polini Thor 250DS.
We are currently working the prototype with 114kg and new Polini Thor 202 to fit the 103 North American needing to fly with him soon and we will maintain the same flying qualities! I’ll send you more information by emai, OK!?
https://youtu.be/iLdKDfNEZXw
By all means, Andrè, tell me when the aircraft enters production and I will very happily add it to the Part 103 List! Until then, send some photos and facts so I can write about it. If you are 50 flying hours into the project, it is close enough for me to do an article.
The SD-1 appears to be too heavy & fast to be 103 legal, isn’t it?
Agreed. It does appear to be too fast, although regarding weight the factory shows one version at 258 pounds, which is close and it may comply when installing the optional parachute. I will inquire with their U.S. representative to see if a Part 103 version is possible. If not, it will not be on the Part 103 list. My four criteria dictate who gets on and who does not.
Dan, I’m so glad to see you doing this, though it’s a huge effort. Here in Northern Virginia, ultralights are the growth area.
For your list, here’s a niche product, a PPG trike with simplified controls:
– The SkyKart
– Designed by PPG trike pioneer Eric Dufour
– See https://www.skydriving.us/
– Grant, FL
When I asked people at the PPG schools about training specifically for PPG trikes, they all said I should talk to Eric Dufour.
Hi Dan, Great effort on your part on behalf of the “103” community. Thanks!
Your comments on the future for 103 flyers, specifically, easing the max weight to allow for an empty weight up to 300 lbs to allow for higher hp engines including 4 stroke. Many existing closed cabin planes flying today under Part 103 are borderline in the 254 to 320 pound category, yet operate in compliance with all other parameters of 103.
More importantly, the elimination of two-seat ultralight vehicles has had a severe impact on safety in that it eliminated much of available training. I would much rather see a 10 hour training requirement added to part 103, along with the dual seat trainers in the name of safety. The simple fact that no license is required encourages many to attempt flight without any training or orientation , or knowledge of how a plane flies.
Hopefully, someone or some group will take iup the cause! What about you?
John W. Couvillon
Baton Rouge, LA
As I have written and said repeatedly, asking FAA to make even a single change to Part 103 will open it up to the regulatory standards of 2020. Whatever comes out the other side may answer some wishes but will come with burdens that I believe most 103 pilots would not prefer. We have had unofficial talks with more FAA people than I can remember, and every single one has said, essentially, “Don’t do it!“ Note that these are 103-friendly FAA people. Not only that, it is entirely possible that after submitting such a petition, it might be denied anyway.
Understood!!.
Thanks for the info, that answers some questions.
Invisibility our friend is. — Yoda
I am a proponent of a weight increase for part 103 aircraft!
You are not alone in this request, but are you also a proponent for a higher level of regulation for Part 103 ultralights? That is highly likely if FAA were ever to reexamine this regulation. I think most would find the exchange not worthwhile. As you can see from the list, you have many choices for Part 103 suppliers.
Dan: Thanks for this effort. The part 103 space is sort of like the wild west, I’m never sure who is still out there manufacturing equipment (read vehicles) and I do so want to get into this market. So bravo on creating this list, I look forward to digesting it at length. It would be nice if the manufacturers also included a web site/email address so that we can contact them for sales and interest.
The article got a bit long so perhaps you missed it, but I already said that when I publish it I will include website and email addresses. I may add other features to make it more user-friendly. I may also expand its reach to other very similar aircraft that don’t quite make Part 103, but we’ll see about that part. I’m glad you appreciate the effort.
http://www.grifitalia.com/Nanotrike?_route_=Nanotrike
Grif Italia produces the Strike-T (titanium) and S (Steel) nanotrikes and dedicates wings. It distributes Piuma and Snake nanotrikes also (made in Italy by Piuma trike and Eurofly)
https://www.aviad.eu/kit-zigolo-mg12
Aviad produces the Zigolo mg12 motor glider
I already had the Zigolo under its American partner, Aeromarine-LSA. However, thanks for the new additions. I will investigate.
It would really be helpful if you would put where these Part 103 manufacturers are located so we could go visit our closest one.
When the list is completed, I will offer web addresses and email addresses, which have such info. I will consider some other location information but I want to keep it lean.
Aeros Nano Trike (ANT)
Flylight Airsports PeaBee
ACE Aviation trikes
Grif Italia
Eurofly Snake
Thanks for the referrals. I will investigate.
Both the Eurofly Minifox and Snake are 103 compliant. Their current US dealer is Airplay Aircraft
Great article. Glad to see the ultralight industry on the rise. I was involved with Sabre trikes back before LSA and Sport Pilot came in and Sabre was one of the casualties.
DFE Ultralights ~ Dave Froble (formally Pterodactyl Ltd.)
Thanks for the referral. I will investigate.
Don’t forget to add our Flylight dragonfly and Peabee light trikes.
Also the Aeros ANT (available with lots of their wings on top) and both IC and electric versions, and Air Creation Pixel (Racer no longer made). And the Ace Aviation trike range.
Thanks for the referrals. I will investigate but I will update the Racer > Pixel now.
Is James Wiebe back in production of the Chipper SS? What about the Zing and Cloudster from Simplex Aero?
James is not ready yet but I will certainly include him when the project is complete (so long as it continues to meet my four criteria). I got a separate message regarding Zing and Cloudster and will investigate them as well.
That is a Kolb Firefly On floats Pictured, Not a Firestar… 🙂
Of course, you are right. The whole article was about aircraft like Firefly, not Firestar. I’ve written both so many times I simply overlooked the error. Thanks for your close eye!
No problem Dan! Keep up the good work!
Raceair Skylite plans and soon to be kits offered by Cloudbase Aviation a division of Cloudbase Engineering LLC
http://www.cloudbaseaviation.com
I am in the process of kitting the Skylite and plans for Lil Bitts after. I have about half of the Skylite in Solidworks now and plan to start building this winter and will release sub kits as I develop them while working toward a full kit. Building in Los Angeles CA at KWHP
Super, Marc. Please tell me when you enter production with any aircraft that makes Part 103.
Thank you Dan,
If you decide to add a category for plans built than someone could build a fully part 103 compliant Skylite now from plans. The skylite meets Part 103 with a Rotax 277 and with a Polini Thor 250 it will make it easily with a modern technology and more reliable powerplant. It would have made it with a Verner V3 as well, but due to them stopping production I am no longer heading in that direction sadly.
Take care,
Marc
Hi Dan glad to know ul aviation on rise. Ill pass your article to others. Love Rich’s artwork! Best wishes Jiff
An excellent initiative.
Airport Song. I learned about it back when Randall Fishman converted one to electric, a neat project that I remember you having covered.
https://www.songairplane.com/song/
Thanks, Bernardo. It was added to the draft list.
You’re welcome! This is a great initiative; Thank you for doing this!
Another one for you: The Jetson One is taking orders, and is supposed to start delivering in a few months. The first five order slots (about eight months of production) are taken.
I’m curious to see if Part 103 multicopters really become a thing. They have tons of potential but also potential for mis-use, so hopefully the FAA won’t regulate them out of existence.
https://www.facebook.com/mondogranturismo/videos/660886981265258/
Star bee gyros
Although I do not know this brand, it appears to fit Part 103 so I will add and research further to assure it can comply.