Improvement Brings LSA to Poland, Germany, & Hungary

Czech LSA manufacturer Direct Fly has given its low-wing, tricycle geared LSA an upgrade, with a bump to a max takeoff weight of 600kg.

The news comes after their Light Aircraft Association, their domestic aero regulator, approved the takeoff weight increase for the Alto NG. The change isn't anything too new for US buyers, since local Alto NG's are good to go at our full 1,320-pound max, but the approval does pave the way for the firm to begin selling the Alto NG in Poland, Germany, and Hungary. It's good news for those cross-shopping the Alto's newest iteration, providing them with another new-production, metallic aircraft on the market without having to cut weight down below the LSA limit of 1,320 lbs. The Czech type certificate does stipulate that the Alto NG's 600 kg MGTOW includes the Galaxy GRS Rescue System, a system which is an option stateside.

The Alto NG has already begun making inroads to the US market, since their American distributor, USAeroSports, began bringing them out here in 2022. Today, they've slowly ramped up imports, with more to come. It's a competitive market, as always, and with MOSAIC looming it remains to be seen just how successful a 2-seat LSA can be when it competes in the $150,000 price range, but it's a step in the right direction. The Alto is a sweet little flyer, and offers some pretty affordable running costs in a package that's just different enough from a garden variety kit plane that it could turn some eyebrows.

FMI: www.usaerosports.com