European Aviation Safety Agency Issues Design Organization Approval

Leinfelden-Echterdingen, GERMANY / 13 January 2011 — Flight Design GmbH, creator and builder of the best selling CT-series of Light-Sport Aircraft, earned Design Organization Approval (DOA) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to pursue Type Certification of Aircraft with EASA for non-complex aircraft up to 1.200 kilograms (2,640 pounds) MTOW.

The EASA approval included Flight Design divisions involved with the production in Kherson, Ukraine plus final assembly and flight testing in Kamenz, Germany. Flight Design is also the leading seller of Light-Sport Aircraft in the United States.

With EASA approval Flight Design may now conduct the type investigation for a new aircraft certification without further checking by EASA; the agency can accept the compliance findings of the company. Flight Design is also approved to make major and minor changes to the airframe, and to approve minor changes without direct EASA involvement.

Using its new DOA privileges, Flight Design can complete the Type Certification process of the CTLS-ELA. Design Organization Approval is very helpful to obtain a Type Certificate (RTC) under European aviation legislation. This approval also creates the required basis for future development of the company with upcoming projects to enlarge the product envelope of Flight Design.

Having filed application in January 2009, Flight Design earned full approval in exactly two years, an aggressive timeframe compared to the time period normally expected.

“I want to thank Flight Design Technical Director, Oliver Reinhardt, and all involved colleagues and supporters, inside and outside our organization, for the great work done. The team has worked with great effort to reach this goal with a superior level of professionalism,”  reported Flight Design CEO, Matthias Betsch. “We would like to give special thanks to Mrs. Carmella Bosso, who ran our application as Design Organization Team Leader. Mrs. Bosso provided competent and cooperative work in coordination with her EASA team throughout the approval process. We have again learned EASA is working in a dedicated manner and is clearly results oriented.”

Flight Design is a 24-year-old air-sport products producer based in Germany. The company remains the worldwide market leader thanks to its well-received CT series of light aircraft. More than 1,500 of these aircraft are flying in 39 countries. One of the first aircraft certified under ASTM International standards in 2005, the CT (“composite technology”) remains the top-selling LSA in America through six consecutive years. Flight Design sold the first LSA to India and was the first LSA to earn Chinese Type Design Approval. Three times a CT has been flown around the world.