How to Land an Ultralight Aircraft

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Ultralight aircraft have become very popular over the past several years because of their affordability, ease of operation, short distance required for take-off or landing, and because no license is required for operation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not govern single-passenger ultralights, but ultralight pilots must adhere to the strict safe operating practices established by the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 103. FAR 103 specifies a powered "ultralight" as a single seat vehicle of less than 5 gallons fuel capacity, an empty weight of less than 254 pounds, a top speed of 55 knots (64 mph), and a maximum stall speed not exceeding 24 knots (27.6 mph). Ultralight aircraft are restricted to flying only during the daylight, and cannot fly over populated areas.

This article gives basic steps for landing an ultralight, but it is for informational purposes only. You should train with an experienced pilot or school before flying.

Things You'll Need

• Ultralight aircraft
• Helmet
• Landing strip

Instructions

1. Best landing conditions for an ultralight aircraft include a dry, level landing strip of 200 feet or more on a slight incline. Additionally, a low temperature and elevation, and a constant headwind of fair velocity are ideal.

2. To land an ultralight aircraft:
   Begin circling for landing
   Check landing strip for obstructions before descending to less than 1,500 ft
   Check windsock for wind direction
   Perform cockpit check
   Decrease speed to recommended approach speed
   Descend to 450-500 ft
   Align wings level with ground
   Landing gear down
   Slow descent and forward speed in anticipation of touchdown
   Your landing distance is the total distance required to clear an imaginary 50-foot high screen at the beginning of the airstrip
   Substantially reduce the rate of descent and reduce thrust to zero
   Flare - push both steering arms all the way forward just before contact with the ground, slowing down forward speed and descent speed
   Touch down gently
   The ground roll following the touchdown is affected by the landing surface texture and the incline
   Apply brake at the rate to stop the aircraft safely
   Taxi off the runway
   Park the ultralight
   Turn off the engine
   Disembark

3. This article gives basic steps for landing an ultralight, but it is for informational purposes only. You should train with an experienced pilot or school before flying.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to click on the links around this page to explore more information on ultralight aircrafts!

• Light aircraft accident statistics from the U.S. indicate that the most prevalent cause of a forced landing gone wrong is because the approach is too fast leading to a heavy impact perhaps followed by a bounce and capsize.

• High-density altitude has a major effect on the approach speed (i.e. the true airspeed is significantly greater than the indicated airspeed), and thus the ground speed at which the aircraft touches down and the length of the subsequent ground roll.

• Early flare - if both steering arms are pushed all the way forward while too high, it can cause the ultralight aircraft to stall and fall straight down.

Resources

• How to Learn How to Fly an Ultralight
• Fly Light