Light Aero Avid Flyer ![]() Light Aero Avid Flyer
Designed by Dean Wilson and introduced at Oshkosh ’83 with a gear reduction Cuyuna, the Avid Flyer is an easy-to-build kit taildragger or trike gear high-wing monoplane, with wings that fold for towing. Front wing spar pins are removable, and the rear spar and the bottom of the struts are on the same vertical line, so after quick removal of a light sheet metal centre section cover, all that’s necessary is the pulling of two pins and both wings pivot aft, without disconnecting any controls, to sit alongside the fuselage. In this condition it is narrow enough to be towed and, since the gear is based on bike wheels and brakes, it takes nothing more than a steel bar that clamps the bottom of the tail to a rear bumper, as it rolls on its own wheels.
Most of the gear components are the same on the tail dragger version which can be converted back and forth in a few hours.
The wing has full-span flaperons.
Light Aero Avid Light
The Avid Lite is in the microlight category. The fuselage is a welded steel spaceframe and the wings consist of two tubular spars linked by plywood ribs. Recommended power is a Rotax 582 as flight qualities suffer with higher power.
The 1983 Avid Flyer cruised at 80 mpg on 43 hp and the kit cost $8496.
![]() 1983 Avid Flyer
The Avid Litephib uses the same configuration as the Avid Lite, and allows water operation.
Engine: Rotax 532.
Avid Lite
Empty weight: 180 kg
Wing span: 9.10 m
Wing area: 13.5 sq.m
Fuel capacity: 53 lt
Certification: Vz
Engine: Rotax 503, 52 hp
MAUW: 431 kg
Seats: 2
Max speed: 145 kph
Cruise speed: 130 kph
Minimum speed: 56 kph
Climb rate: 5 m/s
Fuel consumption: 17 lt/hr
Kit price (1998): 130 750 Fttc
Avid Litephib
Empty weight: 272 kg
Wing span: 11 m
Wing area: 16.6 sq.m
Fuel capacity: 66 lt
Engine: Rotax 618, 74 hp
MAUW: 344 kg
Seats: 2
Max speed: 160 kph
Cruise speed: 120 kph
Minimum speed: 57 kph
Climb rate: 2.5 m/s
Fuel consumption: 17 lt/hr
Kit price (1998): 192 200 Fttc
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