Flight Design customers have started taking delivery of the new fuel-injected CTLSi powered by the Rotax 912 iS introduced earlier this year. Several CTLSi LSAs are already spread across the U.S., from the Northeast, where the shipments from Germany arrive, to Florida, the Midwest and the West Coast.
The CTLSi is easy to spot because of a cowl redesign that was required with the installation of the new engine. Other upgrades include standard electric trim, a more powerful alternator, an improved battery and a one-gallon increase in the fuel capacity — which doesn’t sound like much but does make a difference in an engine with a fuel burn of a little more than four gph.
With these changes, the two-place CTLSi costs $12,500 more and weights 22 pounds more than the CTLS. However, Flight Design’s Director of Business Development, Global Sales and Marketing, John Doman said that the benefits associated with the fuel-injected engine should lead to lower maintenance costs.
Flight Design also says early flights suggest smoother operations and easier starts, and Rotax claims a 21-percent improvement in fuel economy with the 912 iS versus the ULS version of the engine. With only a few CTLSi LSAs flying, Flight Design has not been able to verify this number. Like the Rotax 912 ULS, the 912 iS can run on 100LL, auto gas or a mixture of both.
The CTLS with the Rotax 912 ULS engine will continue to be offered, but with so many improvements, Flight Design expects the CTLSi to be very popular. Doman said customers have ordered the CTLSi exclusively since its introduction earlier this year.
