The Czech Republic featured in the last few SPLOGs may not be well known to Americans, but Ukraine seems yet another world away. Indeed, our jetliner flew almost two hours further east to Odessa and then we took a three-hour car ride to Kherson, home to the primary production facility for German-owned Flight Design. *** The experience of touring their facility was dramatically different than CZAW or Evektor as Flight Designs works almost exclusively with carbon fiber. Now in its second decade of production CT is America’s best-selling LSA and its factory has grown accordingly. More than 500 Ukrainian employees — engineers, designers, managers, technicians, and factory employees — toil in a sprawling facility not far from the Black Sea. Senior management is German but the entire facility is run by local talent. Interestingly, staff meetings are held in English.
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Flight Design CT2K
A Bold Yet Efficient Euro-Designed Light-Sport Aircraft
Flightstar imports the CT2K in anticipation of the light-sport aircraft rule.
As FAA’s proposed light-sport aircraft
rule looms ever closer, one
of the first aircraft that will likely
fit the field and be recognized by American
pilots is Germany’s CT. For the U.S.
market, and with a nod to the new millennium,
producer Flight Designs has
renamed the model as the CT2K.
“CT” stands for Composite Twoseater.
It is certainly not alone in being
“white, glass, and built overseas,” a
theme that emerged at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2002. But the design was a
leader in the move from tube-and-rag
ultralights to the modern microlights of
Europe. And it distinguishes itself in a
number of ways that we’ll explore in
this review.
My experiences flying the CT on two
occasions were both with Europeanbased
check pilots. The most recent
opportunity was with Allistair Wilson,
formerly a major with the Royal Irish
Regiment in Northern Ireland.
Flight Design Surveys Sport Pilots; Offers Prizes
I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day holiday. Over this long weekend Randee and I headed to Boston for the EAA Sport Pilot Tour on Sept. 9th. At that event, visitors can complete a survey. Not only is it a chance to tell the leading seller of LSA what type of aircraft you want, but you can win some handsome prizes. Winners will be randomly chosen from those who participate in the survey. Your odds are very good to win First Prize which is a Garmin 396 worth $2,395. Second prize is a King Schools Sport Pilot Training Course and third prize is a Composiclean composite aircraft cleaning supply set. Taking the survey costs you nothing and you don’t have to go to Boston. Just click here and complete 9 multiple choice questions. (You can also add a comment.) *** But, you must act soon.
First Searey Amphib Flight School & Design News
It’s summertime and the flying is easy … especially when it’s on the water. That’s fine for everybody who is already qualified. What if you’re new to seaplanes (or LSA in general)? How could you obtain instruction if you want to buy a new Searey? Training is optimal when done in a very similar airplane if not the same exact model you have in mind. Insurance companies may require aircraft-specific preparation. “With the addition of a [factory-built] Searey to its fleet, Chesapeake Sport Pilot flight school has become the first flight school in the world to offer flight training on the popular amphibious light sport seaplane,” said spokesperson Helen Woods of the Stevensville, Maryland company. Chesapeake also teaches in other LSA models. Chief Flight Instructor Woods reports 300 Seareys flying in the U.S. and over 500 flying world wide. “Until now, it was often difficult to obtain quality training to fly a Searey,” said Helen, “since a pilot had to own his own Searey before receiving training.” Chesapeake supplies a Searey as part of their training course.
Flight Review: Riding the Shark!
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is a wise old saw, and my initial impressions of the Shark were all very positive. Some aircraft look like they’re moving even when they’re standing still, and the Shark definitely falls into this category. From the tip of the sharp-looking spinner to the top of the swept-back fin, it’s easily the sexiest-looking microlight I’ve ever seen. Indeed, my first thought is that it looks rather like a scaled-down PC-21.
Walking around the aircraft, I note that the 100-hp Rotax 912S is very tightly cowled, and that access to the engine bay is adequate, but not outstanding, as quite a lot of Camloc fasteners need to be undone to remove the entire cowling for a full engine inspection. There’s a large electrically actuated NACA scoop in the bottom half which supplies air to the oil cooler and radiator, and small intakes in the top half on both sides of the spinner for cooling the cylinders.
Able Flight’s Noble Mission — Hand Controls Help More Pilots Enjoy Light-Sport Aircraft
What if you had a powerful interest in flying but you needed special equipment? I don’t mean flat-screen avionics, powerful engines, or comfortable seats — though all those are indeed fun.
Instead, I refer to people who want to fly but may have challenges many of us don’t face. If you had a passion for flight but you had lost the use of your legs, must you just give up?
Not if Charles Stites and Able Flight have anything to do with it. Of course, personal determination is also required.
Enabling Flight
Charles founded Able Flight in 2006 with a believe that, “the life-changing experience of learning to fly is best shared.” He carefully designed the Able Flight Scholarships to enable people with disabilities to pursue that experience and he’s been nothing short of amazing in his success at this. Over 18 years of operation, Able Flight has awarded 130 scholarships minting 98 new pilots.
Flight Review: The Sleek Sting S4
“Look at that groundspeed!” I exclaimed, pointing at the Garmin EFIS. “Our TAS is nearly 125 knots, which means we’ve got a 60 knot headwind straight on the spinner!” “Can you imagine being up here in a traditional microlight?” asked the Sting’s owner, John Palmer. “No, because not only would I be scared out of my mind at the prospect of having to land, but right now we’d practically be going backwards!” I said.
I’ve written before about just how capable and potent the new breed of light sport microlights is, and several of the aircraft I’ve tested recently are not only comparable to traditional GA types, but are demonstrably superior. An excellent representative of this new breed of speedy sport planes is the Sting S4, from Czech airframer TL Ultralights.
As I wait at Saltby for John to arrive in the Sting, I’m aware that it’s extremely windy, and that if I’d told someone that I was planning on flying a microlight in such conditions, they’d probably think I was mad—or suicidal.
News Wrap — A60 Junkers Takes Maiden Flight, Icon Launches Higher, Rotax Record Year
As the end of the year approaches and as excitement builds for 2024, I have some news items of interest to the light aircraft community.
Right before Christmas, read about the maiden flight of Junkers side-by-side A60, a year-end recap provided by Icon Aircraft, and year highlights from leading engine producer Rotax Aircraft Engines. Let’s get started…
Junkers A60 Flies!
Earlier this year, Junkers garnered lots of attention with their highly distinctive A50 Junior, an LSA with tandem seating and a look you won’t forget. Not everyone loves tandem, though, so here comes A6o, the side-by-side sibling of Junior.
We saw Junkers Aircraft‘s’ A50 Junior at Sun ‘n Fun 2023, where it made a splashy debut and flew for the first time in front of American pilots off the grass strip in Paradise City (the airshow within an airshow at Sun ‘n Fun). While most who examined it closely admired the detailed workmanship that went into it, not everyone desires tandem seating.
Vickers Aircraft Claims a “World First” as their Wave LSA Seaplane Completes Flight Testing
“Vickers has achieved what others only dream about… a ‘World-First’,” the New Zealand LSA seaplane developer announced. The southern hemisphere company was reporting on the completion of their flight testing program.
“Wave performed exceptionally well, so well in fact that we believe we may have achieved a world-first, a 100% score, passing all criteria and requiring zero changes,” stated company CEO Paul Vickers. He suggested this achievement shows the prototype “is perfect and can enter production,” adding that fabrication of first components is underway.
Although in development for more than a decade, Vickers has indicated all along that their care in design would lead to a quickly approved product that could enter production quickly. The company appears to be reaching this goal.
Test Pilot Report
“In conducting our Flight Test Plan on the Vickers Wave proof of concept, an evaluation was made of the plane’s adherence to ASTM Light-Sport Aircraft industry consensus standards as accepted by FAA,” reported flight test pilot, L.
Super-Efficient Electric Flight — Ego Trike with ATOS Wing Shows How E-Propulsion Works Today!
From dawn to dusk, we hear how electric propulsion is going to save the Earth. Whatever your belief about the hazards of fossil fuel, electric propulsion is coming. When is another matter.
Air taxi ventures based on multicopter designs are drinking up funds by the tens or hundreds millions of dollars, probably billions by now. I don’t have a shred of doubt that these will lead to genuine changes in transportation… but I would not hold my breath until such services become common. I suspect it will be many years yet.
However, today, electric propulsion for ultralight aircraft works quite well, especially when it serves a purpose. For soaring pilots, power is about getting to altitude where they can explore ridge, thermal, or wave lift. Those who love such flying, like me, seek out the best machine that might deliver that capability. Ultralight Design’s Ego trike can.
High-Tech Composite
Anyone who knows hang glider wings will admire both the construction and substantially higher performance of what’s called a rigid wing — more common hang gliders are called flex wings.
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