Flight Design CTLS
This coming spring, Germany-based LSA manufacturer Flight Design will begin offering a “European Adventure” delivery option on new aircraft purchases. Similar in flavor to what some European automakers offer to their customers, Flight Design’s program includes a scenic, guided tour in the airplane facilitated by experienced, multi-lingual pilots who handle all the local details, allowing the customer to get to know his or her new airplane while enjoying the scenery.
After the tour, Flight Design will ship the aircraft back to the United States, or even help the buyer plan to fly it home across the Atlantic. While general aviation pilots have crossed the Atlantic in single-engine airplanes many times, few have done so in light sport aircraft or ultralights. (In a two-year, multi-stage journey that began in 1989, Eppo Harbrink Numan flew his single-place, weight-shift trike from his home in Holland to New York City.)
Flight Design did not quote a price for the European delivery or outline a suggested itinerary for the fly-it-home-yourself option, but the company stated in a press release that additional details will be coming soon. The Flight Design CTLS features the 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS engine and a total fuel capacity of 34 gallons, with an advertised best-economy range of about five hours at 115 knots, with a one-hour reserve. The listed base price for the CTLS is $139,800, but avionics upgrades bring it up to around $150,000.
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