National Ultralight Inc.
Exclusive Canadian Distributor

Advanced Ultralight Aircraft

Canadian Owner's Manual | Maintenance ProgramService BulletinsCross-Check Initiative
Gross Weight Increased To 960 Lbs | 582 Approved For Canadian AULA
Useful Canadian Challenger Links | Challenger Resources On The Internet
3-View Line Drawings | Stits Finishing & Painting Estimates
How To Register As Basic Or Advanced | Registration Mark Placement, Size, Format

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Canadian Challenger Support Section

The information contained in this document is intended for the sole use of Canadian Challenger owners and is strictly proprietary and confidential.

Table of Contents

Canadian Challenger Owner's Manual

This document was written by National Ultralight to supplement the factory assembly and operating manuals. It provides additional information and support for all phases of building, flying and maintaining your Challenger.

This is a MUST READ for all Challenger owners - COVER TO COVER!

Recommended Maintenance Program

An attentive inspection regimen will detect the early warning signs of
unusual situations. Preventative maintenance takes care of wear and tear
before it becomes problematic.

Challengers registered in the Advanced Ultralight category
must have a written record of inspections and maintenance.

Service Bulletins

There has been only one Challenger service bulletin issued in the last decade!
This bulletin, issued in 2004, refers to some of the more recent 2.6-to-1 reduction drives and although only some redrives are affected
we urge all owners to review the notice carefully.

Challenger Cross-Check Initiative

All aircraft owners and pilots are at risk of falling into a preflight routine wherein they look but they don't see! Likewise, owners of kitplanes may legally perform complex maintenance actions without any supervision or sign-off.

We strongly encourage all owners to periodically have another knowledgeable person inspect their airplane even though this is not required by the regs.
The cross-check is a great way to get fresh eyes for fresh perspectives - simply get together with a buddy and do each other's preflights. See what you find!

Gross Weight Increased To 960 Lbs

This section only applies to the original Challenger II models.
It does not apply to the new Challenger Light Sport series.
Click here to go to the special Light Sport information section.

National Ultralight announced Nov. 15, 2005 that Quad City has increased the manufacturer specified gross weight for many Challenger II aircraft to 960 lbs.
This increase is applicable to all Challenger II long wing aircraft kits manufactured after mid 1990, when changes to the long wing structure
were implemented, as well as to all Challenger II Special clip wing aircraft.

The applicable Challengers at 960 lbs gross weight meet or exceed the ultimate load factors of +6G and -3G required for the Advanced Ultralight category.
With either the Rotax 503 or 582 engine these Challengers at 960 lbs also meet or exceed the performance standards required for the Advanced category.

This gives owners a great deal more legal leeway for options, accessories and amphibious floats. Click above for details including how to determine if the increased 960 lb gross weight is applicable to a particular Challenger II.

582 Approved For Canadian AULA

The Rotax 582 is approved for Challenger aircraft in the Advanced Ultralight category when installed with the motor mount, exhaust mount, cooling system, reduction drive, prop and optional oil injection sourced from National Ultralight.
Click above for details.

The approval of engines, wheels, floats and skis is contingent upon using approved installation hardware and instructions. One-off configurations or installations are not approved because it is not economically viable to do the extensive engineering analysis required to validate their airworthiness.

Our Frequently Asked Questions section shows which engines, floats, skis, etc are approved for the Advanced Ultralight category - see Aircraft Registration.

Useful Canadian Challenger Links

The Canadian Challenger Owners Manual has a variety of useful links
for Challenger owners in Canada - this sub-section is a reference summary.

Challenger Resources On The Internet

The Challenger with over 4,000 owners worldwide is undeniably one of the most popular recreational aircraft of all time. Many of those owners are active on the internet so there are numerous high calibre web gathering places.
This sub-section pinpoints the best sites and provides caveats for their use.

3-View Line Drawings

These images may be printed and used to design paint schemes.
There are drawings of several of the two-seat Challenger models.

Stits Finishing And Painting Estimates

This page elaborates on finishing your Challenger with the Stits Poly-Fiber Process and Stits Poly-Tone paint. Estimates are given of materials quantities and costs ranging from fabric tape to base coat, UV protection and colour.

How To Register As Basic Or Advanced

This sub-section contains the forms and information required to register your Challenger in either the Basic Ultralight or the Advanced Ultralight category.
Transport Canada is very particular about spellings, formats, values for manufacturer name, model designation, serial number and all other data.
We strongly recommend that you follow our examples exactly.

Registration Marks - Placement, Size, Format

You will need to put registration marks on your Challenger. Before October 1996, Basic Ultralights were issued C-Ixxx marks while Advanced Ultralights got C-Fxxx or C-Gxxx. Since then all new ultralights are labeled C-Ixxx.

Traditional placement is under the left wing and on both sides of the vertical tail. Now you may opt to place marks on both sides of the tail boom instead of the vertical tail. The marks on the wing may now be omitted entirely.

Specifics on placement, size and format of the registration letters are given in the above link to Transport Canada. The least expensive and most attractive way to create these letters is by using decals, for example from Trim Line.


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