This is a fantastic video of the Challenger Ultralight. It really captures the beauty of flying and will surely inspire the most suborn landlubber to take flight. Keep watching till the end when the the pilot lands the Challenger in the water!
The challenger ultralight is one of the most well known ultralight planes. There are over 3500 challengers flying around the worlds’ skies and and this large number of users in turn encourage more pilots to buy this plane as there is a large user and support network, which is very useful with such a ‘challenging’ hobby.
The challenger ultralight plane is reliable and versatile. It can use skis and amphibious floats as well as the standard wheels and it also can be flown all year round, the engine has no requirement for preheating.
The challenger Ultralight has been around for 25 years, during which time it has has advanced a lot. The latest Challenger Ultralight II plane can fly 30mph faster than its predecessor and it can take off from the run way (or “fun way” as I like to call it) more quickly and ascend faster too. The handling is more precise and the cockpit is bigger. The noise of the plane is also reduced and its appearance has been improved too (of course that’s subjective, but I’m yet to meet someone who thinks the latest model looks worse!). You can even remove the doors for the hotter days.
Despite being tough, the Challenger Ultralight is still susceptible to damage like all aircraft are. Riding over bumpy landing zones takes its toll, as do so do rust, mud and rain. For this reason pre-flight safety checks are very important.
Price wise the Challenger is competitive at $14,000 - $18,000, or if you buy a used plane you will be looking at $4000-$5000.
I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments about this wonderful ultralight plane.