Today’s Top Pick is a 2002 Kitfox Series 5.

The Kitfox is nearly as much of a classic, fixture, or legend in the experimental category as the J-3 Cub is among traditional factory-built aircraft. And while not as old as the Cub, the Kitfox has been around for a long time.

Introduced in 1984 as a kit, the side-by-side two-seater has developed in several series and has sold in the thousands. This Series 5 model was larger than previous Kitfoxes, was meant to carry more weight, and give builders the option of installing engines designed for certified airplanes. The airplane for sale here has a 100 HP Rotax 912.

One reason the Kitfox has lasted so long on the fickle market is because of its impressive STOL performance and ability to climb and cruise quickly enough to be a practical traveler. Two people really can get around in this aircraft and, with takeoff and landing rolls of less than 300 feet, it can introduce pilots to exciting, out-of-the-way places.

For decades the Kitfox has been a standard for small amateur-built backcountry aircraft. It has certain features that set it apart, including full-span flaperons that enhance control response at low speeds. Large doors made of clear plastic, a generous windshield, and expansive skylight roof give pilots exceptional visibility in the air and a better view of reference points while operating on the ground.

This 2002 Kitfox has 1,782 hours on the airframe and 289 hours on its Rotax 912 engine and Whirlwind propeller. The engine is equipped with a power-boosting Zipper Big Bore kit. The aircraft also comes with 29-inch bush wheels, Acme shocks, and a new “dually” tailwheel.

Pilots looking for a light, powerful aircraft tailored for effective backcountry travel should consider this 2002 Kitfox Series 5, which is available for $98,900 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: There Are No Rules in Bush Flying
• FLYING Magazine: Kitplanes for Africa Bush Planes Are Big. Really Big.
• FLYING Magazine: STOL Invitational at Oshkosh Draws SRO Crowds
• Kitplanes: Kitfox Celebrates 40, Too
• The Aviation Consumer: Kitfox LSA: Taildragger or Trike?
• AVweb: AirVenture 2023: The Kitfox Muscles Up With the Rotax 916

The post This 2002 Kitfox Series 5 Is a Backcountry-Ready ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2007 Fantasy Air Allegro LSA.

The arrival 20 years ago of the FAA regulations establishing the LSA category sparked a wave of new aircraft designs in the U.S. from established manufacturers and a number of startups. The new rules also opened the door to many aircraft that already were on the market in other countries, such as the Fantasy Air Allegro for sale here.

Designed and built in the Czech Republic, the Allegro had an established following and a reputation for quality that attracted prospective business partners in the U.S. Arranging to import complete, ready-to-fly LSAs such as the Allegro looked like a faster route to market than starting an aircraft business from scratch. While that theory made sense, the process of bringing the Allegro to the U.S. market was complicated and lengthy. Still, the aircraft has sold well with pilots who want an LSA with strong performance for the category and the ability to travel cross-country with reasonable comfort and speed.

The Allegro’s fuselage is built with Kevlar-reinforced composite around a steel-framed cockpit. Its wing and tail are aluminum. As LSAs go, the Allegro is known for its relatively roomy two-seat cabin and engaging, sporty flight characteristics. The airplane can climb at 1,000 fpm and cruise at more than 100 mph while burning about 3.5 gph.      

This 2007 Allegro has 375 hours since new on the airframe and its 80 hp Rotax 912 engine. The aircraft holds 16.5 gallons of usable fuel and can operate on 100LL or automotive gasoline. Its basic “steam gauge” panel includes a Garmin 396 GPS and a transponder with ADS-B Out.     

Pilots interested in owning a light sport aircraft with impressive climb performance and good cross-country cruise speeds should consider this 2007 Fantasy Air Allegro, which is available for $55,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Avionics for Your LSA
• FLYING Magazine: Pilots, Aircraft Manufacturers Connect as Midwest LSA Expo Opens
• Plane & Pilot: Allegro LSA: Fly, She Said
• Plane & Pilot: Allegro 2000: Light Sport and Fun!
• AVweb: Video: Allegro Comes to the U.S.
• AVweb: LSA Update — Allegro Moves to Oregon; New Online Tool Helps Shoppers
• AVweb: Sport Pilot: An Option for Seniors

The post This 2007 Fantasy Air Allegro LSA Is a Performance-Minded ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Though we’ve answered the question in the pages of FLYING over and over through the years, we’re truly at a crossroads as we begin 2023. While real alternative power sources—such as electric motors enabled by evolving battery solutions or liquid hydrogen—remain firmly in test mode, for the first time since the jet engine debuted, pilots can find new technology in both piston and turbine powerplants in operation on the flight line today.

Under the cowl of light sport aircraft, you’ll find a wide range of economical and lightweight engines, including the Rotax 912 series. The Austrian OEM has moved into heavier aircraft with its 915 series, going faster and higher than previous models. Continental has developed its “Continental Diesel” or CD series of jet-A-powered engines for piston singles, bringing increasing horsepower with each step up the ladder.

Diamond Aircraft has also led the game, with the Austro series for its singles and twins. Lycoming has taken amore traditional approach with the IO-390 models—but works extensively with innovators such as CubCrafters and other third-party skunkworks to tune its powerplants precisely for backcountry missions.

Pratt & Whitney continues its leadership in efficient, reliable turboprop-driven power with the PT6E line, which debuted in the Pilatus PC-12 and is now delivering a new level of operational data in the Daher TBM 960. Finally, GE Aerospace’s clean-sheet Catalyst is flying on the testbed Beechcraft Denali—and is focused towards certification.

Rotax 915 Series

Producing a maximum of 141 hp and max continuous at 5,500 rpm of 135 hp, the four-cylinder, liquid- and air-cooled 915 series engine from Rotax represents how the company has evolved its offerings for light aircraft over the past decades—though it’s been around since 1920.

With a gear reduction box similar to that on Rotax’s familiar 912 series—and the addition of a turbocharger—the 915iS and 915iSC deliver healthy support for a larger aircraft’s electrical system as well as a service ceiling up to 23,000 feet msl. TBO remains on the low end compared to traditional piston engines—1,200 hours—but redundant fuel injection and ignition offer more peace of mind than others.

Continental CD Series

Continental Aerospace Technologies certificated the first of its series of diesel powerplants in 2006 with the CD 135 for light GA aircraft—but the history of the series goes back further, to the Centurion 1.7, first certified under EASA in 2002. The CD 135 weighs the same as the 1.7 (295.4 pounds), but improves it significantly. The CD 135 (at 135 hp) and its more powerful version, the CD 155 (at 155 hp), hold FAA type certification in the Cessna 172 and the PA-28, while the CD 155 can go into the DA40 TDi model—originally certificated with the CD 135—upon overhaul.

Austro E4 Series

Diamond Aircraft initially delivered its DA42 Twin Star with Theilert diesel powerplants on board when it debuted in 2002—and then had to suspend production when Theilert went out of business. The result? The pivot to the Austro AE 300, manufactured inhouse, and what Diamond now brands the E4 piston engine series, powering the DA42 IV. The four-cylinder, two-liter AE 300 produces 168 hp (123.5 kW) max continuous power, and Diamond began deliveries with it in 2009. The AE330 brings more power to the DA62—180 hp (132kW)—at the same weight (410 pounds). Both use a range of kerosene-based fuels, including jet-A-1, jet-A, and JP-8.

Lycoming 300 and IE2 Series

Lycoming Engines form the backbone of the piston single and twin fleet—but the company has managed to innovate into the 21st century as well. The company debuted the IO-390 line in 2018, which you can now find under the cowling of American Champion aircraft, at 210 hp, or the Cirrus SR20, at 215 hp. Now, the flagship of its offerings for piston singles is the iE2 series, featuring electronic ignition actuated with a single button to start.

Pratt & Whitney PT6E Series

Pratt & Whitney’s PT6 turboprop engines come in just about every flavor you could want for your single- or multiengine mount. But the Canadian OEM keeps pushing the lever forward, and in 2019 debuted the first of its PT6E series in the Pilatus PC-12 NGX. That variant brought the first dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system (EPECS) to the GA turboprop market. The PT6E-67XP’s thermodynamic rating of 1,845 shp—and 1,200 shp max—provide the lift and capability required for the PC-12’s utility and executive missions.

GE Catalyst

In development in the Czech Republic since the mid-2010s, the GE Aerospace Catalyst (originally the GE93 or Advanced Turboprop) targeted the Beechcraft Denali, a single-engine turboprop announced first by Cessna, and then Textron Aviation. Now deep into its on-aircraft testing phase, the clean-sheet design is producing the predicted 1,300 shp—with a significant reduction in parts and complexity over the PT6 series that it challenges.

This article was originally published in the February 2023 Issue 934 of FLYING.

The post Propelled by a New Power appeared first on FLYING Magazine.