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Because of the enthusiastic interest in Ultralight flying in the early eighties,
that the Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF) was formed in June 1983, which
was originally conceived as an honorary peak body for ultralight clubs.
Immediately the AUF was a success with a membership of some 700 members by the
end of the first twelve months, which had increased to around 2000 by
1985.
By this time
it was clear that the minimum aircraft fad was here to stay and that the
Commonwealth Department of Transport would have to make a move toward
formalizing the movement. The end result was the signing of a memorandum of
understanding between the AUF and the Civil Aviation Authority for the
administration of ultralight aviation in Australia.
The immediate
task of the AUF was to develop Operation Regulations for ultralight aircraft and
to address the relatively high accident rate that existed in these early years.
It must be remembered that at that time ultralights were restricted to single
seat aircraft, which meant that it was illegal to be taught to fly in an
ultralight, and they had a maximum operational height limit of 300 feet above
ground level. This was exacerbated by the fact that ultralights of the day had
extremely limited flight envelopes, occasional stability problems and somewhat
less than reliable engines.
As an
emergency means of addressing the training issue, the Civil Aviation Authority
introduced CAO 95.25 in 1985, which provided for factory built certified single
place and two place ultralights and to allowed the two seaters to be used as
training aircraft for the 95.10 pilots. This was a significant milestone in
Australian ultralight aviation and enabled the AUF to set up an ultralight
training scheme and encourage the establishment of ultralight training
facilities.
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About Ultralights
