LSAs Can Handle the Long Legs of an ‘Earthrounder’ Flight

Pilots have circled the globe several times in modified aircraft.

Friday, May 06, 2022 at 09:08 AM ET

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Pilots from Sling Aircraft factory fly a heavily-modified Sling 2 LSA on their 2009 earthrounder flight. [Courtesy: Sling]

Key Takeaways:

Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs), despite their typically limited fuel capacity, have successfully completed around-the-world flights, challenging the common perception of their capabilities for such journeys.
Sling Aircraft successfully executed two globe-circumnavigation missions (in 2009 and 2015) using heavily modified LSAs, which involved significantly increasing fuel tankage and leveraging the low fuel consumption of Rotax 912 engines.
Pilot Zara Rutherford also completed a record-breaking solo global flight in an LSA-comparable Shark ultralight, further demonstrating that with extensive modifications, thorough flight planning, efficient engines, and strong ground support, LSA circumnavigation is achievable.

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If you go on the Earthrounders.com website and search for completed globe circumnavigations by single-engine aircraft, you will see plenty of Cessna Caravans, Pilatus PC-12s, Beech Bonanzas, Mooneys, and Piper Saratogas, Cherokee Sixes, and Malibus. With their massive useful loads, these airplanes were able to easily tanker the extra fuel needed to safely transition the longest over-ocean legs of such a journey.

What you will not see are very many light sport airplanes.