Part 103 Airplanes

Sample Part 103 Airplanes   (Click on the picture to go to their website.)

	Aerolite 103	Kolb Tri-fly	Kolb Firefly
Purchase cost New   Used	$21,000 Also available as a kit for less $12,000+	$30,000 Also available as a kit for less $10,000+
Capabilities # of seats Cruising speed	1 63 mph	1 63 mph
Training FAA license needed Medical? Training cost Demo flight? Nearest instructor	None None $2,590 + travel Only in a similar Light Sport airplane Florida	None None $2,590 + travel Only in a similar Light Sport airplane Florida
Can I rent? During intial training To solo After license	Train in a similar Light Sport airplane n/a No No	Train in a similar Light Sport airplane n/a No No
Where to store it	Hangar	Hangar

As with all Part 103 aircraft — except for powered paragliders at some schools — there is no try-before-you-buy option. For insurance reasons, no instructor will let you solo in their airplane. You must own your own airplane to solo. Therefore:

1. You train in a similar 2-seat airplane.
2. You buy your Part 103 airplane.
3. You make your first solo flight in your own Part 103 airplane.

For instruction and demo flights, see our Instructors page.

Further Information

• Aircraft
  • Aerolite 103. From U-Fly-It in DeLand, FL. This is the most popular Part 103 airplane these days.
  • Kolb Firefly (and Trifly, the tricycle-gear version of the Firefly). This is more expensive than the Aerolite103 but with faster performance. Also, it's wings fold in 20 minutes for trailerability. (See a video of this.) Kolb has been around for years with an excellent reputation.
• Videos
  • Aerolite 103 to Oshkosh. 14-year-old Henry Scott flew an Aerolite 103 from Warrenton, VA, to Oshkosh in the summer of 2019. His father and sister were ground crew. Here's the story.