The Zenith CH 750 STOL is an example of a popular E/AB kit airplane that can be flown with a sport pilot certificate. [Photo: Zenith Aircraft].
Key Takeaways:
While initially expected to be affordable, new factory-built Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs) have become expensive due to advanced features, making building an experimental/amateur-built (E/AB) kit airplane the primary affordable alternative for recreational pilots.
Zenith Aircraft, a leading manufacturer, specifically designs its E/AB kits for ease of assembly by first-time builders using simple tools, focusing on approachable designs ideal for recreational flying.
Building an E/AB kit offers significant cost savings, potentially 50% compared to a factory-built LSA, with costs spread over time and builders having control over customization, supported by workshops, online communities, and EAA resources.
Back in 2004 when the FAA created the light sport regulations and the sport pilot certificate, it flooded the general aviation community with optimism that we’d soon see much more affordable GA airplanes coming to market. There was talk of many new models that could be bought brand new for under $100,000.
That was then, and this is now.
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Dan Pimentel is an instrument-rated private pilot and former airplane owner who has been flying since 1996. As an aviation journalist and photographer, he has covered all aspects of the general and business aviation communities for a long list of major aviation magazines, newspapers and websites. He has never met a flying machine that he didn’t like, and has written about his love of aviation for years on his Airplanista blog. For 10 years until 2019, he hosted the popular ‘Oshbash’ social media meetup events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
