Originally Posted by
Jan Olieslagers
Steve,
Microlights are very nice indeed, but do be aware of their limitations!
* never fly after dark, let alone on instruments. Day VFR is all you get.
* being ultra light, you will be ultra shaken in turbulence, even over a wood on a hot day
* you can take a passenger, but depending on how the two of you are built you will be limited on fuel, and even more on luggage. Really not a travelling machine for two.
I would only recommend it if you can live with these limitations AND if you can avail of the big advantage of doing your own maintenance - though I am not aware of the situation in UK. Seems some PPL'ers can now do a fair deal of maintenance too.
Keep us posted, and good luck! Fly safe!
There is a lot of truth in what you say but if you still have an Apollo Fox, which with a MAUW of 450kg would be classed as a microlight in the UK, I am a little surprised to see you pointing this out!
Even considerably heavier light aircraft on a permit, like my Kitfox 5 (MAUW 635kg), can be subject to the same " restrictions" but this does not stop one doing some serious travelling like Scotland to Germany or to Switzerland and back! However, as you point out, you ought to be prepared to do some (or preferably most) of you own maintenance. This is what makes a BMAA or LAA permit aircraft much more affordable than a Cessna etc in the UK.