Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - We have an Answer to Our Question and it is a FLPHG!

Earlier this month I posted some screen shots of a strange looking microlight aircraft from Japan and I put the question out if any similar craft had been in New Zealand.  The link to that post is HERE

Blog reader and my mate Erwin Weber reckoned he had seen a Youtube video several years ago of something similar flying at the North end of Orewa Beach, and then he forwarded the link to the video to me - have a look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpC9wHuMnT4

It turns out that this machine is a Mosquito from Swedish Aerosport mated to a Lightspeed hang glider wing to become a FLPHG (Foot Launched Powered Hang Glider).  It is powered by a 120 cc 2 stroke Husqvarna engine that produces 16 HP and that drives a pusher propeller.  You can see the layout in the photo above which is just after the point of take off, and see more detail in the screenshot below:

Also in this shot you can see the tops of the 2 legs that hang down to stop the prop hitting the ground.

In this screenshot you can see that after a flight the propeller is folded back (and the motor is stopped) for landing.  This is important because if there is still thrust on landing it will be too much for the pilot to hold and the machine will nose over.  This happens on one of the flights on the video, and we have also found another video of a similar machine nosing over at a Waitohi flyin - to the cheers of the onlookers!

However I am informed that a FLPHG is considered to be a hang glider and not a microlight, and thus comes under the Hang Gliding regulations and does not need to be registered with the CAA.

Can anyone add anything more to this story?


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