Alert: This article is dated and some links may no longer lead to the desired destination. —DJ 0121
Maybe you’ve heard: “You can’t build a three axis airplane that can safely remain under the 254-pound weight limit.”
Some allege: “You can’t buy a three axis Part 103 ultralight that actually meets the rule.”
I’ve said this many times… WRONG!
You have a few choices for Part 103 airplanes that perform well and they aren’t all trikes or powered parachutes (though several qualifying candidates do come from these segments). I’ll soon post fresh articles on the Kolb FireFly and Phantom X-1. Each can meet Part 103.
Now, we have what may be the first all-new Part 103 ultralight in many years. ZJ Viera was designed in Europe by Marek Ivanov, CEO of Interplane Aircraft (photo). At Sebring 2008, plenty of attendees spent time examining the two examples present; one was the original monowheel (which I tend to prefer) and a tri-gear variation.
FAA, “No Changes for Part 103 Ultralights”
If you fly a two-seat ultralight, I hope you’re aware of a big change just ahead: the January 31, 2008 deadline when you must transition such aircraft to Experimental LSA. Some have acted already. Many have not. FAA says that date is firm and will not change. *** But outgoing FAA Adminstrator Marion Blakey also said “No change to Part 103.” Called “Ultralight Vehicles” (not “aircraft”), this distinction now means something special. The Part 103 rule for single seaters rather quietly counted its 25th birthday in September 2007. This low-key event also celebrates aviation’s simplest rule — the entire FAR can be printed on a single sheet of paper!…and it is still alive and well. *** Examples like the Phantom ultralight have excellent flight characteristics and low prices. In late 2007, a Phantom X-1 kit is less than $15,000 and you can legally pay someone to build it for you.
Aircraft Sweepstakes Give Away Two LSA
Want to win a free Light-Sport Aircraft? You missed one chance but the other is still available. Organizations like EAA, AOPA, and Sporty’s have given away airplanes as incentives. Now, LSA have “arrived.” *** At the May 2008 Alaska Airmen event, CubCrafters supported the organizer’s fundraiser; a $50 ticket bought you a chance to win a $130,000 Sport Cub. This LSA was generously equipped and had a new red-over-white paint scheme (photo) plus the first pair of lightweight, Kevlar-reinforced, 26-inch tundra tires that are “perfect for Alaska pilots,” said CubCrafters VP Todd Simmons. *** The LSA you can still win is Sun ‘n Fun’s first-ever sweepstakes airplane: a Mountain Aircraft American Flyer, distributed nationally by Sportsplanes.com who donated the aircraft with support from others including Lockwood Aircraft Supply. The famous Florida airshow will announce the winner on opening day of their 2008 event (April 8-14).
Connie Amphib — “The Flying Float” (and it is!)
Check out Bobbie Bailey’s Connie Amphib.
Many pilots are aware of aircraft referred to as flying boats. Among ultralight aircraft, the Aventura, SeaRey and Buccaneer stand out as good examples as do trikes like Polaris’ Flying Inflatable Boat. The flying boat reference describes those aircraft built around a boat hull with substantially different structure than airplanes equipped with two floats.
That clear definition is blurred by the introduction of a novel new ultralight from the inventive mind of Bobbie Bailey. His new Connie amphibian is neither flying boat nor a float-equipped ultralight. My BRS associate, Gregg Ellsworth, tagged it a “flying float.” Works for me.
Canada’s Lotus Float company offers a single float setup that functions much the same way but is an add-on to a wheeled ultralight. This may make a perfectly fine floatplane, but you have to do the fitting yourself, and it simply won’t be as elegant as Bailey’s Connie amphib.
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