Ultralight aviation

Ultralight aviation is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailerons, elevator and rudder, calling the former "microlight" and the latter "ultralight".
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, mostly stimulated by the hang gliding movement, many people sought affordable powered flight. As a result, many aviation authorities set up definitions of lightweight, slow-flying aeroplanes that could be subject to minimum regulations. The resulting aeroplanes are commonly called "ultralight aircraft" or "microlights", although the weight and speed limits differ from country to country. In Europe, the sporting definition limits the maximum stalling speed to and the maximum take-off weight to, or if a ballistic parachute is installed. The definition means that the aircraft has a slow landing speed and short landing roll in the event of an engine failure.
In most affluent countries, microlights or ultralight aircraft now account for a significant percentage of the global civilian-owned aircraft. For instance, in Canada in February 2018, the ultralight aircraft fleet made up to 20.4% of the total civilian aircraft registered. In other countries that do not register ultralight aircraft, like in the United States, it is unknown what proportion of the total fleet they make up. In countries where there is no specific extra regulation, ultralights are considered regular aircraft and subject to certification requirements for both aircraft and pilot.

Definitions

Country	Type	Capacity		Time	Licence	Other conditions
Australia	Recreational Aircraft	2	; for seaplanes	—	—	—
Australia	Light Sport Aircraft	2	; for seaplanes	—	—	—
Brazil	Ultralight	2		Daylight visual conditions	—	Used mainly sports or recreation
Canada	basic ultra-light aeroplane	2		Daylight visual conditions	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Craft may be operated from land or water
Canada	advanced ultra-light aeroplane	2		Daylight visual conditions	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Craft may only carry a passenger if the pilot has an Ultralight Aeroplane Passenger Carrying Rating; may operate at a controlled airport without prior arrangement
Europe	land plane/helicopter, single-seater	1	300 kg	Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Sport or recreation only
Europe	land plane/helicopter, two-seater	2		Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Sport or recreation only
Europe	amphibian or floatplane/helicopter single-seater	2		Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	where operating both as a floatplane/helicopter and as a land plane/ helicopter, it falls below both MTOW limits, as appropriate
Europe	land plane, two-seater equipped with an airframe mounted total recovery parachute system	2		Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Sport or recreational use only
Europe	land plane single-seater equipped with an airframe mounted total recovery parachute system	1		Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Sport or recreational use only
Europe	gyroplane	1-2		Daylight VFR	Ultralight Pilot Permit	Sport or recreational only
India	—	2	without parachute	—	current permit to fly	—
Italy	ultraleggero	1-2	Max Take Off Weight MTOW 2 persons, Hydroplanes, Single, Hydroplane single, Stall speed	Daylight, minimum of.	certificate exam, insurance and a medical examination.	Requires a helmet only for open cockpit aircraft. Flying over populated areas and assemblies of people are prohibited.
Japan	Ultra light power machine	1-2	Max empty weight: , with extra weight allowed for emergency parachute up to and for floats up to	Daylight visual conditions	Minister's permission carried on board for each year instead of licencePassengers also need permission.	Sports or recreational use only Other minister's permissions: flight permission Permission of land owner for landing and for take off Flyable area: uncontrolled airspace over unpopulated areas, within from departure point and landing at another point forbidden. Aircraft: powered, non-certified, propeller aircraft, including autogyro, with landing gear Minimum required equipment: airspeed indicator and altimeter Maximum stall speed: Minimum wing area: ² Maximum speed: Maximum fuel capacity:
New Zealand	NZ Class 1	1	Single seat, for seaplanes; Stall speed.	Daytime VFR	Microlight Licence required	Part 103 Microlight Aircraft Operating Rules, Part 103 advisory circulars
New Zealand	NZ Class 2	2	2 Seats, for seaplanes; Stall speed	Daytime VFR	Microlight Licence required	Part 103 Microlight Aircraft Operating Rules, Part 103 advisory circulars
Philippines	non-type certified aircraft	—	—	Daytime VFR	—	recreational and sport use
United Kingdom	Sub- Unregulated, Single seat deregulated, 2-seat regulated.	1-2	Several definitions, from 70 kg with full fuel to maximum weight at take-off	Daytime VFR	Licence not required for Sub-70 kg, NPPL licence required otherwise	Recreational. No paid work.
United States	ultralight aircraft	1	Empty weight of less than	Daylight hours	no license required	less than fuel capacity, empty weight of less than 254 pounds, a top speed of, and a maximum stall speed not exceeding. May only be flown over uncongested areas.
United States	light-sport aircraft	2	; for seaplanes.	Daytime VFR	sport pilot certificate	Max. Speed in Level Flight Max. Stall Speed Must have fixed landing gear, and a single engine with fixed pitch propeller.

File:Pegasus quantum 15-912 microlight g-byff kemble arp.jpg|thumb|Pegasus Quantum 145-912 ultralight trike
File:UltraflightLazairSeriesIII.jpg|thumb|Canadian Lazair ultralight covered in clear Mylar

Australia

In Australia, ultralight aircraft and their pilots can either be registered with the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia or Recreational Aviation Australia. In all cases, except for privately built single seat ultralight aeroplanes, microlight aircraft or trikes are regulated by the Civil Aviation Regulations.

Canada

United Kingdom

Pilots of a powered, fixed wing aircraft or paramotors do not need a licence, provided its weight with a full fuel tank is not more than, but they must obey the rules of the air.
For heavier microlights the current UK regulations are similar to the European ones, but helicopters and gyroplanes are not included.
Other than the very earliest aircraft, all two-seat UK microlights have been required to meet an airworthiness standard; BCAR Section S.
In 2007, Single Seat DeRegulated, a sub-category of single seat aircraft was introduced, allowing owners more freedom for modification and experiments. By 2017 the airworthiness of all single seat microlights became solely the responsibility of the user, but pilots must hold a microlight licence; currently NPPL.

New Zealand

Ultralights in New Zealand are subject to NZCAA General Aviation regulations with microlight specific variations as described in Part 103 and AC103-1.

United States

The United States FAA's definition of an ultralight is significantly different from that in most other countries and can lead to some confusion when discussing the topic. The governing regulation in the United States is FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles. In 2004, the FAA introduced the "Light-sport aircraft" category, which resembles some other countries' microlight categories. Ultralight aviation is represented by the United States Ultralight Association, which acts as the US aeroclub representative to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

Types

There are several categories of aircraft which qualify as ultralights in some countries:

Fixed-wing aircraft: traditional airplane-style designs.
Weight-shift control trike: use a hang glider-style wing, below which is suspended a three-wheeled carriage which carries the engine and aviators. These aircraft are controlled by pushing against a horizontal control bar in roughly the same way as a hang glider pilot flies.
Powered parachute: fuselage-mounted engines with parafoil wings, which are wheeled aircraft.
Powered paraglider: backpack engines with parafoil wings, which are foot-launched.
Powered hang glider: motorized foot-launched hang glider harness.
Autogyro: rotary wing with fuselage-mounted engine, a gyrocopter is different from a helicopter in that the rotating wing is not powered, the engine provides forward thrust and the airflow through the rotary blades causes them to autorotate or "spin up" thereby creating lift.
Helicopter: there are a number of single-seat and two-place helicopters which fall under the microlight categories in countries such as New Zealand. However, few helicopter designs fall within the more restrictive ultralight category defined in the United States of America.
Hot air balloon: there are numerous ultralight hot air balloons in the US, and several more have been built and flown in France and Australia in recent years. Some ultralight hot air balloons are hopper balloons, while others are regular hot air balloons that carry passengers in a basket.