Ultralight Aircraft - The Ultimate in Freedom of Flight

In my humble opinion, flying ultralight aircraft is one of the last bastions of true freedom-of-flight that exists today.

Not to be confused with the newly FAA blessed Light Sport Aircraft which requires certification of both the aircraft and the person flying it, flying ultralights - or microlights as they are sometimes called especially in parts of Europe - requires no real training or pilot certification by the FAA.

Now, am I advocating just jumping in and taking off without any kind of training or instruction???

Absolutely not!

After all, this web site is all about flight training. Right?

Obviously, for anyone to be able to safely fly any aircraft, there needs to be some training. Again, no certification is required, but certification or not, crashing one of these beautiful birds into the ground or someone's house is certainly not the best way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Ultralight Trainers

Ultralight trainers are ultralight aircraft with two seats built for the specific purpose of providing flight training for those desiring to learn to fly ultralights. Although for the most part, these two place ultralights will be phased into the Light Sport Aircraft category of the Federal Aviation Regulations, there are three national organizations which have received training exemptions for the two place trainers. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the United States Ultralight Association (USUA) and the Aero Sports Connection (ASC).

Although there is no specific requirement for a pilot license to fly these wonderful birds, ultralight enthusiasts take their responsibility to be safe and proficient pilots seriously and adhere to a strict code of safety guidelines set forth in both part 103 of the Federal Aviation Regulations and the policies and guidelines of the EAA, USUA and the ASC. Self-regulated flying of ultralights has been proven to be a successful ideal ever since they began to appear on the scene in the 1970s.

Where to Train

One of the best ways to see if ultralight flying is for you is to take an introductory tandem flying lesson at a nearby flying club or airfield. There are many of these scattered around the country and are usually located outside of urban areas since Federal Aviation Regulation prohibit the flying of ultralights over densely populated areas. For a directory of pilot training schools, see All-About-Ultralights.com, a web site dedicated specifically to providing information about ultralight aircraft flying.

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