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Light Sport aircraft news coverage of the FK 9 Mark  IV light sport aircraft, including the distributor history, the kit, the planes performance and an interview with the Tony Anderson the FK 9 Mark IV's U.S distributor.
FK Light Planes USA introduced the FK9 Mark  IV at Sun N Fun 2006. The craft has recently been certified in the light sport aircraft category and is now available in kit form or ready to fly.

The FK 9 Mark  IV is manufactured in Germany where it is one of the fastest selling aircraft on the market. There are currently over 300 units flying in over 22 countries.

The plane is made from 90% composites with the moving flight surfaces currently covered in conventional fabric covering material, but will also be composite in the near future.

The advantage of this is considerably lighter weight, resistance structural fatigue and corrosion.

The wings have a folding option, which require no tools and can be easily done by one person, for trailering and storage.

The seats are adjustable, comfortably fitting a 5 foot 5" inch pilot and a pilot over 6 feet tall into the 42 inch wide cabin.

The craft uses conventional stick and rudder controls with dual center mounted sticks, dual rudder pedals and dual throttles, with center mounted brake and 2 position flap handle.

Ground steering is via a steerable nose wheel, which can be aided with the addition of brakes.

Power is supplied by the Rotax 912 series of engines. Cruise comes in at 100 mph at 4400 rpm on the 80 HP Rotax 912. Fuel consumption at this speed is approximately 3 gallons per hour giving the plane a safe range of 450 to 500 miles with the standard fuel tank.

The plane lifts off at just over 40 mph with flaps and climb comes in at over 1,000 feet per minute with two on board and full fuel.

Stall with the engine running is nearly impossible, as the plane just settles into a gentle mush, with no tendency to drop a wing. On landing the craft with flaps touches down at around 40 mph.

The large easy to view instrument panel can be accommodate just about anything a pilot could want to fit in it.

The FK9 Mark  IV is also easily adaptable to both floats and skis.

Currently there is one flying unit in the U.S. with two more expected to be ready for delivery by customers by June.

For more information contact:

FK Light Planes U.S.A.
North Perry Airport (HWO)
1610 Southwest 77 Avenue. Pembroke Pines,
Fla 33023
954-965-6000
FK Light Planes U.S.A. company history.
FK 9 Mark IV - specifications.
FK 9 Mark IV - construction.
FK 9 Mark IV - cockpit and controls.
FK 9 Mark IV - flight report.

FK Mark IV on take off roll.
FK Mark IV on take off roll.
Rating from 1 to 10 with 10 being the best or easiest. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Design - Structure, history, safety, resale value,                

 
With 300 units flying, and the length of time the factory and U.S. distributor have been in business gives the design a 10. The aircraft appears to have a very good safety record. Resale value will have to be decided by the market once more aircraft are flying in the U.S.

The FK9 Mark IV only gets a 7 because only 1 plane is currently flying in the U.S. which really does not give a buyer the opportunity to get unbiased opinions on the craft.

Kit - Construction style, complexity, knowledge requirement                

 
The planes comes ready to fly under Sport Pilot so the kit construction knowledge is not required. Currently work is being done on making the kit eligible under the 51% rule. That delay is reported to be in the translation of manuals. The factory has several manuals on the web which appear to be very thorough and and complete.
Factory - Years in business, kits produced, kits flying.                  

With 300 units flying, and the length of time the factory and U.S. distributor have been in business gives the design a 10.
Manuals - Ease of reading, completeness, drawings and diagrams                

 
Available manuals are well organized and easy to read.
Cockpit - Comfort, noise, visibility,                

 
Very comfortable to fly, One of the quietest aircraft I have had the opportunity to fly. Excellent visibility. The only complaint I had was that I am only 5'6" and had to sit upright and see comfortably over the dash when flying straight and level. This will be fixed in future models with the change in angle of incidence between the fuselage and wing.
Ground handling and suspension - System, complexity, does it work                  

Tri-cycle gear version provided excellent ground handling, rudder, throttle and brakes all worked well. System was easy to preflight. Nose gear steering was simple and straight forward. Suspension system on nose worked well. Main gear handled everything I could throw at it.
Flight Controls - Pressure, comfort, effectiveness,                  

The flight controls were very smooth, very little pressure. Plane trimmed out easily. Flaps were very effective. Throttle control system smooth and effortless.
Propulsion Package - Reliability, noise, vibration,                

 
The Rotax 912 is a very reliable power plant package. The in cabin noise was excellent at all power settings. The only vibration I could feel was at and idle.
Performance - Compared to other craft with same weight, power and style of control systems.                  

FK9 Mark IV on a 912 80 HP engine gives the kind of performance that some of it's competitors are only able to get out of a 912 S 100 HP.
Overall Rating                

 
This is one great little aeroplane. Once a few more of them are flying in the U.S. The price for the quality of the plane is about average for most of the factory built composite style of aircraft. My only concern would be on the repair ability of the unit if damaged.
Video
Promotional Video - Quality, depth, arrangement N/A                

 
Not provided for review
Assembly Video - Quality, depth, arrangement N/A                

 
Not provided for review                    
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