Flight Design’s F2 Gets EASA Certification

The F2 first came into the U.S. under the light sport aircraft category. Credit: Flight Design

Flight Design announced on Friday the CS23 approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) of its two-seat F2 single-engine piston airplane, which is currently flying in the U.S. under the light sport category.

“We couldn’t be happier to see this important step for the F2 program, which ultimately will lead to the F4 four-seat version and the all-electric F2e,” said Matthias Betsch, head of the Flight Design design organization and creator of the F Series and many of its advanced concepts.

The F2-CS23 is the next step in Flight Design’s “Vision Zero” concept, which brings together a number of passive and active safety systems into an aircraft design, toward the goal that “zero occupants” would face injury during a serious incident or accident.

The systems include:

A passive stall and spin resistant airframe design
An airframe emergency parachute system
AMSAFE airbags and inertial reel harnesses
Garmin ESP (electronic stability and envelope protection)
A robust occupant-protective enclosure for the pilot and passengers
Automatic fuel management
A combined throttle and brake lever and a car-like atmosphere

“We are very pleased to see the F2 EASA CS-23 certified,” said Flight Design general aviation CEO Daniel Guenther. “This is an important milestone for our business and a tribute to the hard work by the F2 design team and our different businesses within Flight Design general aviation.”

The FS-CS23 features modern aerodynamic design to enhance low-speed handling and stall resistance. Credit: Flight Design

Flying the F2

FLYING tested the F2 in a “We Fly” feature, “Flight Design F2: An All-Around Composite Treat,” in the Jan+Feb 2021 issue.

The fuel-injected 100 hp Rotax 912iS powers the F2, behind a DUC certified propeller. The instrument panel features a Garmin G3X suite, with a two-axis autopilot, GTR 225 comm, and a GTX 345 with ADS-B in the U.S.

Further upgrades include:

A standby Garmin G5 electronic instrument
GTN 650XI or 750XI nav/com
Leather seats
Beringer wheels and brakes
Whelen lighting

The F2-CS23 follows onto the F2-LSA, which began deliveries to the U.S. in early 2021.

Julie BoatmanContributor

Based in Maryland, Julie Boatman is an aviation educator and author. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate with Douglas DC-3 and CE510 (Citation Mustang) type ratings. She's a CFI/CFII since 1993, specializing in advanced aircraft and flight instructor development.