100th L'il Buzzard Produced

Side-by-Side 2-Seater First Introduced in '90

"Miss Behaving" is the 100th L'il Buzzard produced since 1990, according to Dave Loveman, owner of ultralight manufacturer L'il Hustler Ultralight Aviation Services. "The original design," Loveman says, "was a compilation of a number of 'need to have' features found on a variety of ultralight trainers on the market at that time."

The original L'il Buzzard was first introduced in 1990, according to Dave Loveman, owner of manufacturer L'il Hustler Ultralight Aviation Services, located in Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada. "The original design was a compilation of a number of 'need to have' features found on a variety of ultralight trainers on the market at that time," Loveman says.

"The first was reasonable cost to build and repair, the second was durability, and the third, low building time and ease of maintenance." Loveman based his list of desired features on a wealth of personal experience. He says he has been "serving the ultralight aviation community full-time since 1978, first as an ultralight aircraft engine repair station, and then as an ultralight flight instructor." Loveman cites a long list of ultralights and aircraft he has used for training, including models of the Quicksilver MX, Rotec Rally, Skyseeker, Quad City Challenger and Challenger II, Beaver, Bushmaster, Avid Flyer, RANS Coyote, RANS Airaile, CGS Hawk, Chinook, Buccaneer, Carrera, Explorer, Zephyr, Merlin, Kitfox and Sea Rey.

None (at least at the time) were the ideal trainer for Loveman's needs. "Specific areas of concern," Loveman says, "were landing gear, control systems, Canadian pilot comfort, and ease of repair and performance." So he set about building his own, the L'il Buzzard.

Working closely with ultralight pilot and builder Ted Van Erp of Strathroy, Ontario, Canada, Loveman's company "introduced the L'il Buzzard to the Canadian ultralight community," Loveman says. The L'il Buzzard design was "based on the conventional [Piper J-3] Cub design," Loveman says, "only in a side-by-side [instead of the J-3's tandem] seating configuration." The L'il Buzzard is a 2-place "Canadian ultralight" (1,200 pounds gross weight, stall speed no higher than 45 mph), according to Loveman. The plane could also fit under FAA's proposed Light-Sport Aircraft category.

Numerous design decisions were incorporated into the L'il Buzzard, and improvements made over the years. "It was decided that dual controls were favored over a center-mounted stick," Loveman points out. "This gives the student a complete sense of control while flying, yet allows the instructor to 'fly along and feel what the student is doing'.

"To add to student pilot comfort, an adjustable left-hand stick was added, to accommodate different arm lengths and seating positions.

"Three throttle controls let students fly using a left-hand stick and right-hand throttle arrangement, or a right stick and left-hand throttle. This allows training of pilots owning and flying other aircraft such as the Kitfox, which has a center throttle and left stick, or a Buccaneer SX, which is left-hand throttle and right stick." Loveman explains that the three throttles are connected under the dash to a throttle control linkage. Pilots can remove any two of the three throttles, if desired.

"An in-cabin trim located in the center section of the upper cabin area was introduced," Loveman says, "when it was found that continuous pilot input on long flights contributed to fatigue. "An adjustable horizontal stabilizer was added and the fuselage lengthened," Loveman continues, "to allow use of the Rotax 912 series of 4-stroke aircraft engines. With the introduction of the Rotax 582 and Rotax 912 engines, the engine cowl was changed so the cowling 'gull-wing doors' were offset to allow changing spark plugs, and checking radiator and fluid levels, without having to remove the front cowling. The cowl was also designed so pilots could work on the underside of the engine without having to remove it."

An adjustable radiator kit was introduced to allow the radiator to be raised or lowered by using a simple handcrank located between the control sticks. "Raising the radiator increases engine temperature, while lowering the radiator cools the engine," Loveman explains. Thus, pilots can control the engine coolant temperature on hot or cold flying days, which "proved to be an added advantage when a cabin heater was installed," Loveman notes. "The additional cooling supplied by the heater lowered the engine temperature, but with the adjustable radiator position system, the pilot can 'dial in' the optimum temperature for comfort and performance." The L'il Buzzard uses wing fuel tanks to avoid potential fuel spillage in the cabin area and also to avoid gasoline fumes venting into the cabin. "The use of wing tanks also allowed for the installation of a very simple sight fuel gauge," Loveman adds. "To ease filling the tanks, a step was added to the landing gear, letting the pilot support himself when fueling.

"In '97, an additional lifting support was added to the rear of the plane so the pilot could lift the tail from either side to move it. A handle was also added to the rudder to allow the plane to be pulled into a hangar or parking spot. Tie-down rings were also welded into the front struts, and a lifting ring added above the cabin. With the lifting ring, the L'il Buzzard can be lifted from its center of gravity point for installation of floats, or for repairs."

The L'il Buzzard uses its main landing gear for the front float mount "to keep costs down and simplify float installation" Loveman says, and it comes with rear mounting brackets welded to the fuselage. "Once initially installed," Loveman says, "floats take only 10 minutes to remove or reinstall."

Loveman indicates that "more than 80% of the L'il Buzzard is 4130 chromoly steel straight tubing, including the wing struts, jury struts and aileron control system linkage push-pull tubes, which are located out in the open for inspection, repair and maintenance. And the rudder and elevator cables are conventional aircraft size.

"The wing uses aircraft-grade aluminum D-cell construction with aluminum spars and ribs ­ no foam or wood is used in the L'il Buzzard structural fuselage or wings. The fuel tanks are also metal. And the wing tips and engine cowling are fiberglass, with aluminum gull-wing doors.

"The landing gear bungees are the same as on a conventional J-3 Cub," Loveman notes. The windshield and doors use a flat sheet of Lexan® plastic, taking their final shape when bolted to the airframe. The radiator used with the Rotax engines is from a Volkswagen, according to Loveman.

"The L'il Buzzard comes built, ready to be painted," Loveman concludes. "The doors and rear tear-drop windows are already installed. The fuselage and wings are completely built and covered, ready to be primed. The control system, control tubes and control cables are already installed."

Price for the L'il Buzzard (excluding engine) is $16,995 in Canadian dollars (approximately $11,250 U.S.) For that price, it is completely built, Loveman points out, noting that many owners are fitting 4-stroke auto conversion engines to the plane. Loveman says his company is building and selling "about 15 L'il Buzzards a year."

­ Buzz Chalmers

Info: L'il Hustler Ultralight Aviation Services, 92 River Road, PO Box 1710, Dept. UF, Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada L9N 1P2. Phone: (905) 836-7588 * e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .