Development and production of EASA-certified light aircraft and Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA)
Flight Design general aviation GmbH
Bensheim · Hörselberg-Hainich / Kindel Airport near Eisenach · Sumperk (CZ) · Kherson (UA) · Zhenjiang (CN, planned)New on Amplifa
About Flight Design
Flight Design general aviation GmbH is a German aircraft design company and aircraft manufacturer of light aircraft and Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA). The company began in the 1980s with the construction of hang gliders and paragliders and entered the construction of ultralight aircraft in 1993; the CT series has been in production since 1997, with more than 1,800 units built. The portfolio includes the two-seat models CTLS, CT Super and F2 (including the electric F2e variant) as well as the four-seat F4 with EASA-CS-23 certification. The original design work was carried out in Germany and Ukraine, while series production and assembly were set up at the Kherson plant (Ukraine) to reduce costs. Since the acquisition by Lift Air (Eisenach) in 2017, the company has been based at Kindel Airport near Eisenach, where final inspection, test flights and engineering management take place; further locations are Bensheim, Sumperk (CZ) and, planned, Zhenjiang (China). Since 2022, the Kherson site has been temporarily shut down, production is being expanded in the Czech Republic and, since 2024, supplemented in a joint venture with Virazh in Almaty (Kazakhstan).
- Site
- Bensheim
- Processes
- Spare parts supply, Service documents, Support (customer care), Dynon SkyView updates
- Materials
- Carbon fibre reinforced plastic, Fibre-reinforced composites
- Certificates
- EASA CS 23 certification (F2, F4)
- Industries
- Aviation, Air sports, Light aircraft / Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA)
- 01
Design and engineering (design organisation)
- 02
Series production and assembly (Kherson, Sumperk, Almaty)
- 03
Final inspection and test flights (Kindel Airport)
- 04
Spare parts supply and customer care
Materials and Processes
Carbon fibre reinforced plastic
Used, among other things, for the wings of the rigid-wing hang gliders Axxess & Exxtacy and for the composite fuselage structures of the CT series.
Fibre-reinforced composites
Construction method of the CT series and the F2/F4 high-wing aircraft.
Locations
Bensheim
DEHeadquarters
Kindel Airport (Hörselberg-Hainich)
DEFinal inspection, test flights, engineering management
Sumperk
CZProduction site (capacity expansion since 2022)
Kherson
UAProduction and assembly site (temporarily shut down since 2022)
Zhenjiang
CNPlanned production site (AeroJones, Asian market)
- Lot size
- 240 aircraft/year planned
Aircraft Models and Components
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Quality
Final inspection of all aircraft as well as test flights take place at Kindel Airport near Eisenach; as an EASA-certified design organisation, the company certifies its models in accordance with EASA CS 23 or ASTM standards (LSA).
| Evidence | Kindel Airport |
|---|---|
| EASA CS 23 certification (F2, F4) |
Company History
- 1980er
Started with the construction of hang gliders and paragliders
- 1993
Entered ultralight aircraft construction
- 1996
First flight of the CT series (March)
- 1997
CT series put into production
- 2011
Announcement of the development of the four-seat C4
- 2015
First flight of the C4 (spring)
- 2016
Insolvency petition filed (February); Knut Rebholz temporary insolvency administrator
- 2017
Acquisition by Lift Air (Eisenach) in July: design organisation, Kherson production facility and rights to the CT series; relocation to Kindel Airport; presentation of the KLA-100 (with Vessel Co., South Korea)
- 2018
KLA-100 no longer listed in production (June)
- 2019
AERO Friedrichshafen: presentation of the F2 and F4; F2e electric prototype; announcement of a CT factory in Zhenjiang, China (AeroJones, 240 aircraft/year planned, 200–250 employees)
- 2020
F2 (series launch according to Wikipedia)
- 2021
F4 (according to Wikipedia)
- 2022
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine: production stoppage in Kherson, capacity expansion in the Czech Republic planned
- 2024
Supplementary production in a joint venture with Virazh in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2026
New F2 Mosaic & CT Series generation announced for AERO 2026; presentation of the F2-M160 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026