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16 Vol.4 No.2 / Februar y 2015
THE AEROLITE 103 ULTRALIGHT
couple of the N-numbered Aerolites in the U.S. registry are listed
as having the 52-hp Rotax 503 engine. Weight is not a problem
for them as design gross weight is 600 pounds.
FOUR-CYCLE V-T WIN POSSIBLE
At Sun 'n Fun 2014, Dennis displayed a modifi ed four-cycle V-twin
Briggs and Stratton engine, one of two that came with the pur-
chase of the company. The original 22-hp engine is modifi ed to
run 4200 rpm and produce 32 hp. A German company has been
building this conversion for at least 10 years for powered paraglid-
ers and light trikes. The engine is 19 pounds heavier than the Hirth
F-33, coming in at 71 pounds with starter and reduction, not in-
cluding prop and prop fl ange. Dennis reports the Aerolite 103 fl ies
fi ne with the Briggs. He gets 190 pounds of thrust swinging a 60-
inch prop. To make legal weight with the V-twin, the Aerolite must
have nylon wheels, no wheelpants, and a few less options. The
four-cycle Briggs engines are now being modifi ed in the United
States. An active motorsports community builds these engines for
drag-racing garden tractors. The original top-wing engine mount
seen at Sun 'n Fun 2014 has been replaced with a below-the-wing
mounting with a lighter and more refi ned reduction drive.
The Aerolite 103 is now available in European Union
countries as the
Aerolite 120 , so named because of the new
120-kilogram (264-pound) empty weight limit proposed in
German regulations. Germany and the United Kingdom have
implemented measures similar to our FAR 103. The slightly
modifi ed Aerolite 120 for the German market was displayed at
AERO Friedrichshafen 2014. It will be manufactured here in
the United States, with fi nal assembly overseas. More details
can be found in an April 12 report from AERO 2014 archived at
www.ByDanJohnson.com .
The cost of a ready-to-fl y, test-fl own Aerolite 103 is $16,790
with electric fl aps, electric start, four-point harness, two-blade
wood prop, and full instrumentation. For more details about an
ultralight that has just about everything you could want, go to
www.UFlyIt.com . See Dennis Carley in this YouTube video interview
at Sun 'n Fun 2013. The fl ying footage in that fi lm is with designer
Terry Raber fl ying the Aerolite at AirVenture. Get more Aerolite 103
pictures and the latest news on the
Aerolite Facebook page .
Please send your comments and suggestions to
dangrunloh2@gmail.com .
Dan Grunloh, EAA 173888, is a retired scientist who began fl ying ultra-
lights and light planes in 1982. He won the 2002 and 2004 U.S. National
Microlight Championships in a trike and fl ew with the U.S. World Team in
two FAI World Microlight Championships.