ItIsWhatItIs
Banned
Perhaps I am wrong or not in certain areas. If homebuilt planes requires a different license than the ultralight, all the more reason to get the private pilot license and forget the ultralight license.
Ultralight Flying
- Thread starter VifferFun
- Start date
Perhaps I am wrong or not in certain areas. If homebuilt planes requires a different license than the ultralight, all the more reason to get the private pilot license and forget the ultralight license.
rmemedic
Well-known member
No special license.
I can't totally recall the exact weight for full gross weight, but that's pretty darn close to what it is.
If you build a plane, and it fits in the definition of an ultralight, it's still an ultralight and all you need is the ultralight permit...
If you build a plane and it exceeds the definition of an ultralight in either stall speed or gross weight, then you need a private pilot's license.
Maybe you're getting mixed up in the classifications of planes? You can build a home build and have it classified as experimental, or have it certified and that all depends on inspections during the build process and also with what you use as a power plant.
You can throw in an old Corvair motor in to something like an RV-3 but it would never be possible to have it certified unless it has an actual aircraft engine in it, and then the engine has to follow it's hourly scheduled checks to stay certified and an annual inspection.
suprPHREAK
Well-known member
Yes, all UL/AUL aircraft must bear a sign which says "this plane is flying without a certificate of airworthyness" or something to that effect.
ps: good luck on heli! Its HELLA expensive! Hence, I am still grounded.
suprPHREAK
Well-known member
Yes it is. Advanced Ultralight must have an all-up weight of less than 1350lbs, and stall speed of no higher than 40mph.
rmemedic
Well-known member
ugh, I knew I was close on my numbers... I remember 1x50 lbs, but wasn't sure of 1250 or 1350... Thought 45 was right, but it's been 14 years since I did my ground school and I haven't flown in a few years due to other interests... I figure once I'm too old to play in the dirt then I'll fly again.
ItIsWhatItIs
Banned
http://www.zenithair.com/
Anyone with a serious interest in flying will look at these planes. Specs reveal an ultralight license will suffice. However, as I have said your flying is limited such as flying at night and carrying passengers. Getting one of these planes and having a private pilot license would be the most sensible. These planes don't require maintenance logs and annual inspections. Perhaps there are limits to what you can fly over with these planes.
RobVN
Well-known member
Interesting thread. I was very interested in getting my ultralight license about 4-5 years ago. There was a guy who set up a school at the Niagara District Airport. I took the ground school and went up for a FAM flight but didn't continue. Decided to do the sportbike thing. The really interesting thing about his school was the aircraft he used. Here is a link;
http://www.tecnam.com/en-gb/aircrafts/ultralight/p2002-sierra-rg.aspx
What a nice plane. They are imported from Italy and when they come here they can either be registered as an ultralight or you can register them as a certified aircraft. The performance is incredible. At the time they were selling new for about $110,000 with avionics. The bike was a less expensive option to fly at that time. Lol. Maybe someday I'll try it again.
http://www.tecnam.com/en-gb/aircrafts/ultralight/p2002-sierra-rg.aspx
What a nice plane. They are imported from Italy and when they come here they can either be registered as an ultralight or you can register them as a certified aircraft. The performance is incredible. At the time they were selling new for about $110,000 with avionics. The bike was a less expensive option to fly at that time. Lol. Maybe someday I'll try it again.
rmemedic
Well-known member
If you read my posts, not only did I throw out the name of this company, but also mentioned I did my training in a 701.
It doesn't matter what license you have, you are limited by the plane. So if all you want to do is get up, go for "burger flights" or some smaller cross country stuff, then all you need is the U/L license, and if you want to take a passenger then you just need that extra bit to get the passenger rating... Still way less than the PPL but this way you're getting your monies worth.
The 701 I flew in was built by the instructor himself, but there are lots of used ones out there. However, if you take a look at the zodiac series (like the 601) and compare it to the Sonex you'll see what is the better plane for the $, especially since there have been design issues pop up with the zodiac and far less with the Sonex.
These planes will be VFR only, which is all you're capable of as a U/L license holder. The fact that you're not doing annual inspections means it's not certified. Non-certified means VFR flight ONLY, no matter what license you hold. You're limited to a ceiling of I believe 10,000 unless you have an oxygen breathing system on board. I can't remember the distance you must keep from cloud/weather cover anymore but that also limits you. You can fly over water as long as you have the required safety gear on board... But that extra gear could put you over your gross weight.
Here's the Sonex website:
There are a few models, but I'd be going for the clipped wing tail drager simply for aerobatic performance. Just saw they recently added a new model, the one-x, would be a really sweet, fast, agile little plane you can trailer to the field, only drawback is it's a single seater and flying is something that is better shared!
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Do the ULs have a two way radio and a transponder? Are you guys limited to the airspace in which you can fly in to with that license?
rmemedic
Well-known member
U/Ls are "grass roots" and do not require radios/transponders. They are limited to what class of airspace you can enter, but I think I read they recently got approved for another class of airspace but I'm too out of the loop to remember it all.
The grass field I learned to fly out of had no tower or permanent radio, so people just used visuals for organizing who was landing or taking off, that's the purpose of the circuit.
The grass field I learned to fly out of had no tower or permanent radio, so people just used visuals for organizing who was landing or taking off, that's the purpose of the circuit.
I don't take claim to the data or descriptions that I included below, but I geocoded a map of the airports/strips in Ontario by their status and you can see it here:
http://batchgeo.com/map/5885c0f2cf38d852bdf84fc737c26342
AERODROME STATUS
Certified (Cert)
An aerodrome for which an airport certificate is issued, requiring the operator to maintain and operate the site in accordance with applicable Transport Canada standards. Regular inspections are conducted by Transport Canada to confirm compliance.
Registered (Reg)
An aerodrome listed in the Supplement which is not certified as an airport. Registered aerodromes are not subject to an ongoing inspection program. Pilots intending to use these aerodromes should obtain current information from the owner/operator.
Military (Mil)
An aerodrome that is owned and operated by DND and is not certified or inspected by Transport Canada. All military aerodromes require prior permission (PPR) for civilian aircraft. The utilization of any DND aerodrome/heliport, including those listed as abandoned, as well as, DND facilities for the purpose of storing petroleum products (POL), is strictly prohibited without written approval of DND.
NOTES:
Prior Permission Required (PPR)
Where the acronym "PPR" is shown, the aerodrome owner's or operator's permission is required prior to use, except in cases of emergency.
Prior Notice Required (PN)
Where the acronym "PN" is shown, the aerodrome owner or operator is to be notified prior to use in order that current information on the aerodrome may be provided.
Landing Fees
Where "Ldg fees" is listed, the aerodrome operator charges a fee to all users for using the aerodrome. The exact fee can be established by contacting the operator.
**CUSTOMS (AS MOST CUSTOMS ARE NOT 24 HOURS AND HOURS OF CUSTOMS AVAILABILITY CHANGE FREQUENTLY, PILOTS ARE ADVISED TO PHONE WELL IN ADVANCE TO CONFIRM HOURS)
AOE refers to Airports of Entry, and designates all aerdromes where customs services are available. Aerodromes with capacity limitations are indicated by a number preceded by a "/", e.g., AOE/44.
suprPHREAK
Well-known member
I was/am still wanting one of these:
$35,000 for the kit, and very inexpensive to operate. Not as fast as some of the competition, or as pretty, but affordable! I have seen a few in person, and they are quite stoutly built. Best part, you can choose to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, as all are available for it. No limit!
The website for the local distributor is kinda cheezy, but all the specs are there: www.challenger.ca
$35,000 for the kit, and very inexpensive to operate. Not as fast as some of the competition, or as pretty, but affordable! I have seen a few in person, and they are quite stoutly built. Best part, you can choose to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, as all are available for it. No limit!
The website for the local distributor is kinda cheezy, but all the specs are there: www.challenger.ca
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rmemedic
Well-known member
I was/am still wanting one of these:
$35,000 for the kit, and very inexpensive to operate. Not as fast as some of the competition, or as pretty, but affordable! I have seen a few in person, and they are quite stoutly built. Best part, you can choose to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, as all are available for it. No limit!
The website for the local distributor is kinda cheezy, but all the specs are there: www.challenger.ca
Those were something I was looking at, but take another look around, there are others that fly a bit faster that are just as usable for all those things!
For me, I honestly was a little bit bored with typical ultralight flying. Going up, floating around to wherever you're going isn't what interests me so I guess thats why I have chosen another hobby for the time being. I need to go up and rip around, loops, rolls, hammerheads etc.
Had a buddy that had a specially built cub that was made for that type of flying, went up, he showed me how to perform a couple of the maneuvers and let me have some fun with it. After that I only had a couple flights that were "normal" and realized I need a plane that can get up and do what I want most.
I was/am still wanting one of these:
$35,000 for the kit, and very inexpensive to operate. Not as fast as some of the competition, or as pretty, but affordable! I have seen a few in person, and they are quite stoutly built. Best part, you can choose to operate on wheels, skis, or floats, as all are available for it. No limit!
The website for the local distributor is kinda cheezy, but all the specs are there: www.challenger.ca
The local distributor (Brian Quickmire) seems like a VERY nice guy. I emailed him some questions on the Challenger a while back and he is very thorough in his replies. He is clearly an enthusiast himself
There was a Rans ultralight up for sale a while back (beautiful looking machine!) for about $28K that was capable of acrobatics and pretty high speeds -- sounds like your perfect plane
rmemedic
Well-known member
The challengers are awesome for "low and slow". Take off performance is amazing on them and I think they look way nicer than the Beavers.The local distributor (Brian Quickmire) seems like a VERY nice guy. I emailed him some questions on the Challenger a while back and he is very thorough in his replies. He is clearly an enthusiast himself
The S-9 is pretty sweet, but no passengers... There are so many cool little single seater aerobatic ultralights out there.There was a Rans ultralight up for sale a while back (beautiful looking machine!) for about $28K that was capable of acrobatics and pretty high speeds -- sounds like your perfect plane
Check these bad boys out:
http://www.waraircraftreplicas.com/
Wooden airframe, foam/fiberglass construction and some guys have even managed to make them with retractable gear! An older guy happened to have a spitfire version that flew in to the field I grew up on, it looked so bad *** ripping down the runway!
ItIsWhatItIs
Banned
There was a Rans ultralight up for sale a while back (beautiful looking machine!) for about $28K that was capable of acrobatics and pretty high speeds -- sounds like your perfect plane
All the more reason to get the ppl and forget the ultralight license and kit planes. Shop around you will find production built planes around 20 k. So what if they were made in the 60's. Rebrand the plane as experimental so you can get out of the maintenance and inspection requirments. It's like owning a bike you have to learn how to keep it going. I say this because we are in Canada. The US has different flying and licensing rules.
ItIsWhatItIs
Banned
ItIsWhatItIs
Banned
http://www.tailwheelsetc.com/private_pilot.html
No screwing around way to the ppl in two weeks. Cost is about 10k.
No screwing around way to the ppl in two weeks. Cost is about 10k.
