Since 1903, When the Wright Brothers built the first working airplane, people have been trying to develop the smallest aircraft as well as the largest aircraft.
Many of these aircraft are available to the general public, whilst others were built solely for the purpose of gaining the title of “Smallest aircraft in the world”, where others were simply experimental aircraft.
15. CubCrafters XCub
If you were expecting that the XCub would’ve been developed by Piper, so did I. However, the XCub was instead developed by CubCrafters, based on the Piper PA-18 Super Cub’s design (from the 1940’s)!
Unlike the PA-18 it traces its heritage from, the XCub can’t land on water as it cannot be converted into a seaplane (as of yet). Similarly, the XCub was designed to be primarily made out of carbon fiber.
As with the PA-18, the XCub is designed to be a light, small and relatively cheap. On top of that, the XCub is also a severely shrunk version of the PA-18, mostly thanks to the wonders of modern technology.
The XCub is 23 ft 10 in (7.26 m) long, with a wingspan of a mere 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m). Compared to the PA-18, the XCub is also much faster, with the XCub having a newer generation of piston engine.
14. Icon A5
On the surface of things, the Icon A5 doesn’t appear to an aircraft at all, instead looking more like a self-contained boat of some description, perhaps used for racing.
And whilst yes, the A5 could probably be used for that, it is first and foremost a seaplane. Unlike most seaplanes, the A5 has retractable landing gear, allowing it to land on water and takeoff from airports!
The idea behind the A5 was to develop the lightest sportsplane on the planet, with the hopes it would be used for seaborne-air races. Using this, ICON Aircraft developed the A5.
ICON designed the A5 to be made out of carbon fiber, allowing it to be one of the lightest aircraft in its class. On top of this, the A5 has a wingspan of only 34.8 ft (10.6 m) and a length of only 23 ft (7 m)!
13. CZAW SportCruiser
As with many other small aircraft, CZAW designed the SportCruiser to be both a general aviation aircraft, but primarily a light sport aircraft, mostly used for racing.
In order to accomplish the latter goal, CZAW had to create a small aircraft, with an overly powerful engine that was still able to be controllable. According to many people who’ve flown it, it feels like a fighter jet.
CZAW designed the SportCruiser to be among the smallest aircraft ever produced. To do this, CZAW designed the SportCruiser to be 21 ft 9 in (6.6 m) long and had a wingspan of 28 ft 3 in (8.6 m).
If you would prefer to buy an American-made derivative of the SportCruiser, you can purchase the license-made Piper PiperSport from Piper Aircraft Company.
12. Tecnam P2002 Sierra
In the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, Italian aircraft manufacturer Tecnam were designing a new, cheap and small general aviation aircraft that would take the general aviation market by storm.
To do this, in particular to make it cheap, this new aircraft had to be light, and therefore small, with a very light engine. The result has been an aircraft almost entirely made out of carbon fiber.
When released in 2012, Tecnam released at that point, the world’s smallest general aviation aircraft. This aircraft was dubbed the Sierra and was 21 ft 7 in (6.6 m) long and had a wingspan of 29 ft 6 in (9 m).
Due in part to its small size, and less powerful engine, the Sierra has become a favorite of general aviation aviators. This is also due to the Sierra’s low cost per hour, at around $10 per hour!
11. Cri-Cri MC-15
The MC-15 isn’t just one of the smallest aircraft in the world, but it is also one of the oddest! Unlike every other small aircraft the MC-15 has two engines rather than one.
Originally, the MC-15 was designed by French aircraft designer Michel Colomban. The MC-15 was meant to be a relatively cheap and small, recreational aircraft, to be sold all over the world.
Colomban, through his company, Colomban Aircraft designed the MC-15 to be a homebuilt aircraft. As such, and in order to comply with national and international laws, the MC-15 was designed to be incredibly small and simple.
To do this, Colomban designed the MC-15 to be 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) long and have a wingspan of 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in). On top of this, the MC-15 is highly customizable, with no two MC-15s being truly the same.
10. TL-Ultralight Stream
TL Ultralight are known for creating some of the most intuitive general aviation aircraft in the world, not to mention some of the smallest and fastest general aviation aircraft ever built!
In an attempt to keep the latter title, TL Ultralight developed several general aviation aircraft that were faster than their competitors. To do this, TL Ultralight designed their aircraft to accommodate newer, faster engines.
At the same time, TL Ultralight customers wanted an aircraft that could carry two people, rather than one. To accommodate both issues, TL Ultralight made the Stream out of composite materials, whilst making it as small as possible.
TL Ultralight also made the fuselage thinner and longer. To date, the Stream is the fastest propeller-driven general aviation aircraft on the market. The Stream has a length of 22 ft 3 in (6.8 m) and a wingspan of 29 ft 6 in (9 m).
9. Pipistrel Panthera
As with TL Ultralight, Pipistrel are known for developing some of the most intuitive general aviation aircraft designs on the planet. Many of these aircraft are big, where others are small.
The Panthera was not technically meant to be a general aviation aircraft, instead it was meant to be a testbed for future Pipistrel aircraft. Most notably, it was meant to be the testbed for Pipistrel’s all-electric aircraft.
However, the design was beloved by the aviation community and was eventually scaled down into one of the smallest aircraft ever built and sold as the Pipistrel Panthera.
Unlike most other small aircraft, the Panthera can carry three people and one pilot. Pipistrel designed the Panthera to be 26 ft 6 in (8.1 m) long, with a wingspan of 35 ft 8 in (10.9 m).
8. CMC Leopard
The Leopard is a fairly odd aircraft. On the one hand, it looks like a fighter jet, whilst on the other, it looks like a very small business jet. And this is deliberate, with the Leopard being designed with both in mind.
Aircraft engineer Ian Chichester-Miles financed and designed the Leopard out of his own pocket. He did this in the hopes of creating a business jet the size of a P-51 or Spitfire, but one that could carry four to seven people.
On top of this, the aircraft would also be a jet, with a pressurized cabin. This would give it the speed and range boost it would need in order to compete with larger early business jets.
However, in order to do this, the aircraft would be relatively small at only 24 ft 9 in (7.54 m) long and with a wingspan of only 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m). Initially, people were very optimistic about the jet, although, it never progressed beyond the prototype phase.
7. AMD Zodiac
If you follow the European general aviation scene, you’ll probably be familiar with the AMD Zodiac (after the Dutch government grounded them because of several crashes involving the aircraft!)
Whilst there were several issues that have since been addressed that caused this, they all had one root- the size. AMD designed the Zodiac to be on the lower end of kit planes in terms of price.
This resulted in them designing the Zodiac to be incredibly small, and indeed among the smallest aircraft ever built. This gave the Zodiac a relatively cheap price of only $18,000!
AMD designed the Zodiac to have a wingspan of 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m), with a length of 20 ft 0 in (6.1 m) and be 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) high. This aircraft is commonly used as a general aviation aircraft.
6. LISA Akoya
In many ways, the LISA Akoya and the aforementioned ICON A5 are incredibly similar. Both are among the smallest aircraft in the world, as well as both being amphibious sportsplanes.
Similarly to the ICON A5, French aircraft manufacturer LISA Aircraft, designed the Akoya to be fast and lighter than most other aircraft its size. This entailed making it from carbon fiber.
As with ICON, LISA Aircraft also decided to make the Akoya small, saving both in terms of weight and in terms of drag. However, they also designed the Akoya to carry two people rather than just the pilot.
The result has been an aircraft that is a mere 22 ft 8 in (6.90 m) long and with a wingspan of 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in). Even the propeller used to power the aircraft is taller than the actual fuselage (at 2.35 m/7 ft 9 in)!
5. Bede BD-5J
Not only is the Bede BD-5J among the smallest aircraft in the world, but it is also the smallest jet aircraft to have been put into mass production. If it looks familiar, that’s probably because it is…
The BD-5J has been used by several people and companies for various roles, including by Budweiser as their “Bud Light” jet and in the opening minutes of the James Bond film “Octopussy”.
Originally, the Bede BD-5 was meant to be a propeller-powered kit plane. However, FAA certification stated that this couldn’t be, so the BD-5 became a Bede-produced propeller-powered aircraft, before being redesigned to be a jet.
Due to its original purpose, the BD-5 was developed to be incredibly small, both in terms of its height, wingspan and length! The BD-5J (J standing for “jet”) has a wingspan of 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) and a length of 13 ft 7 in (4.13 m).
4. Blackwing 600 RG
As with many other small aircraft, the Blackwing 600 RG has its origins as a lightweight sportsplane. Blackwing Swedish, who make the 600 RG hope that one day soon, the 600 RG will be the best sportsplane on the market.
To do this, Blackwing Swedish have tried to make the 600 RG among the fastest piston-powered aircraft on the planet. To do this, Blackwing Swedish have made the 600 RG one of the smallest aircraft in the world!
On top of this, the 600 RG has also been given an incredibly overpowered engine for an aircraft of its size. Together, these two factors have helped (somewhat) to achieve Blackwing Swedish’s primary goal.
The result has been an aircraft that is incredibly small, yet fast, that can carry two people. The 600 RG has a wingspan of 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) and a length of 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in).
3. McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
Prior to WWII, the idea of aircraft carriers had become widespread, with the Soviets, Japanese and Americans all having several aircraft carriers. At the end of WWII, the idea of airborne aircraft carrier became the next big thing.
Essentially, a large aircraft would have several smaller aircraft inside it, with them returning after their sortie. This would be accomplished with the largest American bomber of the time, the Convair B-36 Peacemaker.
Whilst several B-36’s were modified to suit this purpose, there were no aircraft small enough to fit inside them. As such, McDonnell sent the USAAF a proposal for an aircraft small enough and powerful enough to fit that role.
This aircraft would be the XF-85 Goblin, with one of the strangest aircraft designs! Had the USAAF not terminated the contract due to the end of WWII, the XF-85 would’ve entered service.
The USAAF, and later the USAF, continued to evaluate the idea of the project well into the 1970’s.
2. Stits SA-2A Sky Baby
In the 1940’s and early 1950’s, many former USAAF and USN mechanics left their respective services and took non-military jobs. This included Ray Stits, who would design the Stits SA-1A Stits Junior, a mini racer aircraft.
In 1952, Stits decided once again to try to create a small aircraft. This time, he enlisted the help of Robert H. Starr as a test pilot. This aircraft was an improvement upon his Stits SA-1A.
Unlike the SA-1A, the SA-2A was a biplane, with the bottom and top wings having completely different roles, due to the SA-2A’s small wingspan of only 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m). The top wing has flaps where the lower wing has ailerons.
On top of this, the SA-2A was only 9 ft 10 in (3 m) long and 5 ft (1.5 m) high. For a long time, the Stits SA-2A Sky Baby was the smallest aircraft in the world. That was until…
1. Starr Bumble Bee II
In 1984, the idea of breaking world records became all the rage. This led several civilians to attempt to build the smallest aircraft in the world. This included Robert H. Starr, a former California Air National Guardsman.
Whilst at the California Air National Guard, Starr was the lead test pilot for several small aircraft, most notably the aforementioned Sky Baby project. Although the Sky Baby project was a failure, Starr learned exactly how it worked.
So when 1984 rolled around, and several people began making their own aircraft to earn the title of “Smallest aircraft in the world”, Starr decided to take this expertise and make his own.
This aircraft would be designed to have a length of 8 ft 10 in (2.7 m) and a wingspan of 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m). Starr would also paint this aircraft in a yellow and black color scheme, resembling a bumblebee.
Which are your favorite small aircraft? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Charly W. Karl via Flickr.