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2010 Events

Webmaster's Wisdom

I fly because
it makes life bigger.

2011 Challenger
Light Sport
XS-50 and XL-65

Just Announced!
Click here for 8 page Info Pack in pdf format!

1st Annual
East Coast
Challenger Rendezvous

August 27-29, 2010
Lawrencetown, NS

Weather was perfect!
Eastebello Exceptional!

Click here for details!

August 7, 2011

Edenvale Aerodrome
+ Open House +
+ Classics Gathering +

Turnout was Huge!

July 9-11, 2010

Western Challenger
Owners Rendezvous

Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Westebello Wonderful!

January 22-24, 2010

20th Annual Challenger
Winter Rendezvous

Click here for 2 videos:
"The Big Two Oh!"
"Full Action"

The Purrfect Weekend!
29 Challengers On Ice!
140 Fans At Banquet!

Click here for Pictures

And here for Even More

Stay Tuned For Report!

Click above and find the 49 Challengers!

Click here for 20th
Agenda & Logistics

CANADIAN PRICING

Soaring Loonie
Discounts!

For details click to
Airplane - Pricing
then
Contact us for quote!

Price is what you pay.
Value is what you get.
Warren Buffet

Challenger Cinema

Journey Home

Now We Are Free

Amphibious Adventure

Click here for Picks

2009 Challenger
Winter Rendezvous

Challenger spirit indomitable in spite of Old Man Winter and
Old Man Economy!

Click here for
report and pics!

Challenger II 582

The de facto standard
for floats, heavy loads,
high density altitudes.

Click here for info, pictures and video!

Rotax News Flash:
582 meets LSA ASTM
standards alongside
912 and 914!

Gross Weight
Increased To 960 Lbs!

Hot Shots

Sun'n'Fun
3000 Miles

Challenger Experience

Fall Foliage Floatilla

Flying is like making love - quicker is not necessarily better.

This Gift Of Time

Challenger Gallery

Aerial ATV

New Eyes = New Sights

The Dream Comes True

The Plane & The Pump

If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.
Jonathan Winters

National Ultralight Inc.
Exclusive Canadian Distributor


Canada's Favourite Advanced Ultralight

Site Map | 10 Best Reasons | Airplane | Experience | Owners | FAQ | Company | Contact Us

Be Notified Of Updates  |Order Challenger Video

Canadian Support Section Canadian Dealers Section

The Challenger airframe is made by Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Corp in Moline, IL.


The site map gives the big picture - the overall structure and the contents of each section.
All underlined words are links which can be clicked. Use your browser's Back button to return.
All pictures are actually links too! Click any one to see the enlargement and caption. Try it!
If you like our web slide show, download hi-res images for wallpaper and screen savers.
Click on rainbow lines for music to browse by! Try clicking below to enjoy Wonderful World!

Fly Challenger - Make Your Dreams Come True

The versatility of the Challenger line of aircraft is legendary - wheels, skis, floats, soaring, local or cross continent flights. Four seasons a year of use.
Owners enjoy a huge user community and an extensive support network.

For Challenging Times - The Lowest Acquistion & Operating Costs Of All

Fly it with your current licence or the economical Ultralight Pilot Permit.
Fuel economy is unbeatable - use regular car gas at just $9 to $12 an hour.
Acquisition costs are reasonable. Parts and service are affordable and simple.

4,000 Worldwide 500 In Canada - Performance & Safety Proven Since 1983

Challengers are always in demand so the value of yours will be protected.
It's not just an expense - it's an investment - in your future and your present!
In Canada the fastest growing segment of aviation is Advanced Ultralights and
the Challenger is the de facto standard, outselling the competition by 10 to 1!
In the U.S. it's a Light Sport Aircraft and can be flown with a Sport Pilot Permit.

Challenger is the best value in aviation - first choice of pros and newbies!

National Ultralight Inc., exclusive Challenger distributor for Canada since 1984,
offers quick-build kits, new ready-to-fly, and first-class pre-owned Challengers.
For one-stop shopping we distribute Puddlejumper floats and Turbulence skis.

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
-- Maya Angelou --

The Challenger Advanced Ultralight Aircraft

Some 4,000 Challengers have been delivered worldwide since 1983 with over 500 owners in Canada. The Challenger Owners Association is the most active in recreational aviation. Clearly the line of aircraft is one of the most popular in aviation, and one of the most proven, safest designs in any category.

The Challenger is uniquely versatile - it's happy on wheels, skis, wheel/skis and even straight and amphibious floats. The heated cabin and an engine needing no preheating make it a true four season aircraft, even in Canada's winter. On warm summer days remove the doors and you have an open air sportster!

The Challenger's STOL performance and payload are extraordinary. A wide speed range and impressive crosswind capability, together with a cockpit having unrestricted visibility, make it a delightful and capable platform for long distance cross-country flights, as well as low and slow ultralight sightseeing.

Challengers also make great motorgliders, with recorded engine-off flights of several hours and altitude gains of many thousands of feet, even on amphibs!

There is no other airplane, at any price, with this broad mix of talents! In Canada new Challengers can qualify for the Advanced Ultralight category and be flown with a traditional licence or the easier to obtain Ultralight Pilot Permit. In the USA they can be flown as Light Sport Aircraft with a Sport Pilot Permit.

You can't cross the sea by standing and staring at the water.
-- Rabindranath Tagore --

The Evolution Of The Species

The Challenger design has stood the test of time but it has not stood still. Over the years more than 100 changes have combined to let the latest Challenger take off in less distance, climb more rapidly and cruise 30 mph faster than the early machines. Wingtips to wheels it's more efficient and more durable.

The current versions of the Rotax 503 and 582 were developed specifically for use in aviation and have earned top marks for reliability as well as easy, affordable maintenance. Dual independent electronic ignition systems fire two spark plugs per cylinder, for redundancy plus more power and lower fuel consumption. A taller re-drive and bigger prop increase cruise and climb.

In 2005 the Rotax 582 engine was added to the stable alongside the 503. This 30% increase in horsepower actually uses less fuel and is now the de facto standard for floats, heavy loads and high density altitudes. Also in 2005 we increased the gross weight by 20% and created Canada-specific packages. More reasons why the Challenger is the most popular ultralight in Canada!

From crisper handling to a more spacious cabin, the latest Challenger is not only more capable and comfortable, it is better looking and quieter to boot!

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
-- John Barrymore
--

The Quick Tour

For a sense of why this aircraft has enjoyed amazing longevity and success, read what owners say are the ten best reasons for owning a Challenger.

If you're not too rushed, click on a rainbow line for music and browse onward!

The Grand Tour

These pages contain the specifications and performance of the airplane, describe the experience of flying a Challenger, introduce some of the owners, answer some frequently asked questions, and tell you about our company.

The site map gives the big picture - the overall structure plus section contents.

Browse through in sequence or flip through any way you wish. Your browser will change the colour of the underlined links so you know where you've been. To come back to a particular page, add it to your Bookmarks or Favorites list.

Remember to click on the small pictures to enlarge them and see the captions!

The Nitty Gritty Tour

The Airplane section has a wealth of Challenger facts and figures!

Overview | Evolution | Performance | Specs | Airframe | Powerplant | Pricing | Pilot Reports

Challenger Info Pack & Video

This web site has superceded the traditional paper information package in detailing everything about the Challenger - from specs to prices to how to soar in a thermal. It also contains the Challenger Cinema with a great selection of videos which may be viewed online. Video is the absolute best route to truly understanding the versatility and performance of the Challenger. Some of the videos show specific aspects of the Challenger, for example the difference in takeoff and climb between the 503 and 582 engines. Other videos were created by Challenger owners who were moved to share their experiences.

All this information is here online for free. Click to our Site Map to learn what is on our site and where it is. Print pages for your personal use if you wish.

Additionally, there is a 55 minute Challenger video available in DVD and VHS formats which you may order via this web page. The DVD/VHS video is an eclectic collection of old and new footage which starts with classic 1980's era material and interleaves more modern footage. This collection is intended to show you the full spectrum of the Challenger's 25 year heritage - to give you a sense of the continuing evolution and a good idea of just how far we've come since the early days!

Tour the Thousand Islands on floats, wander over gorgeous Florida greenery, skim along a snow-covered river with friends, ride a thermal upwards with the engine off. To see our past and present for yourself order the DVD or VHS!

If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right.
-- Henry Ford --

Kitplanes Magazine

Feature Now Online
Four Seasons of Adventure
Which are the best seasons for
enjoying the Challenger?
Winter, spring, summer and fall!
Click here for text and pictures.

On Sept. 19-21, 2008 a couple of hundred people drove and 56 Challengers flew to Erie Airpark Illinois to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger line of aircraft! Congrats Quad City!



Click here for Evolution!

Click here for Kitplanes!


Click here for Evolution!


Click here for Canuck view!
Click here for COPA article!


Click here for Canuck view!

In 2009 National Ultralight celebrated its 25th year as the exclusive Canadian distributor!

Now A Quarter Century As Unchallenged Ultralight Leader

Kitplanes says Challenger is: "Ultralight Leader"
EAA says Quad City is UL's: "Longest Running Company"

In 2006 Dave Goulet, president of Quad City and the designer of the Challenger,
won the prestigious John Moody Award from the United States Ultralight Association:

"The continued success of Goulet's line of Challengers has brought him world wide acclaim.
The Challenger II has been the overwhelming choice of trainer by ultralight instructors.
More ultralight pilots have learned to fly in a Challenger than any other trainer."

If the why is important enough, the how will happen.
-- Viktor Frankl --

Getting To Know You

Aerobatics To Amphibs

Challenger Association

8 days + 2000 km

A Beautiful Day

Discovering Ski Flying

Annual Challenger
Winter Rendezvous

36 Challengers on skis!
250 Challenger aficionados!

Click for pics:

2008 2007 2006
2005 2004 2003

Challenger
Canada

2006 Happenings
Spring, Summer, Fall

2005 Happenings

1000 Mile Club
Seven League Boots

If you have any questions or are ready to order your Challenger,
contact us via e-mail, phone, fax or mail.

National Ultralight is located in new Hangar/Office facilities at Edenvale Aerodrome!

If you wish, we'll notify you automatically by e-mail when this site is updated!


Site Map | 10 Best Reasons | Airplane | Experience | Owners | FAQ | Company | Contact Us

To see the Challenger in action for yourself order our 55 minute Challenger video now!

Last update August 30, 2010. Copyright 1983-2010 National Ultralight Inc. All rights reserved.
Text, images and graphics from this site may not be reproduced or linked without permission.