Belite Aircraft
Belite Aircraft was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Wichita, Kansas and founded by James and Kathy Wiebe in 2009. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction and ready-to-fly complete aircraft under the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Fate | Out of business due to fire |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | James and Kathy Wiebe |
| Products | Ultralight aircraft |
| Owner | Belite Enterprises LLC |
| Website | www |
The company was formed to produce the Belite Aircraft Superlite, a derivative of the Kitfox Lite single-seat ultralight design. Belite extensively redesigned the aircraft to incorporate carbon fibre wings, struts, spars and ribs, lowering the empty weight to 245 lb (111 kg). They "...acquired the production rights to a previously designed aircraft, the Kitfox Lite" and they "...acquired the tooling, existing parts and manufacturing rights to the aircraft in March of 2009. As a condition of the transaction, they agreed to rebrand the airplane to prevent any confusion with the larger, two-place light sport Kitfox".[1][3][4][5][6][7]
In January 2010, at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, the company debuted two variants of the company's initial Belite 254: its "easy-to-land" tricycle-geared Trike, and its "higher performance" Superlite, a lighter-weight, higher-powered "STOL" (short takeoff and landing) version.[1][7][8]
In 2013 the company flew the floatplane version of its new Belite Ultra Cub design, designated the Belite Sealite.[9]
On 6 June 2019, the Belite facility was destroyed by fire and the company ceased operating.[10]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belite Aircraft 254 | 2009 | Single seat ultralight aircraft | |
| Belite Aircraft Superlite | 2009 | 10 (2011) | Single seat ultralight aircraft |
| Belite Aircraft Trike | 2009 | Single seat ultralight aircraft with tricycle gear | |
| Belite Ultra Cub | 2012 | Single seat ultralight aircraft | |
| Belite Sealite | 2012 | Single seat floatplane ultralight aircraft | |
| Belite ProCub Lite | Single seat ultralight aircraft | ||
| Belite Chipper | Two seat experimental aircraft[11] | ||
References
- "Flight Review: Return of the Ultralight" (Belite aircraft reviewed), February 11, 2011, Kitplanes, retrieved August 17, 2022
- Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 32. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
- Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 34. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
- Grady, Mary (July 2009). "Former Kitfox-Lite Model Re-launches As Belite Ultralight". Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Grady, Mary (July 2009). "First Flight For Belite Ultralight". Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Belite Aircraft (June 2009). "Wichita Entrepreneurs Acquire Kitfox Lite Ultralight Aircraft Manufacturing Rights, Plan Reintroduction, Weight Savings and Improvements". Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- "Belite Tricycle Gear And Superlite Models To Debut At Sebring," January 19, 2010 Aero-News Network, retrieved February 29, 2020
- McMillin, Molly, "Belite to unveil two ultralight aircraft," January 19, 2010, Wichita Eagle retrieved February 29, 2020
- Niles, Russ (17 December 2013). "Ultralight Amphib Flies". Avweb.com. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Belite Aircraft (6 June 2019). "Belite / Chipper Aircraft Business for Sale". beliteaircraft.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- "Home - the Chipper Aircraft Co". Home - the Chipper Aircraft Co. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
External links
