Flight Design of Germany has modified its best-selling CTSW design to create the CTLS and debuted the new aircraft at the US Sport Aviation show in Sebring, Florida. The "nose-to-tail upgrades" include an enlarged cabin and a modified, more forgiving composite spring landing gear. Full-size wind tunnel tests and flight evaluations aided the complete reworking of the new aircraft's aerodynamic qualities. The engine installation and fuel system have been reworked, and new construction materials have improved durability and outside weather resilience.
Inside, new seats fit inside a cabin redesigned for extra space and larger windows that reduces interior noise level compared to the original.
On 8 January the CTLS was certified as a Special Light Sport Aircraft, meeting ASTM standards and the German BFU/LTF-UL rule.
Production of the CTSW will continue. That aircraft has given Flight Design the leading share of the US light sport market since the LSA category was introduced three years ago. Today it holds 20% of the market, with 226 CTs flying. It is also a market leader in Europe following first production in June 1997. Flight Design has been manufacturing for 21 years and more than 1,000 of its aircraft are flying in 25 countries.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
