ASTM certification for the amphibious CTLS Floatplane was accepted by the FAA on Jan. 15, with the floatplane making its public debut at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., a week later. The company is now accepting orders for the CTLS Floatplane.
Flight Design USA distributor Airtime Aviation of Tulsa, Okla., in cooperation with Flight Design GmbH and Clamar Floats of Ontario, Canada, completed more than 150 hours of flight testing in preparation for the final approval. The certification process involved no changes to the basic CTLS airframe. “To certify the CTLS we had to replace the propeller with a slightly different model, but no structural changes were required,” said Airtime partner Tom Gutmann. “We added a gear position indicator and the water rudder handle along with a split brake handle to allow for castoring steering on the ground.”
Clamar’s 1400 float series allows the CTLS to takeoff with a water run of only 15-20 seconds at full gross weight, he noted. The CTLS Floatplane cruises at 100 knots where the wheeled model achieves 115 knots. Airtime is continuing development and offers a straight float (non-amphibious) version. Useful load for the CTLS Lite with the amphibious floats is 500 pounds.
“The Clamar floats match the structure and the feel of the Flight Design planes,” noted Tom Peghiny, president of importer Flight Design USA. Pricing has been set at $39,900, plus the prop exchange. This price means that it would be possible for a customer to buy a new CTLS Lite plus amphibious floats for $161,895 in ready-to-fly form. Owners may add the Clamar floats to existing CTLS aircraft.
“We are accepting orders effective immediately and we can start customer deliveries in less than 60 days,” observed John Gilmore, national sales manager for Flight Design USA.
For more information: FlightDesignUSA.com
