25 January 2017
The Belite Pipper light sport aircraft launched today at the US Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida will be coming to the UK as a single-seat deregulated aircraft (SSDR) costing under £10,000 for the basic airframe.
UK agents Metal Seagulls plans to have the airframe on show at this year’s Popham Microlight Trade Fair on 29-30 April.
The Belite Pipper was launched as a two-seat light sport aircraft at the Sebring show, but Metal Seagulls’ Jonathan and Patricia Porter see it as an ideal candidate as a single-seat, deregulated airframe. It may also be developed as a two-seat microlight.
“When the SSDR concept was launched, it was aimed at helping to bring innovation to the marketplace, leading to new designs coming to market at lower costs,” said Patricia. “Now, we can see a real application of the concept being used in meeting needs and inspiring development – not only in the UK, but throughout Europe.”
The design concept for the Belite Pipper came from Belite boss James Wiebe and his team. James said, “With my years of learning about what it takes to make a light plane quick to build, strong and affordable for the owner, I set my sights on developing an aircraft that comes with a high level of accuracy in parts production, and good repeatability in the build process.
“The more I aimed for, the more I realised that my many years of building planes had given me the perfect pipper to set my sights with… so the plane was called the Pipper!” (Pipper is the centre of a ring gunsight). James expects to make the first flight of the factory Belite Pipper in March.
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