Light Aircraft and Aviation Parts

Since my father-in-law took his Flying Flea by boat from the UK to Australia and then proceeded to fly it from Perth in Western Australia to Noosa, where we now live on the east coast, a distance of some 2250 miles, I have been fascinated by recreational flying.

You can read about his exploits on that marathon journey in his Flying Flea here

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, many people sought to fly affordably. As a result, many aviation authorities set up definitions of lightweight, slow-flying aeroplanes that could be subject to minimum regulation. The resulting aeroplanes are commonly called ultralight or microlight, although the weight and speed limits differ from country to country.

The safety regulations used to approve microlights vary between countries, the strictest being the United Kingdom,  while they are almost non-existent in the United States. The disparity between regulations is a barrier to international trade and overflight, as  these regulations are invariably  not internationally recognized.

In most affluent countries microlights or ultralights now account for a significant portion of the civil aircraft fleet. For instance in Canada the ultralight fleet makes up 18% of the total civil aircraft registered

The United States FAA's definition of an ultralight is significantly different from that in most other countries and can lead to some confusion. The governing regulation in the United States is FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles, which specifies a powered "ultralight" as a single seat vehicle of less than 5 US gallons (19 L) fuel capacity, empty weight of less than 254 pounds (115 kg), a top speed of 55 knots (102 km/h or 64 mph), and a maximum stall speed not exceeding 24 knots (45 km/h or 27.6 mph).

Restrictions include flying only during daylight hours and over unpopulated areas. Unpowered "ultralights" (hang gliders, paragliders, etc.) are limited to a weight of 155 lb (70 kg) with extra weight allowed for amphibious landing gear and ballistic parachute systems.

In 2004 the FAA introduced the "Light-sport aircraft" category, which resembles some other countries' microlight categories.

In the United States no license or training is required by law for ultralights, but training is highly advisable. For light-sport aircraft a sport pilot certificate is required.

Ultralight aviation is represented by the United States Ultralight Association (USUA), which represents the US portion of the sport to the world through its affiliation with the FAI.