Challenger Ultra-Light Aircraft
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With gas prices so high, and climbing higher, flying a Challenger is the best bang for your buck! Challengers are the most economical 3 axis, 2 place aircraft flying today for following 3 reasons:
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To prove it we did the following intensive evaluation of two popular 2 place tandem seat aircraft used in Canada:
| 2 Place Comparison – Challenger 2 versus CF-18B You decide which aircraft best suits your needs and budget! |
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| Comparison Feature | Quad City Challenger 2* | Boeing CF-18B Hornet |
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| Crew | 1 or 2 | 1 or 2 |
| Seating | Tandem | Tandem |
| Empty Weight | 450 lbs | 23,000 lbs |
| Max Weight | 960 lbs | 51,550 lbs |
| Length | 20 ft | 56 ft |
| Wingspan | 29.5 ft | 40 ft |
| Wing Area | 166 sq ft | 400 sq ft |
| Max Speed | 100 mph | 1127 mph |
| Max Altitude | 14,000 ft | 50,000 ft |
| Climb Rate | 700 – 900 fpm | 50,000 fpm |
| Powerplant | 1 Rotax 503 or 582 | 2 x GE F404 Turbofans |
| Undercarriage | Fixed, Tricycle | Retractable, Tricycle |
| Optional Skis | Yes | No |
| Optional Floats | Yes | No** |
| Unit Cost | $35,000-45,000 | $35 million |
| Operating cost | $40 / hour*** | $14,000 / hour |
| Armament | Pilot’s tongue and sharp wit | Various missiles, bombs, 20mm cannon |
| *Equipped as Deluxe model with doors, heater, fibreglass wing tips, mid-wing gap cover and streamlined struts, nose cone, 15 gallon fuel tank, 6″ wheels with pants and brakes, streamlined fuselage mod, and well instrumented. | ||
| **CF-18B is available for service on water but requires purchase of Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Sold separately. Not available in Canada. | ||
| ***Cost per hour estimate for Challenger based on flying 50 hours per year, consuming 18 litres per hour of Mogas priced at $1.30/L, annual liability insurance premium of $513.00, annual maintenance parts cost of $350, annual licensing and medical fees of approximately $200. | ||
| Conclusion: It is clear from the above comparison that the Challenger is the winner if budget is your primary concern.(It is true what they say about retractables, they really do cost a lot more to maintain!) The CF18 certainly has the wow factor going for it, if you really want to impress your friends. But if that just is just too far above your cost range, maybe the Challenger with a 582 will suffice. |
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| Click here to find out what happens when an F18 meets a Challenger in aerial combat. | ||
| The Challenger is one of the easiest kit planes to build, even if you are not a technical whiz. All of the really hard stuff is done at the factory for you including the major structural assembly and the installation of the flight controls. These are the really critical and complex parts that require special jigs, heavy metal bending equipment and specialized technical training and know-how.
A standard Challenger kit is what many kit plane manufacturers call a quick build. Many kit planes that are purchased never get finished. The builder gets discouraged and loses interest because progress is much slower than they anticipated. Kit plane factory assembly times are notoriously optimistic and should always be doubled for a more realistic assembly time estimate. Some kit planes require the construction of many special jigs and fixtures as well as specialized and expensive tools. The Challenger kit is not like that. Many kit plane prices do not include the cost of the engine, engine mounts, muffler, PSRU (propeller speed reduction unit) and propeller. The price seems too good to be true! That’s because it is not true. The factory supplied Challenger kit, however, includes the engine, the motor mounts, the muffler, PSRU and the propeller. All are factory approved and tested. Unlike many kit planes on the market that take 800, 1000, 1500 hours or more to assemble, the Challenger takes much less. With the commonly ordered modifications such as doors, brakes, wheel pants, nose cone, radio and intercom, and a well equipped instrument panel, the assembly time for a Challenger is more like 400 – 500 hours for a first time builder. The Challenger can be assembled using common tools available at most hardware stores. This means that you will be flying and enjoying the plane much sooner and for much less money than if you selected a more complex kit. (For a realistic cost estimate for building a Challenger kit, see our Challenger Aircraft Construction Cost Estimate page.) Perhaps you realize that you do not have the time, the facilities, or the technical ability to build your own aircraft from a kit. The good news, though, is that there is an excellent and well established group of professional Challenger builders in place all over North America. In addition, because the Challenger is the most popular ultralight with the longest uninterrupted production, there are many companies and individuals that provide after market accessories and parts made specifically for the Challenger.
Lake Aviation is one such company. We provide builder assistance for Challenger owners in South East Ontario including Kingston, Napanee, Belleville, Port Hope, Cobourg, Peterborough, Perth, Smith’s Falls, Brockville, Gananoque and all places in between. We also supply accessories and parts to help an amateur aircraft builder put a plane together with the right parts and for a reasonable price. We can do this because we buy parts in bulk and repackage them in kit format based on our experience building Challengers. We ship these to ultralight aircraft builders all across North America. Check out our Challenger Accessories page for a listing of these products that will help you in building your new plane. |
 Challengers can often be seen frolicking with other popular aircraft.  The Summer of 2010 was busy for Lake Aviation with as many as 3 Challengers in the hangar. Above we have old faithful C-IRDL on the left, a newly completed Challenger 582 (center), and, on the left, another Challenger in for heavy maintenance.  This Challenger came to us needing heavy maintenance - we turned an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan  We custom build new Challengers like this one delivered in September 2010  We supply components for Challenger Ultralights like this custom built instrument panel Site Map |