A 2-Place Ultralight May Look Good But, In Fact, There Is No Such Thing

There are airplanes that have the appearance of an ultralight yet have 2 seats. However, an ultralight can only be a single place aircraft that qualifies under FAR 103. For a number of years the FAA used to allow certain 2-place ultralight trainers to be operated under an FAA exemption from certification, but they were never classified as ultralights.

Any airplane that can carry a pilot and a passenger must hold some sort of FAA certification, and there are airplanes that appear to be uncertified 2-place ultralights that actually do have FAA certification. One of these airplanes has recently been approved as a special light sport aircraft (S-LSA). Others may carry FAA certification as an experimental amateur built aircraft (E-AB) or an experimental light sport aircraft (E-LSA). A lot of the exempted ultralight trainers may still be around, but if they are not FAA certified, they are not legal to fly.

An example of an airplane that has the appearance of being an ultralight but actually holds FAA certification is being built by Quicksilver Aeronautics. This airplane is known as the “Sport S2SE” and may be certified as an E-AB, E-LSA, or an S-LSA. The nice thing about the sport S2SE is that it provides the fun and thrill of completely open cabin flying yet it has been built, tested and certified to the high standards that qualify it for S-LSA certification. Depending on the choice of certification selected by the customer, the cost of the Sport S2SE varies but even the factory built version is half the price of other S-LSA lower priced examples.

Here is a buyer beware warning: it is possible to see aircraft advertised for sale that look similar to the Quicksilver line of aircraft, but if they do not hold an FAA airworthiness certificate, they are not legal to fly.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.quicksilveraircraft.com