Company Says Airplane Will Help Make Aviation Accessible, Affordable

The first production e-Go microlight airplane has rolled off the production line and been delivered to its new owner.

The e-Go is manufactured in Conington, Cambridge in the U.K. The single-place airplane is powered by a Wankel rotary engine that can be fueled with regular unleaded auto gas. And because it tips the scales with a MTOW of 595 pounds, it qualifies as a deregulated aircraft in the U.K.

According to the e-Go website, the airplane is designed to accommodate a pilot that weighs up to 242 pounds. The seat is fixed in the fuselage, but exchangeable seat cushions and adjustable pedals allow a pilot up to 6'4" to fly the airplane.

The airplane has a service ceiling of 10,000 feet, and can get off the ground in under 600 feet. It cruises at 90 knots with a range of 330 miles. The e-Go will carry about 33 pounds of luggage.

Other features include:

• full glass cockpit (a large screen that gives you flight instruments, engine monitoring, check lists and navigation) integrated into the e-Go
• integrated ventilation and de-misting system
• integrated flight simulation system (yes, sit in your e-Go in the hangar and fly!)
• easily removed wings and canard, and an optional e-Go trailer.
• transition training at e-Go aeroplanes. This includes a briefing on the flight characteristics of the e-Go, supervised transition training on the simulator and monitoring by an instructor for your initial flights
• ready-to-fly
• exempt from any annual permit fees

Gizmag reports that at the delivery ceremony, the 70 invited guests were treated to a flying display from test pilot Keith Dennison. The airplane is stressed to +4 and -2 Gs.

The factory-produced microlight airplane is available for under $71,000.

(Images provided by e-Go)

FMI: www.e-goaeroplanes.com