Light sport.

David MacRay · Mon Mar 31, 2025 1:43 am

What’s the Canadian equivalent, or do we just go from regular planes to ultralights?

I believe if I were to go in the light sport direction, though I doubt I can, I would likely try to get some sort of cub like unit.

This scaled down 182 clone is pretty interesting.

https://www.rtaviationllc.com/aeropilot

Slick Goodlin · Mon Mar 31, 2025 1:18 pm

Advanced Ultralight (AULA) is as close as you’re getting on our side of the border. The good news is that unlike a LSA they can cross that border as long as the pilot is licensed. Far as I know LSAs aren’t allowed up here.

David MacRay · Mon Mar 31, 2025 9:30 pm

I figured they would make it over complicated and add layers of bureaucracy.

Maybe one day flight training units might be able to use less expensive planes, except they won’t be less expensive.

Slick Goodlin · Mon Mar 31, 2025 11:42 pm

Seems to me that you can do a bunch with a UL permit and a pax rating and a AULA.

For example the Fisher Dakota Hawk qualifies as a AULA and they’re a handsome and normal little airplane. It’s probably the sort of airplane they were looking at when LSA was written. Seems like most of them are built with little Continental engines and while I’ve never seen one with the wings folded, the strut mounting suggests it’s at least an option so you can potentially share a hangar and save a little on your fixed costs.

Last summer I was looking at a brand new one, never flown that was built by a world class violin maker. The workmanship is out of this world and you could probably talk the guy down to $20k. Take a partner on the thing and each of you are in it for about what a five year old golf cart will set you back, except you now have access to the sky.