Largest Single-Brand LSA Gathering

South Woodstock, Conn. / June 5, 2007 — With Flight Design the leading brand of Light-Sport Aircraft, the company’s CT has inspired customer groups so that owners may share techniques and assist one another. As their numbers grow, regions are expected to have CT fly-in events and the first of these occurred in May 2007.

The first U.S. national CT Fly-in was held in McMinnville Oregon, 40 miles south of Portland. The Fly-in was sponsored and hosted by Roger Heller, a CT owner and founder of the on-line www.CTflyers.com discussion group. The gathering was attended by 13 CTs and by other CT owners who flew via airliners from as far away as New York City and Texas. It also drew support from western states distributor Flight Design West, based near Reno, Nevada.

The Fly-in provided an opportunity for Flight Design West mechanical guru Tom Dunham to perform field maintenance while Flight Design U.S. importer Tom Peghiny and German manufacturer representative Oliver Reinhardt assisted CT owners with adjustments and listened to their suggestions. Ron Ulbrich from Dynon Avionics gave a seminar to the group, many of whose airplanes carry his company’s glass-panel instrumentation. Flight Design West owner, John Dunham, noted, “Such technical support cause fly-ins like this to generate a lot of customer satisfaction and builds brand loyalty.”

Host Roger Heller arranged a reception dinner for 75 persons under the wing of Howard Hughes’ famous Spruce Goose. As a part of the evening a raffle drawing was held in which Flight Design West gave away a new Garmin 296 GPS; composite cleaning specialists Composiclean added a CT finish care kit. Ted Linham, a CT Owner from Tucson, Arizona, won the GPS.

Dunham reported that many demo flights were given to attending pilots contemplating purchase of the popular model and owners enjoyed a lot of camaraderie. Every morning for three days a group of CT owners flew out to breakfast at local airports.
The Fly-in was a great success by all accounts, and plans are underway for a second Fly-in next year. John Dunham reported, “CT owners who attended were very impressed with the quality and depth of company support.” He also added his own appreciation for Roger Heller’s organization work.

Flight Design reports nearly 1,000 aircraft delivered since the CT’s introduction in 1997. Approximately 175 CTs have been registered as special light-sport aircraft in the USA. The 98% carbon fiber, two-place CT features a 49-inch wide cabin and 671 pounds of useful load. It is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912S engine and equipped with a BRS ballistic parachute as standard equipment. With a top speed of 120 knots, CT economy cruises at 112 knots, stalls at 39 knots, and can fly over 1,000 miles nonstop. To learn more about the CT, visit Flight Design USA headquarters in Woodstock, Connecticut; call 860-963-7272; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.FlightDesignUSA.com, or visit a sales/service center.