Probably the most common 2-seat ultralight-type AIRCRAFT is the 51% Amateur-built, registered in the experimental category. These aircraft will have the FAA "N-number" marking on the fuselage or tail, and will have the word "EXPERIMENTAL" near the cockpit where it can be seen by passengers as they enter. The pilot must hold a FAA Private or Recreational license or better. An FAA student pilot could fly such a machine SOLO ONLY, if under the direct supervision of a CFI.

No license is required to fly a "Part 103 legal ultralight". However, flying is something that is not to be taken lightly. Just because ultralights "look simple" does not mean they can be flown without training. USUA strongly advises people to obtain instruction from a certified ultralight flight instructor. Even people who are already general aviation pilots, for example, always benefit from ultralight instruction.

Yes. Ultralights may be flown with an Ultralight Pilot Permit or any Aeroplane category licence such as a Recreational Pilot Permit or a Private Pilot Licence. The Ultralight licence includes the privilege of flying non-Ultralight Aeroplanes as long as they meet the specified seat, weight and stall speed criteria. The Recreational and Private licences include the privilege of flying all Ultralights.

No. Unlike the Aeroplane category, the Ultralight category is not further subdivided into 'classes' such as Land or Sea, Single or Multi-Engine. This means that a Seaplane rating is not mandatory to fly an ultralight on floats.

The answers depend on whether the individual aircraft is registered as an Advanced Ultralight or as a Basic. Read on! (For a complete discussion of Advanced and Basic Ultralights click to the FAQ on Aircraft Registration.)

This is another often misunderstood topic, again frequently by General Aviation instructors who are out of touch with ultralight aviation or have outdated info. The short answer since July of 2000 is unequivocally 'Yes' so long as you hold a pilot permit or licence which requires a minimum of 25 hours of flight time.

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In the U.S.A. an ultralight is defined in Federal aviation regulations FAR Part 103 (and subsequent advisory circulars) as a *single* seat powered flying machine which weighs less than 254 lbs, has a top speed of 55 knots (63 mph), stalls at 24 knots (28 mph) or less and carries no more than 5 gal. of fuel. Excluded from the empty weight are floats for water landings and safety devices intended for deployment in an emergency. The weight allowance for an emergency parachute is 24 lbs.

Yes, there are indeed ultralight gyrocopters which meet all the requirements of weight and speed (USA) to qualify as an ultralight. For more information, contact the Popular Rotorcraft Association, P.O. Box 8756-UF, Clinton, Louisiana, 70722 or phone (504) 683-3545 You absolutely *MUST* obtain instruction to pilot a gyrocopter regardless of your experience in regular aircraft or ultralights. Numerous skilled pilots have learned the hard way that the controls are very much different.

Power-driven aircraft designed to carry not more than ONE person and having a 'launch weight' not exceeding 165 kg (363.8 lbs) and a wing area of not less than the 'launch weight' minus 15 divided by 10, but in no case less than 10 sq. meters (107.6 sq. ft.). Power-driven aircraft designed to carry not more than TWO persons and having a 'launch weight' not exceeding 195 kg (429.9 lbs) and a wing area not less than 10 sq.meters (107.6 sq. ft.

Answer: Higher than you will probably ever want. Many ultralights can probably reach or exceed 10,000 ft. MSL. The record for a USA type FAR part103 ultralight is over 23,000 ft. The record for the higher performance microlight type is about 33,000 ft. Many ultralight pilots seldom go above even 5000 ft. It gets cold, the scenery below you is too small to make out, and it's not very exciting because the landmarks go by VERY slowly at the typical ultralight speeds.

Rec.aviation.ultralight is the name of one of several thousand public bulletin board discussion areas on the internet. There are a total of 18 different newsgroups devoted to various aspects of aviation. (The "rec" stands for recreation.) Check with your internet provider to see if they carry the USENET newsgroups. The newsgroups work much like a computer BBS except they are world-wide. Each host stores it's own copy of the messages.

Yes. Ultralight hot air balloons are quite feasible though they are uncommon. In the USA they are considered to be unpowered ultralights (like hang gliders) and must weight less than 155 lbs. Ultralight helium balloons are also possible but the cost to fill the balloon would be too high for most users. Several experimenters have reported excellent success with one man hot air balloons and at least on manufacturer offers kits which qualify for operation under FAR103. Write to: http://www.amherst.

In simple terms, a 2-axis ultralight is one which does not have any ailerons. Conventional fixed wing aircraft have three axis of control; pitch (up-down), yaw (left-right), and the roll or banking function which is provided by ailerons. When the pilot properly coordinates the yaw and roll controls, a balanced turn results. The 2-axis ultralight has yaw and roll control combined into a single "turn" control.

A new regulation, 14 CFR Part 103, was introduced on October 4, 1982. This new regulation was introduced to ensure the safety of sport and recreational flying for "ultralight vehicles." While this rule introduces certain specifications and limitations for ultralight vehicles, it does not require aircraft or pilot certification.

Many people have wondered what ever happened to the 2-place IMP. I can't vouch for the absolute accuracy of this story but from what I have heard, Molt gave the unfinished project to one of his best "Coot" builders, Mr. Warren Edding of St. Louis. Mr. Edding worked on the aircraft for some time. The unfinished project was purchased from Molt by Mike Brown, of Dayton, OH. who modified it into a 2+2 configuration, finished and licensed the aircraft.

Ultralight Pilot is a pilot who flies a SINGLE PLACE Ultralight Aircraft that is under 254 lbs. empty weight and further defined and operated under simple guidelines specified in FAR Part 103. For details see All About Ultralights.

Jon N. Steiger (stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu) maintains an excellent Ultralight Homepage with helpful references, and many pictures. Go to http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/WWW/ULTRA/ultralight.html The Ultralight Home Page has classified ads, calendar of events, jump points to other aviation servers including ftp and email gateway to the Ultralight Mailing List. Also available are extensive lists of Manufacturers, instructors, and flight parks..... And More! Also try these sites: