How to Build Affordable Ultralights
The easiest way to get airborne is with an ultralight aircraft. You can build your own from a kit for as low as $1,000. Buying an ultralight that is ready to fly can cost as little as $3,000. No license is required, and no fees or markings are required. Ultralights are regulated by Federal Aircraft Regulation FAR-103, which has a few requirements and recommendations, but as long as you do not become a nuisance, you are basically free to fly.
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Instructions
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Find an ultralight group in your area. This is the way to see all the different kinds of ultralights, get free advice and rides, find an instructor and get bargains on aircraft and equipment. There is no better way to learn the art than associating with people who are already flying ultralights.
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Find the space you will need. You can start building an ultralight in your garage, but you will need something larger before the project is complete. You will also need a place to keep your aircraft when it is not in use.
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Choose an aircraft style – enclosed cabin, powered parachute, helicopter, gyrocopter or open cockpit. Also, decide how you are going to get your first aircraft. You can buy it ready to fly, although this is the most expensive route. You can work from a kit, which includes plans, instructions and parts – many of which have holes already drilled in the right places. Or you can work from plans alone, which is the cheapest path but only recommended if you are experienced with shop work.
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Tips & Warnings
FAR-103 regulations state that a single-occupant ultralight can carry no more than 5 gallons of gas, can go no faster than 55 knots (63 mph) and weigh no more than 254 pounds unloaded. The limits are higher for craft that carry two or more people. There are also restrictions about where an ultralight can be flown. These include over towns and cities or any place where a lot of people may be outside. There is a voluntary license that requires that you show a certificate of lessons and involves an FAA inspection and observation of a test flight. There is also a small fee that varies from state to state. These certificates are mostly of interest for instructors or people who plan to transport passengers. Basically, the FAA will leave you alone as long as you don’t get into trouble or interfere with anyone else.
Ultralights are exciting and unregulated, but they are also dangerous. The rates for death and injury are higher for ultralights than for any other mode of air travel.
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