Flight Design had its Siemens electric-powered F2 at Airventure Oshkosh 2019. This one’s a proof of concept, but it incorporates nearly all of the features the production model will have. There will be four designs down the road, but the first will be a two-seat model powered by a Rotax 915. For much more, check out the video!  

Enjoy this photo gallery from photographer Jim Koepnick. 

The post Flight Design Electric F2 At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019! appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Grass strips are magical, I know. We all know that. But it wasn’t just any grass strip, but a special one, South Lakeland Airpark, just a few miles removed from the din of Sun ’n Fun, which was at that very moment at full tilt boogie with F-16s putting on a display of sound and fury for tens of thousands of airshow goers. In contrast, at South Lakeland, the only sound was that of a few airplanes flying overhead and an ultralight in the pattern. I was with Tom Peghiny, who handles the U.S. market for Flight Design general aviation and has been for years. Years before Flight Design came to America, Tom and I would hang out at X49, as he’d show me the moves of the ultralights and microlights he designed and sold.

The Flight Design CTLSi is light, agreed, but the level of sophistication of the product is a whole different ballgame. A two-seat carbon fiber, high-wing side-by-side tricycle gear single, the CTLSi still looks very much at home at a grass strip. I remind myself that it is a Light Sport Aircraft, the word “sport” being an integral part of that category.

Pilots are divided on some airplanes, and the Flight Design CTLS is one of them. I’m on the pro side. I find it jaunty, a little quirky, sleek and proud. Maybe I feel this way in part because I’ve gotten to know the plane over the years and to understand what’s behind the exterior. It’s an intriguing mix of engineering and ergonomics that go a long way toward creating an airplane that is one of the best selling LSAs.

For those of us who were there when it happened, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since the FAA officially adopted a new aircraft category, Light Sport Aircraft, commonly known as LSA. The new category was of interest for two main reasons. The first was economic. Because they used a set of certification rules that the manufacturers came up with instead of the costly and over burdensome FAA regs, LSAs would be more affordable to produce, which would be reflected in their sales price, at least in theory. The second big draw, which is perhaps more important than the economic attraction, was that LSA came along hand in hand with a new pilot certification, Sport Pilot. Unlike the Private Pilot certificate, Sport Pilot allowed (and still does) a pilot to use a state (any state) driver’s license as proof of medical fitness to fly.

As everyone expected, the first light sport models were produced by companies already involved in sport aviation, and one of those was Flight Design, a German firm that made a number of cool light sport (lower case) planes with a level of design quality and sophistication that one might expect from a German company with the word “design” as part of it name.

I first flew the Flight Design CTSW more than a decade ago on a windy, post cold-front day in the late fall in New England. I was impressed by the little side-by-side two-seater’s fit and finish and handling, though I did comment that like any really light plane with low wing loading, the plane not only landed really slowly but it was susceptible to gusts. Though it feels like it, the CTLSi is actually more highly wing loaded than a Cessna 152, about 10 pounds per square foot compared to about 12 pounds for the legacy Cessna two-seater.

But the comparison isn’t particularly apt. The CTLSi is a more sophisticated airplane than the Cessna trainer. It’s also a lot roomier, a lot more technologically advanced and a lot faster. It’s a true 120-knot airplane, compared to just over 100 knots for the Cessna.

Flight Design has done well with its LSA, the Flight Design CT. Over the years it has sold hundreds of the planes to the U.S. market, but it has not been without its challenges. In 2016 it went into receivership, the German equivalent of a bankruptcy, and production shut down. It wasn’t until July of 2017 that Flight Design got new wings, after LiftAir, another German manufacturer, purchased the assets of Flight Design, including its aircraft designs and its factory in Ukraine. Another, unaffiliated company, AeroJones, is producing the aircraft in Taiwan for the non-U.S. Asia Pacific market. Flight Design general aviation GmbH, which is what the newly formed company is called, produces all planes for the United States, where they’re distributed and sold by a small but committed network of pilots who’ve been flying these planes around for years.

CTLSi

When it comes to the naming conventions, the Flight Design models are confusing to some customers (and arguably to some writers, too). The current model since 2012 is the CTLS, the “LS” standing, of course, for “light sport.” The “i” in the name is for the Rotax 912-iS fuel injected engine it sports up front.

When Flight Design upgraded the CT to the CTLS model, it wasn’t just a cosmetic makeover but an entire redesign that is noticeable in several areas, if you know what you’re looking for, that is. The biggest giveaway is the additional side window on the new model. The new model gives a little extra light and the ability to check your . . . well, maybe not your six but at least your 4:30. While the extra glass is the most noticeable difference, improvements are everywhere.

In addition, the gear is a now all carbon fiber, an improvement as I came to see because it helps damp the landing bounces that the aluminum gear in the previous model seemed to amplify. And it looks great. Another difference is the shape of the wingtips, the earlier ones looking like legacy Boeing winglets and the current ones like Airbus’ two-pronged wingtip fences. The interior on the latest CTLSi is also light years ahead of the older models, with leather wrapped stick grips, leather seats, the aforementioned additional side windows, a one-piece windshield and much more. My favorite additions are the two small shelves just behind the seats where you can easily stow a jacket or a small bag, this in addition to a smallish but easily accessible baggage compartment you can get on the passengers side just behind the door. The tail has been redesigned to be more efficient (as well as more attractive), and the tires are bigger, too, for better ground handling over rough surfaces.

Flight Design makes no bones about the automotive inspiration of the CTLS, and even if they didn’t, it’s impossible to miss. The instrument housing is more like a big pod than a conventional panel. The styling is high-end, and the seats are minimal, as the seats in a light plane need to be, but their sports-car styling and comfy contours make them work.

Today’s CTLS has a pair of 10-inch Dynon HDX displays, one on each side, and in the middle a combination engine monitoring screen and autopilot controller. A flight design pilot I spoke with about the avionics down in Florida at Sun ’n Fun was excited about the engine data logging feature, that give the pilot more and more detailed information on the health and status of the 912 engine than any other system on a light plane that we know of. With a few touches the pilot can look into what the real reason for an alert light might be and thereby determine whether it requires an immediate landing or just a quick trip to the shop when you get back home.

There are no shortages of things to love about Dynon SkyView HDX, which is the updated, more technologically advanced version of its super popular SkyView suite that the company has been selling for installation in homebuilt and LSA for more than a decade. HDX features brighter displays with improved touchscreen interface and boasts wider viewing angles, tougher glass, and full-screen, bezel-less touch response. You get full flight instrumentation with synthetic vision, full VFR nav capability, ADS-B, nav-comm and Dynon’s SV-2 autopilot with a one-touch level button if things get out of hand—and, yes, it’s an actual single button on the panel. The main autopilot controller, on the other hand, is integrated into the displays. I’d prefer a hardware autopilot controller.

There’s terrific redundancy with HDX, too. If the primary display goes out, you can switch to either of the two other displays. And they all have battery backups in case you lose ship’s power. And the amount of information you get from the system is staggering. Isn’t progress great.

It seems strange that my impulse is to introduce the 912 engine to our readers. After all, I shouldn’t have to. The Austrian company has produced more than 50,000 of the engines, and the 912 is just one of a number of aircraft engines it makes and aero engines are just part of Rotax’s business. But the 912 is different from conventional opposed aero engines in a number of ways—it’s air-and-liquid cooled, it’s got electronic ignition instead of dual mags, and it’s light, on the order of 100 pounds lighter than the O-235 in the 152. Which does good things for useful load. The CTLSi has a good payload for a small plane, so you can fly with full or nearly full tanks and two FAA regulation occupants along whatever bags you can fit in it.

The 912 comes in a variety of flavors now. The one in the CTLSi on the flight report airplane is the Rotax 912iS, which you can get in dual-carb or fuel-injected versions—the one installed in the plane flown for this report is the fuel-injected model, which boasts better fuel economy than the already miserly dual-carb model. It also boasts a 2,000-hour TBO, and with fuel consumption of less than 5 gallons per hour at cruise, it’s an incredibly economical engine. Plus, you can fill it up with 100LL or premium auto gas, the auto fuel being about half the price of avgas these days. If you’ve never flown behind one, these four-stroke engines are smooth and quiet, and even thought they’re running at better than 5,000 rpm at cruise, the prop reduction gearing turns that down to around 2,000 prop rpm. Speaking of which, the prop is the Neuform three-bladed composite prop. As per LSA rules, it’s a fixed pitch prop. Regardless, it’s quiet and smooth.

With leather and carbon fiber throughout, the interior of the CTLSi is slick. It’s remarkably roomy too. I spoke with father and son team Tom Guttman and Tom Guttman, Jr., Flight Design distributors out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Guttmans are closing in on 200 deliveries of Flight Design aircraft, and they are poster pilots for said roominess. Both Toms are big guys, and Tom Sr. told me that the roominess of the CT-series planes was the deciding factor for them.

You get into the CTLS the easiest way imaginable. You open the big gull wing door, turn, sit on the seat and pivot your legs in. (Getting out of it is pretty much the reverse of this operation.) Flight Design brags about the ergonomics of the CTLSi, and after you’ve had a chance to get to know the cockpit, it’s pretty clear why they do. It’s a compact, neatly organized, smartly designed layout that let’s you do your flying thing with ease. There are a couple of things I don’t like. The manual trims for rudder and aileron are in the center section behind you, though the electric elevator trim is what we all use most and pretty much set and forget the rudder and aileron once you get to cruise.

On the quadrant there’s a throttle and a second lever, a black one, that looks like it should be the mixture, but it’s not. If you pull it back far enough, it will, like the mixture, stop your forward progress. It is, of course, the brake lever. On the pedestal that connects the panel to the console, there are the electric flap lever, the ignition key, a guarded backup power switch, and the Master, fuel pump, avionics, lighting and a couple others. The CTLSi’s systems are slightly different than conventional two-seaters, but it’s simple, and simple is good.

When you close the gull wing door—it’s a bit of stretch for smaller pilots—and lock it securely into place, you’ll notice very quickly that everything switch, button, dial or lever you need to concern yourself with is right where it should be. And flying the CTLSi is similarly pilot friendly. The responsiveness is terrific, and while it might get blown around a bit on gusty days, landing in such conditions is a skill you can acquire.

Like his dad, Tom Jr. has thousands of hours in Flight Design aircraft and he admits that wind is a challenge, but like every other skill in aviation, it takes practice. And part of that skill is flying the airplane not until it touches down but for a while afterward too. When it’s windy light airplanes might raise a wing, balloon ten or fifteen feet and seem to want to keep flying after you feel like it should be done, but as long as you stay on top of the plane, reacting to the vagaries of the wind, you’re fine. To anyone with much time in a light taildragger, none of this will sound new or surprising.

And on the safety front, the CTLS is impressive, with high-G seats, an integral carbon fiber roll cage with crush zones fore and aft, and every CT comes with a BRS whole-airplane recovery parachute system.

Flying iS Fun

Because it’s an LSA, the CTLSi’s prop, the composite Neuform three-blader I mentioned previously, is ground adjustable only. That’s an unfortunate part of the LSA regs. LSA by law have to be no faster than 120 knots in cruise, and the CTLSi is right on the money there. I’m guessing that a judicious ground adjustment of the prop pitch to a coarser angle would do wonders for the plane’s cruise speed, though I didn’t ask and would never do so myself or advise anyone else to do it. I’m just saying.

And the plane makes a terrific little runabout. And this suits the needs of a good percentage of pilots out there who are both empty nesters (or as close to it as it comes these days) and who have concerns about their medical certification status.

The FAA’s new BasicMed certification has changed the game for many pilots—about 30,000 are now doing BasicMed instead of getting a conventional FAA medical. BasicMed allows many pilots with medical conditions that formerly would have been difficult, expensive or, in some cases, impossible to get a medical and keep it. When flying as a Sport Pilot in an LSA—you don’t need a Sport Pilot certificate; your regular Private Pilot or other certificate let’s you fly as a Sport Pilot when in an LSA.

While not a flight instructor, Tom Guttman, Jr. has helped many dozens of pilots transition to LSA, a process he says usually takes a handful of hours.

Taking off the CTLSi, as you might imagine, requires little runway, and directional control is solid, for as long as you’re on the runway, which isn’t long. Climbing is a strong suit, as you’d expect with a plane with a 100-hp engine, a good-sized wing and a max weight of just 1320 pounds.

The CTLSi has a decent range, too, so once you get to altitude and set power to cruise you’re looking at around 800 nm of range with VFR reserves. And as a cruiser, it’s a terrific platform, roomy, comfortable! and the visibility is unsurpassed.

And now with Flight Design on solid footing and producing the best airplane it ever has, the future looks bright again for a design and a company that were there at the beginning of LSA and that look to be there for years to come.

The post Flight Design’s CTLSi: A High-Tech German LSA appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Seats: 2

Main Construction: Composite

Engine/Hp: Rotax 912 iS/100 hp

Propeller:Neuform, 3-blade, composite, ground adjustable, 65″ diameter

Avionics: Dynon SkyView

Top CruiseSpeed: 115 kts (75% power)

Stall, Landing Configuration: 39 kts

Maximum Range: 1,005 nm (no reserve)

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 1,320 lbs.

Payload: 346 lbs. (full fuel)

Useful Load: 550 lbs.

Takeoff/Landing Distance (50-ft. Obstacle): 1,500/967 ft.

The post 2017 FlightDesign CTLSi appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Tom Peghiny, president and founder of Flight Design USA (www.flightdesignusa.com), has enjoyed a front-row seat to some of the biggest developments in modern general aviation. As the U.S. distributor of the mega-selling and insanely popular CT series of German-manufactured, all-composite light-sport aircraft, Peghiny has watched an industry he helped create transform itself into the brightest spot in GA. More than hyperbole, such grand statements paint the picture of one of the most successful light-sport companies on the planet. And the company’s “secret sauce” has always been innovation.

A large dose of that innovation has come from Peghiny himself. “I watched hang gliders turn into ultralights,” says the unassuming Peghiny from his hotel room in Germany, where he’s busy flight-testing the company’s latest project. “Then I watched ultralights turn into light-sport and light-sport turn into general aviation; I’ve been very fortunate.” That fortune was propelled by his intense passion for all things aviation.

At just 13 years old, and one of the first hang-glider pilots in 1969, Peghiny was flying around in a hang glider made of bamboo and plastic. By 19 years old, he was already a mover and shaker in the then-blossoming hang-glider world. He helped start Sky Sports, an early manufacturer of hang gliders, and became a competitor in the field, earning more than 35 “firsts” in the sport. Peghiny became an entrepreneur, transforming hang gliding from a perilous and questionable pursuit to a legitimate part of aviation, and led it into the ultralight realm we see today. His pioneering efforts are still carried in many modern ultralight designs.

But Peghiny is a pilot first, and many of those accolades would likely embarrass him. He speaks like a pilot, his words taking on the cadence of someone who has spent nearly four decades in the air. “I’m a huge fan of the light-sport industry in general,” he notes. “I’m an enthusiast first, and what I really love to do is fly.”

His involvement with Flight Design was an organic transition from his days as an ultralight enthusiast. Elected by his peers as the very first Chairman of an ASTM airplane subcommittee (an international standards-making organization) in 2002, Peghiny says he learned, “More about myself and the industry than ever before.” The challenging position led to Peghiny being contacted by Matthias Betsch, who had started Flight Design in Germany as a manufacturer of ultralights and paragliders. Betsch and Peghiny then collaborated to get the German ultralight standard approved by the FAA, which laid the groundwork for the subsequent LSA movement.

The Jubilee Edition CTLSi features 25th Anniversary graphics, contrasting leather seats and performance upgrades. Owners can also make the CTLS amphibious by adding the Clamar 1400 floats option.

A Series Of Firsts
Flight Design had introduced an early rudimentary CT (“Composite Technology”) aircraft in 1997, which flew under ultralight rules in Europe. By 2003, Peghiny became the U.S. distributor of the then improved CT (“CT2K”) aircraft, and helped it gain certification in the United States under what would become the light-sport category when it was created in 2004. In fact, the very first sport-pilot examiners flew the CTLS when the category was introduced. A success was born.

Since those early days, Flight Design has refined the CT aircraft through its cadre of 30 engineers based in Germany. The CTLS (“Composite Technology Light Sport”) is Flight Design’s flagship aircraft, though several variations have been introduced, including a short-wing version, a “Lite” version with reduced features, law enforcement and surveillance models, CTs on floats, and more. The company’s latest is the CTLSi, which is a fuel-injected model featuring the ubiquitous Rotax 100 hp 912 iS engine.

How successful is this diminutive charmer, with its stubby profile, dragonfly tail and bubble-like canopy? Nearly 1,800 have been sold worldwide, 400 of them in the United States. According to Peghiny, only the Carbon Cub is close to catching up, and the fever-pitch accolades of CTLS owners are keeping sales numbers climbing for the eighth consecutive year.

Flight Design has since sold the first LSA to India, and the CTLS was the first LSA to earn Chinese Type Design Approval—a significant milestone. The CT line is flown in 39 countries, and the CTLS has been flown around the globe three times, including once by the Indian Air Force with Wing Commander Rahul Monga piloting a CTLS on an expedition around the world. It remains the most popular light-sport aircraft built today.

What’s The Secret?
The funny thing is there’s no “secret” to the success of the CTLS; at least, it’s not hidden from anybody. The reason for the success of the aircraft and of Flight Design as a company is right there for everybody to see. “Flight Design has always equipped airplanes with the latest proven technology available,” Peghiny explains. “And, from the beginning, we’ve had a lot of firsts—like being the first airplane manufacturer to use the Rotax 912iS engine—and many others.”

He goes on to explain that another reason for the airplane’s success is service. “We have a network of support and service centers across the country, and our dealers are much more than just that,” he adds. Peghiny credits these centers for being innovators on their own—such as introducing the idea of a CTLS on floats—and providing rubber-meets-the-runway support and answers for their loyal customers. “You have to understand,” Peghiny says, “that this airplane is more handmade than any Ferrari today. And what used to be a simple airplane has become very sophisticated.” This sophistication has endeared it to a wide variety of pilots.

The four-place, all-composite C4 will have fully cantilevered wings, a 1,320-pound payload capacity and the new Continental IO-360 AF Alternate Fuels engine, giving it a 160-knot cruise speed, while various Garmin options will fill the spacious panel.

Less esoteric, but much more pragmatic, owners offer their own opinions about why the CTLS (and now the CTLSi) is so successful: First, the aircraft has some of the best performance in its category. Sipping just five gallons per hour, it will carry a useful load of 550 pounds (110 pounds of baggage) at 115 knots (cruise). That makes it a “real” traveling airplane. Load it with fuel (and something to eat), and it will easily outdistance your bladder. The CTLS can fly nonstop from Chicago to New York City, from Charlotte, N.C., to Dallas, Texas, and from London to Frankfurt or Munich to Rome—easily going 1,000 miles (about 1,800 kilometers).

Second, nearly every owner remarks about the airplane’s comfort. Peghiny says that comfort was engineered into the CTLS. “It is ergonomically designed, so it is one of the easiest aircraft to get into.” He points out the door, adding that it’s mounted well forward and is extra wide. The gull-wing design and the fully cantilevered (strutless) wing create a “barn door” effect that allows full, unhindered access to each seat. I note that with an aging pilot population, this comfort and ease of access has been critical to the CTLS’s success.

The cockpit itself is wide and comfortable. At 49 inches, it’s wider than a Cessna 182, long considered one of the wider cabins with its box-like profile. The engineered seats and four-point harness, combined with low placement of the glass panel and large windows with no wing struts, creates a helicopter-like cabin with 360-degree views. The Dynon SkyView SV-D700 glass (now with synthetic vision), a Garmin 796 (with options for a GTN 650 or 750), a Dynon autopilot, Mode S transponder, and now ADS-B In and Out, all give the CTLS a big-airplane feel. The BRS airframe parachute is the last feather in the CTLS’s cap, bringing peace of mind and confidence to its pilots. No CTLS in the United States has ever had the ‘chute pulled.

Flight Design’s innovation doesn’t end in the airplane. The network of dealers and support facilities that Peghiny told me about are important. Carbon-fiber composite airframe parts are fabricated in the Ukraine, near the Black Sea. The entire aircraft is assembled in Germany, test-flown, then disassembled and shipped to one of seven distributors in the United States. There, it’s reassembled and test flown again, then delivered to the customer. “We have no central location where all airplanes come,” explains Peghiny. “We train all of our distributors to do the assembly to factory standards.”

Peghiny tells me that Flight Design has just partnered with Taiwan-based GSEO to create AeroJones Aviation in Xiamen, China. AeroJones will be building complete CT aircraft from their facility there, and they just completed their first fully compliant aircraft. Aircraft produced in Xiamen will be delivered to customers in China and the Asia pacific region.

Jubilee Edition The CTLS and CTLSi are fully capable aircraft with sophisticated avionics options that include Dynon and Garmin glass with synthetic vision options. The new Rotax 912iS Sport engine gives it reliable and economical power.

The New C4
What does a company do after it has already achieved significant success? It innovates again and introduces another genre-changing product. That’s exactly what Flight Design has done with their hotly anticipated C4.

The C4 is an all-carbon composite, four-place aircraft based on the advanced design concepts that have proven themselves so well in the CT series. The aircraft has been in development since 2008 and was announced to an eager throng at AERO Friedrichshafen, Germany, in 2011, where 40 orders were immediately placed. “It’s quite an airplane,” Peghiny reveals. “The C4 will feature the all-new Continental IO-360-AF alternate-fuels engine and an advanced glass panel cockpit with an integrated, full-airplane parachute system.” The C4 boasts a pedigree that comes directly from the CTLS.

Rather than just another four-place GA aircraft, the C4 makes a radical departure from the aluminum box you’re likely picturing. Designed from the ground up as a cross-country traveler (the CTLS is famously suited for long trips), the C4 has some impressive specifications. First up is an astonishing 1,320-pound useful load. To put that in perspective, the venerable Cessna 182 Skylane—which is known as the cross-country king of four-seaters—has a useful load of less than 1,200 pounds, depending on model and configuration. At less than half the Cessna’s half-million- dollar price tag, the C4 will become a game changer. And it will haul all that weight at a cruise speed of 160 knots while burning auto gas or just about anything else that ignites.

Peghiny, who is in Germany getting the C4 ready for its maiden flight just days from this writing, is clearly enthusiastic about this next chapter in Flight Design’s evolution. “LSA pundit Dan Johnson calls this phase of the industry ‘LSA 4.0’ for the four-seat aircraft developed by us, Tecnam and Sling,” he laughs.

Peghiny tells me that the C4’s composite components will be fabricated in Ukraine (like the CTLS), but final assembly will happen in the U.S. Flight Design USA plans on building a final assembly facility for the new C4 in Newport, Vt., including a new 50,000-square-foot assembly building and other facilities. “More than 60 % of the value of the C4 will come from the U.S.,” he explains. “It will have a Continental engine, Hartzell prop, Garmin avionics, Matco brakes and tires, and other components from U.S. manufacturers.” Peghiny plans on the C4 being available to U.S. customers within a year or so.

LSA State Of The Union
I’ve been eager to ask Peghiny about how far LSA have come and how he sees the future of light sport. If anybody knows the LSA market, it’s Peghiny. “If you look at the LSA industry, there are a bunch of airplanes that never would have happened without it,” he replies. “Companies like Pipistrel, Icon, Rans and others are doing some really cool things. LSA gave the industry a huge shot of creativity that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.”

Peghiny also sees the potential of electric aircraft. “I believe the future is electric flight. We need to create an appropriate regulatory path for electric aircraft, then get those into LSA.” We discussed the recent problems with the Boeing 787 batteries, and he cautioned that we shouldn’t let that derail future development. “We can’t let those issues affect LSA electric development.”

As to the future, Tom Peghiny is optimistic as always. “We need to do a better job of making aviation exciting,” he suggests. “Will it ever be as popular as decades past? I don’t think so. But can aviation be a rewarding and challenging industry, still? Absolutely.”

Owner Profile: Jubilee Edition
Larry Schramm began flying in 1970 and is no stranger to unique aircraft, having owned everything from twins to helicopters, even building and flying an experimental himself. When it was time to retire and find a capable aircraft that was economical, fun to fly, and able to handle the long distances involved in splitting his time between Michigan and Florida, Flight Design’s CTLS light-sport was Schramm’s clear choice. Not just any CTLS, Schramm purchased aircraft #4 of Flight Design’s Jubilee Edition. To mark the impressive milestone of 25 years in business, Flight Design created a special “Jubilee” series of their CT line aircraft with unique features. The series is limited to only 25 aircraft, so owners will get something uniquely special. Each 25th Anniversary Jubilee airplane features an upper-management “Godfather” assigned to personally monitor its build process to ensure what the company calls, “An extraordinary level of quality.” Jubilee models have a special inscription plate affixed with signatures of Flight Design’s top managers, the name of that aircraft’s Godfather and its sequential number within the series of 25 models built for the celebration. Each is equipped with a Rotax 912iS engine, Dynon SkyView avionics, dual displays, Dynon autopilot, Mode S transponder, Garmin 796/795 GPS, electric stabilator trim, two upgraded Bose A20 Active Noise Reduction (ANR) headsets, special two-tone leather interior and panel, and a special 25th Anniversary paint scheme and logo. Schramm had his CTLSi Jubilee delivered to Sebring, Fla., in January 2014, and has amassed some 120 hours in the aircraft, including three Miami-to-Michigan runs. “I’ve flown this airplane all around Florida and the Midwest,” says Schramm, with an enthusiasm not typical for someone who has been flying for nearly five decades. “I thoroughly love it, and it’s a fantastic cross-country airplane.” Schramm tells me he typically sees cruise speeds of 120 knots with a four-gallon-per-hour fuel burn. “You can’t beat the economy,” he smiles. Schramm represents exactly the customer Flight Design is focused on and for whom they created the Jubilee. Retired and flying for pleasure, Schramm takes full advantage of the qualities that make the CTLS so popular: comfort, economy, reliability and fun factor. “I want to make it clear how much I thoroughly enjoy this airplane,” Schramms adds. “It starts like a car and is a joy to fly.” Schramm’s airplane also features “tundra” tires and ADS-B in and out. “Seeing traffic with ADS-B is a great addition.” Schramm’s mission is like other CTLS owners’: short hops mingled with longer journeys. The CTLS takes it all in stride and offers additional confidence with its BRS parachute. Pressed to find something he wishes could be improved, Schramm draws a blank. “Well, it took me a while to get used to the moving tape display on the Dynon display,” he says. “But I’m used to it now and can’t imagine flying without it. I just love the airplane.”

The post Flight Design: A Story Of Firsts appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Winners don’t remain winners by accident. German manufacturer Flight Design, celebrating its 25th anniversary (congrats, FD!), has topped the U.S. special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) leaderboard from the day it entered the U.S. market in 2005 with a design first introduced in 1997.

Reason # 1: a state-of-the-art, all-composite airframe/engine package that has been continually refined.

Reason #2: Flight Design’s U.S. dealer/service center network, which numbers 22 locations nationwide.

Now we can add Reason #3: the breakthrough CTLSi, a significant update to the proven, 1,800-strong (worldwide) CT line. Married to the new Rotax 912iS fuel-injected engine, the CTLSi incorporates many new features, including a larger-amp alternator, lighter Li-Ion main battery, documented 21% lower fuel consumption, smoother cold starts and operation, faster throttle response, standard electric trim, header tank with selectable fuel valve…well, there’s more, but that’s the short tell.

The latest CT is indeed, as U.S. distributor Flight Design USA President Tom Peghiny says, “…not your father’s LSA.” His tongue-in-cheek riff on the short, colorful life of the light-sport category also speaks the truth: The CTLSi represents a fully realized, fully satisfying example of the best the LSA category has to offer.

Whether you’re most impressed by top-quality fit and finish, cockpit roominess and long-flight comfort, excellent visibility, long range (1,055 nm on a single tank!), strong climb performance and service ceiling, improved fuel economy or just plain old fun flying, the CTLSi satisfies. It’s a fully mature, sophisticated airplane.

The “i” model also resolves some minor grumbles from when I trained on the CTLS for my sport-pilot ticket in 2008. That earlier CT had a control feel that felt somewhat stiff. I complained, the joystick tension springs were adjusted, and my training success and confidence ramped up dramatically. The control system was since reworked by the factory, but I hadn’t flown a CT in two years.

Bells And Whistles
Flash-forward from my CT training days to early last December. I’m sharing the 49-inch-wide cabin of the new CTLSi with Flight Design USA’s Jonathan Carter, for a demo out of the company’s Woodstock, Conn., headquarters. It’s an unseasonably warm and beautiful afternoon that makes you glad to be a New Englander—even a transplanted California one like yours truly. The air is butter-smooth, and long-range visibility is as sharp as it gets.

Flight Design’s cockpit panel features two 10-inch Dynon SkyView EFIS displays and a Garmin 796 touch-screen GPS. The SkyView integrates with the Engine Management System to display systems data from Engine Control Unit computers.

Carter spends some time reveling in the technical aspects of the new engine and shows how well Flight Design has interfaced the mill with the two lovely 10-inch Dynon SkyView EFIS gracing our instrument panel. Several standard instrument packages are offered: all feature synthetic vision, XM weather and terrain information. A gorgeous Garmin 796 touch-screen GPS holds center court between the two SkyViews. Star Trek, here we come.

As the engine warms up, my host demonstrates how beautifully the SkyViews integrate the 912iS EMS (Engine Management System) readouts to provide more tech eye candy than you ever thought you’d need. The wonderful display and efficient organization of the SkyView, whether the seven- or 10-inch size, have become the EFIS standard for the industry: Scores of the 130 certificated S-LSA offer the SkyView. It’s not the only quality EFIS out there, but Dynon’s tireless devotion to refining—there’s that word again—speak to its continued success.

Before we fly, some highlights of the new SkyView set up on the CTLSi:

• Tons of screen readouts from the SV-EMS-221 module that supports the 912iS. The EMS talks with the Rotax’s Engine Control Unit (ECU) computers, monitors aircraft systems such as autopilot and flap settings, and displays up to 16 different gauges, including tach, oil pressure and temp, fuel flow and pressure, cylinder head temperature (CHT), exhaust gas temperature (EGT), trim and flap positions.
• The manual fuel selector and new electric trim switch both have display on the SkyView.
• SkyView offers SV-ADSB and Whelen lights option for 2013.
• Increased audio alarms on SkyView (the voice is pleasant, too).
• Redundant ADAHRS system with battery backup. Mode S transponder with traffic information service (TIS) Traffic.
• The touch-screen Garmin 796 GPS serves up XM Weather and music, temporary flight restrictions (TFR) and more, and integrates navigation seamlessly with the Dynon autopilot.

There’s a lot more but, hey, we’re still on the ground. Let’s get airborne!

An Excellent Marriage
The CTLS airframe seems blissfully wedded to the 912iS engine. Start-up is quick (40 degrees ambient air) and feels smoother to me than a conventionally carbureted Rotax. Warm-up at the recommended 2000 rpm takes just a couple of minutes.

But this new CT model offers much more than the engine upgrade. My host invites me to do the takeoff from the wide asphalt of Woodstock’s single, ancient 2,200-foot runway (64CT).

I pour the coal to the engine, we rotate at around 50 knots and level for the best angle of climbing speed, (Vx). Both Vx and best rate-of-climb speed are clearly marked on the vertical speed ribbon on the SkyView—that’s very cool!) In seconds, the CT leaps for the blue with that customary 1,000 fpm-plus macho, and I’m smiling.

In short order, it’s clear the CTLSi is several steps forward from my training CT of 2008. The feel is definitely smoother. And the promised 21% economy boost proves out: SkyView shows a 3.8 gph fuel burn during our 115-knot-plus cruise run.

But the first thing I look forward to on a demo is to roll the airplane smartly to 45 degrees, then reverse, then Dutch roll. It tells me a lot about the airplane’s overall handling personality.

I have my desire, initiating turns the same way I do with the J3 Cub: using a heavy foot along with brisk roll inputs. The CTLSi, a rudder-liking ship, responds with an authoritative “right-now” smooth and solid wing drop, the nose tracks crisply into the turn, and around we go.

Visibility is excellent. The overhead top-knot window is well placed and big enough to provide a good look ahead for traffic. That’s a great comfort bonus in any high-wing airplane.

The CT likes lots of rudder in climbs and power-off descents (right or left foot, respectively). Its wonderful glide and effective flaps (electric: -6º, 0º, 15º, 30º) plus an excellent slip capability make landings a breeze. My first CT landing in a couple years is a squeaker, as if I’d never left the cockpit. That’s a credit to the airplane. My second touchdown, returning to little Woodstock at dusk, is respectable, as well.

At speed, the airplane cruises well over 100 knots without any strain. Engine vibrations seem less than I remember with the non-injected Rotax. Meanwhile, the vibrant SkyView displays keep us so well informed, it can be a challenge keeping our heads out of the cockpit.

A much-welcomed addition to the CTLSi: the electric pitch rocker switch. Placed right on the center console where the old-style mechanical trim wheel used to be, it’s simply perfect. Light, effortless taps up or down, and you’re trimmed up. I love it.

Final Approach
Jonathan Carter, the certified flight instructor (CFI) who transitioned my CFI John Lampson into the CT a few years back, makes an excellent point: “Pilots need to hit the books with these digital displays. It’s too distracting to learn how to operate them during a flight lesson; there’s just too much to learn.”

I couldn’t agree more. Over the years, I’ve noticed how hard it can be to locate a specific readout on an unfamiliar display.

To conclude, let’s wrap up with a few more highlights.

Flight Design’s engine installation for the 912iS is simply immaculate. It’s roomier, easier to work on and requires less maintenance (no carb tuning, for example).

The engine will operate on avgas or auto fuel (MOGAS with up to 10% ethanol content). The wing tanks are rated for ethanol, which can slowly erode improperly formulated composite materials, as happened on earlier CT and other maker’s tanks.

The 912iS, although slightly heavier, has a 30% power-to-weight ratio advantage over the new Lycoming IO 233 LSA and 20% over the Continental 0-200D. CO2 emissions using MOGAS are 38% and 44% higher, respectively—even the conventional-carbed Rotax 912 has 21% higher emissions!

A new header tank with 1.7 more gallons of fuel accommodates the fuel injection system. There’s also increased alternator output to enable Garmin’s GNS 650 and 750 touch-screen displays: no extra alternator required.

The landing light and all other illumination is by LED. There’s even a 12-volt plug for iPad, iPod and other mobile devices. My one little squawk for the entire airplane: the new fuel selector lever on the rear bulkhead, between the seats, feels awkward to reach—a potential safety challenge if switching tanks after fuel starvation.

My takeaway: If you’re searching for a top-line, thoroughly refined, robust long-distance S-LSA with all the latest bells and whistles and the benefits of fuel injection, do yourself a favor: demo a CTLSi to experience what LSA state-of-the-art is all about.

The post Leader Of The Pack appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Flight Design CTLSi
Price as flown:	$171,000
Wingspan (ft.):	28.2
Length (ft.):	21.8
Height (ft.):	7.7
Cabin Width (in.):	49
Empty Weight (lbs.):	810
Gross Weight (lbs.):	1,320
Fuel Capacity (gals.):	35
Fuel Economy (gph):	4.3
Power Plant:	100 hp Rotax 912iS
Range (nm):	1055
PERFORMANCE
Cruise Speed (kts., 75% power):	115
Vso (kts.):	39
Max Speed (kts.):	120
Vne(kts.):	145
Climb Rate (fpm):	805
Source:	Flight Design USA

w

The post Flight Design CTLSi appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

You want to fly the MC?,” asks Flight Design’s amiable national sales manager, John Gilmore. I’m at the company tent during Sebring, Fla.’s U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, and the MC is on my must-fly list.

“Sure, when?”

“Right now!” exclaims John.

“Now?”

It’s late in the day. I’m tired. I haven’t flown in a week or so. And I haven’t flown at Sebring in a year.

A glance to the cloudy, hazy west reveals a low, low sun: We’ve got 45 minutes—tops—until LSA-legal sundown. I had hoped to have more time. Still, few people have flown the MC. And the aircraft will be swamped once the show starts.

“Let’s do it,” I say, and we head for the hangar. Soon, I’m shaking hands with Tim-Peter Voss—no less than the chief engineer of flight and ground test for Flight Design Germany.

The door sill is low to the ground: Climb-in’s a breeze. The comfortable interior feels familiar, as it should: It’s like the CTLS in which I got my sport pilot ticket.

“I haff not flown at the Sebrink,” Voss says in his crisp German accent, “and have no American license, zo you muss do everysink, the radio, the airspess, yes?”

Hmm. So now I get to demonstrate my ineptitude with the unfamiliar Sebring airspace, as well as fly a new airplane next to its test pilot?

Well, life is meant to be an adventure. If we must fail, fail grandly!

The MC is Flight Design’s first metal airplane. It’s built in the Ukraine and assembled in Germany before delivery to the United States.

We fire up the Rotax 912 ULS.

“Okay, Tim,” I say as we taxi. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“No, whateffer you vant to do,” he replies. His arms are crossed as though he has no intention of even touching the controls.

Roger that. Ground handling with the steerable nosewheel and brake hand lever on the console is a breeze, just like the CTLS.

But right off, I notice the MC feels…solid, like a bigger airplane.

Tower clears takeoff, I power up, and off we go.

Climbing out, I immediately feel like I’m piloting a much heavier airplane. Not unlike—dare I say it—a Cessna 150 or 172.

This isn’t to say that the aircraft’s control forces are “trucky.” In fact, they’re about average, well harmonized and plenty responsive.

No, what I’m sensing is the inherent aerodynamic stability and balance of the airplane. It feels, well, like an old, familiar friend.

You can’t beat the cabin, either. At almost 52 inches, you could call it downright cavernous. Believe me, four feet, four inches of shoulder room feels positively roomy.

The solid handling feel stays with me as we climb out over the lake to the west, eyeballs scanning for traffic, to do a little air work.

Stalls are nominal, straight ahead and come with plenty of warning burble. Break and pitch down are slight, well-forewarned and instantly recovered from by relaxing stick and/or feeding in a touch of power.

Hanging on the prop at mid-40s indicated is a no-brainer. And aileron effectiveness in slow flight is excellent. It’s designed that way to provide roll control even below stall speed—a great feature in a training airplane, which is the prime market Flight Design envisions for the MC.

Pulling back sharply on the stick in level flight, then letting go—testing for dynamic stability, a trick Rans Aircraft’s top dog, Randy Schlitter, taught me—yields reassuring results.

The MC’s spacious cabin comfortably seats pilot and copilot, and can be outfitted with optional Dynon EFIS avionics.

The MC pitches up, I let go of the stick, and it pitches below the horizon, speeds up, then pitches above the horizon to start the sequence all over again.

That oscillation is called a phugoid. Angle of attack stays near-constant, but pitch varies because the airspeed and altitude are constantly interchanging until balance is regained.

Dynamically stable airplanes—i.e., those that return to straight-and-level flight automatically—are ideal for training purposes.

The MC’s phugoids damp out after a couple gentle upsy-downsies—very nice indeed.

After the hurried air work (the murky conditions get grayer once old Sol lands on the horizon), I still wonder why the MC feels bigger and heavier. Its basic empty weight is just 795 pounds, which is in the same ballpark as other LSA.

For comparison, here are some other LSA empty weights:
• Cessna Skycatcher: 830 pounds
• Flight Design CTLS: 770 pounds
• PiperSport: 740 pounds
That leaves the MC 375 pounds or so of payload after full fuel, about 30 more than the Skycatcher.

I look over at my test-pilot passenger, and ask, “Anything you want to show me, Tim?”

“No, vhateffer you like,” Voss says, content to let me do my worst. At least he’s not scared—yet. But then, he’s a test pilot.

I crank some turns. Rudder is effective, but you don’t need much, unlike the CTLS, which is more of a rudder airplane in climbs, turns and landings. I catch myself overstomping the rudder a bit, and lighten up.

Darkness descending: time to land.

It has been a mere 25 minutes since takeoff, yet I feel so completely comfortable and—here’s the key word—competent in the MC that I don’t even ask Voss for landing pointers.

I toggle in partial flaps with the electric switch, idle the throttle, set up a 500 fpm descent and ride that pony down to a smooth landing as if I’ve flown the MC for many hours.

What a confidence builder! Flight Design has clearly optimized the MC’s training chops: This is one forgiving, comfortable airplane.

The gear absorbs what little bump I give it without bouncing us back up, like a spring steel main might. Again, a lovely trainer’s attribute.

That shock-absorbing quality, which absorbs 50% of landing loads, comes from the laminated composite construction of the main-gear legs. As John Gilmore tells me later, not only does the wide six-foot, six-inch stance make for docile, solid touchdowns and tracking, but the many layers of carbon-fiber laminates minimize spring-back.

“The idea,” Gilmore explains, “is to have the layers ’slide’ on each other when overloaded, rather than break. It’s like the skin of a banana, which will split if you bend it too far. It’s very strong, but it’s designed to fail before loads transfer to the airframe. And you can swap out the gear in 45 minutes.”

MC stands for Metal Concept. The airplane is primarily aluminum skin over the welded-steel-tube fuselage and
aluminum-ribbed wing. The rounded, bluntish nose section is the only major composite airframe part.

In a flight-school environment, metal airplanes are easier, more familiar and cheaper for traditional repair shops to deal with. Metal airplanes also can endure unsheltered ramp parking better than composites, which fare better in a hangared environment.

Later in the week, I sit down with Flight Design’s CEO, Matthias Betsch, for a chat about the airplane.

“It has a different character than the CT line,” he starts off. “The CT is more sporty, speedy and responsive. So far, everyone who has flown the MC agrees with you: It feels much heavier than it is. That’s what we wanted. It’s the perfect airplane for schools: very forgiving, easy to land, easy to fly and more stable in turbulence.”

He also touts the MC for older pilots used to stable Wichita tin. “They don’t have to worry so much about converting to something different.”

Betsch grins, “Of course, we have targeted it for flight schools, but if you learn in one and like it, why not purchase one?”

Speaking to cruise performance, the MC gives away a bit to the fastest LSA out there: It’s spec’d at 115 knots at max power, straight and level, and will deliver a 500 nm range at 97 knots.

Tom Peghiny (left), Flight Design USA’s president and founder, and John Gilmore, Flight Design’s national sales manager, with the MC at U.S. Sport Aviation Expo.

“Yes, we wanted something a little more stable,” he continues, “but it also had to be fun to fly. We didn’t want a big ’truck.'”

The MC is Flight Design’s first metal airplane. Although Betsch’s headquarters are in Germany, the aircraft (to date, 1,500 worldwide) are built in the Ukraine, then assembled, fine-tuned, fitted with avionics and test-flown in Germany before delivery.

I wondered if building a metal airplane was a challenge for veteran composite makers.

“We brought all that composite technology to the Ukraine, where our aircraft are manufactured,” explains Betsch. “We set up the factory and trained all the people. But when we decided to build the MC, it was, in fact, easier. The Ukraine is known as a metal-airplane region. So it wasn’t a big deal for them.”

Betsch describes hiring veteran metal monkey Dennis Franklin, a mainstay at Sebring’s Lockwood Aviation and a wizard working with lightweight aluminum structures. Indeed, he ran his own thriving company, Maxair, and made Drifter ultralights for years.

“Dennis helped us set up tooling in the Ukraine and refine the construction process. Ukrainian builders were used to working with aluminum sheet thicknesses suitable for big Antonov military airplanes, not for lightweight microlight and LSA airframes.

“In the end, Dennis had many good ideas and helped us build an airplane that’s light but strong.”

There’s plenty more to share about the MC, but I’m running short on space.

Let me finish with a few summary adjectives: roomy, well-appointed interior; easy to fly; docile; fun; solid workhorse; beautifully finished; affordable at $98,993 (analog panel, 80 hp 912UL) or $113,823 (Dynon EFIS, BRS parachute system).

The post Flight Design MC: Full Metal Concept appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The post Flight Design MC appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Flight Design’s LSA is a German product constructed in the Ukraine almost entirely from carbon fiber and Kevlar composites, and in many respects, it seems almost antithetical to the whole concept of an LSA, by definition, a minimal, entry-level airplane. Though Flight Design’s airplane complies with all parameters of LSA certification, it’s nevertheless one of the most sophisticated aircraft in the class. It was one of the first LSAs approved by the FAA, and it was granted its certificate at the 2005 Sun ‘n Fun air show in Lakeland, Fla.

Apparently, many European pilots have long since acknowledged Flight Design’s talents, as some 600 of the type have been sold in Europe since the company began offering the CT (Composite Technology) in 1998. In fact, the CT has been so successful that Matthias Betsch, president of Flight Design in Echterdingen, Germany, recently announced a 90,000-square-foot expansion to the Ukrainian factory.

Betsch feels the expansion should allow production to double in 2007, with as many as 100 airplanes earmarked for the critical U.S. market. Those will join probably another 100 CTs already operating inside American airspace.

Flight Design USA (www.flightdesignusa.com) of South Woodstock, Conn., is the United States’ sole importer of the CT aircraft. Owner Tom Peghiny is one of the advisors for the LSA movement in this country. Peghiny also manufactures the very popular FlightStar series of lightweight aircraft, and imports the HKS four-stroke engine.

Sebring Aviation (www.sebring-aviation.com) in Sebring, Fla., is the Southeast regional distributor, and Sebring’s John Hurst says the airplane has been well received in his area. “It’s a very modern design,” says Hurst, “more reminiscent of a fully certified airplane in many respects. It features a ballistic parachute as standard equipment, offers one of the largest cabins in the class, can easily accommodate two big men and has plenty of power to provide excellent performance.”

Big question first: price? Flyaway list price of the Flight Design CT is $92,900, delivered to the East Coast and ready to fly. That’s a fairly basic airplane with no options, but in this case, basic is reasonably outfitted for day VFR. In addition to the standard BRS emergency parachute, the airplane includes full instrumentation, strobes and position lights, plus three-axis manual trim. More on prices later.

At first sight, the Flight Design CT looks a little unusual, something like an aerodynamic pod suspended beneath graceful wings and a waspish tail. Indeed, the CT has a short ratio of length to wingspan, about 1.37. In contrast, the old Aeronca Champ and J-3 Cub scored more like 1.6.

The Flight Design CT’s wings are a European C180 airfoil, 107 square feet in area with a 13.8% thickness, just under two degrees of dihedral and downturned tips. The airplane uses flaperons that automatically deflect down to improve lift when flaps are deflected to their full 40 degrees. Tail surfaces include a Piper-style all-flying stabilator and a conventional rudder above a small ventral fin.

The CT’s gross weight is 1,320 pounds, the legal limit for an LSA. A typical unequipped empty weight is 646 pounds, so the airplane boasts a useful load of 674 pounds. Even with a full 34 gallons of fuel aboard, the airplane still sports 470 pounds of payload. That translates to a pair of 200-pound pilots and a reasonable allowance for baggage. If passenger and fuel weight will allow, baggage capacity is 110 pounds, with dedicated doors on both sides of the aft fuselage, a nice touch.

You climb aboard the Flight Design through either of two top-hinged doors that fold up against the bottoms of the wings. Despite the LSA designation, which sometimes implies sporty and cramped, there’s nothing compact about this airplane’s cabin. The front office measures a respectable 49 inches across, making it perhaps the widest LSA available. There’s plenty of shoulder, leg and headroom for even a six-foot-tall pilot.

Flight controls and panel layout are compact but conventional. Pitch trim, choke, throttle and brake controls are mounted on the lower, center quadrant, with most other engine and system controls located higher where they’re convenient to both pilots. All electrical switches are spaced across the top of the center console.

The CT employs dual control sticks mounted directly in front of pilot and passenger plus standard rudder bars without differential brakes. A brake T-handle applies equal pressure to both wheels simultaneously.

The CT uses a Rotax 912S for motive force, but this definitely isn’t your great uncle’s Rotax. With the help of a 10.5-to-1 compression ratio, two carburetors and dual electronic ignition, the little, 1,350 cc powerplant churns out 100 hp at a brisk 5,800 rpm. A 2.43 reduction gearing drops the Rotax’s enthusiasm to 2,400 rpm, driving a three-blade, Neuform composite prop. Engine cooling is with both air and liquid, protecting the engine from even the hottest desert temperatures. TBO is 1,500 hours.

One of the nicest nonoperational features of the Rotax is that it’s an extremely lightweight mill, less than 150 pounds installed. That’s a critical quality in an airplane that grosses only 1,320 pounds.

Takeoff performance is better than you might expect, a function of an efficient wing and relatively low power loading. The CT jumps into the air in less than 300 feet and starts uphill with surprising enthusiasm. The Rotax offers 100 hp for the first five minutes, generating a low 13.2 pounds/hp. Compare that to the Cessna 152’s 15.2, a Piper Tomahawk’s 14.9 or a Beech Skipper’s 14.6. Not surprisingly, vertical speed is superior to that of the other three, specifically 960 fpm.

In-flight visibility from the Flight Design CT is reminiscent of a bubble helicopter, with huge side windows that extend forward, a king-size windshield that continues well back into the roof and a large, overhead, Plexiglas skylight. In combination with the smooth, high-revving Rotax and a fairly quiet cabin, the CT’s flight environment is comfortable and inviting.

This little airplane can move, too. Though my flight with Sebring’s John Hurst didn’t allow time for cruise checks, I had little trouble keeping up with a Skyhawk photo ship during the air-to-air shoot. Book spec is for 112 knots at about 4.9 gph, more than acceptable speed with only 100 hp out front. Such brevity means you can plan no-wind cross-country trips over distances of 600 nm with plenty of reserve. Throttled back to 55%, you could easily push that figure out to 700 nm.

Part of the reason for the airplane’s speed may be its efficient, semi-NLF (natural-laminar flow) wing. The airplane offers a high 14-to-1 glide ratio, better than that of most certified airplanes and even most other LSAs.

That slick airfoil also generates enough lift to reduce dirty stall speed to an impressive 39 knots. Such a low no-fly velocity means short-field approaches are possible at speeds as slow as 50 knots. More-normal efforts demand 55 to 60 knots, but the slow approach speeds mean the airplane can use 1,500-foot runways with ease. This is one airplane that can probably jump off in the same or less runway distance that it needs to land.

As mentioned above, base price is $92,900, and while that does buy an operational airplane, it won’t allow you to fly in anything but a non-radio, open-skies environment. If you want an airplane capable of anything more than a fun weekend country bird for uncongested airspace, you’ll need to add a few things. Typical add-ons include an ELT, the night-flight package, leather seats, a panel-mounted Garmin 396, a Becker com and transponder, and a Tru Track Digiflight autopilot. The resulting well-equipped Flight Design CT winds up with a list price just under $110,000. There’s nothing you can buy in certified ranks that has anything like the same talent for anywhere near the price.

The whole point of the LSA market is to offer a simpler, less-expensive alternative to conventional certified aircraft and standard pilot’s licenses, and the Flight Design CT may be ideally positioned to cash in on that market. Typical of so many German-designed machines, it’s a highquality product, well constructed, easy to fly and available new for a price that’s well below that for most used singles.

…Not to mention it’s one of the most unusual new airplanes you can buy.

SPECS: 2006 Flight Design CT

The post Flight Design CT Best Of The LSAs? appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

2006 Flight Design CT
Base price:	$92,900
Engine make/model:	Rotax912S
Horsepower@altitude:	100@SL
Horsepower for takeoff:	100
TBO hrs.:	1500
Fuel type:	100/100LL
Propeller type/diameter:	Neuform FP
Landing gear type:	Tri./Fixed
Max ramp weight (lbs.):	1320
Gross weight (lbs.):	1320
Landing weight (lbs.):	1320
Empty weight, std. (lbs.):	646
Useful load, std. (lbs.):	674
Useful fuel, std. (gals.):	34
Payload, full std. fuel (lbs.):	470
Wingspan:	28 ft.
Overall length:	20 ft. 4 in.
Height:	7 ft. 11 in.
Wing area (sq. ft.):	107
Wing loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	12.3
Power loading (lbs./hp.):	13.2
Wheel size (in.):	6.00 x 6
Seating capacity:	2
Cabin doors:	2
Cabin width (in.):	49
PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed (kts.):
75% power:	112
Max range (w/ reserve) (nm):
75% power:	600
Fuel consumption (gph):
75% power:	4.5
Vso (kts.):	39
Best rate of climb (SL fpm):	960
Service ceiling (ft.):	14,000
Takeoff ground roll (ft.):	295
Takeoff over 50-ft. obstacle (ft.):	525
Source: Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 2006/2007

The post 2006 Flight Design CT appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.