Are Ultralights more dangerous than other aircraft?
No. Not necessarily. They have a tremendous advantage over regular aircraft due to their low weight and speed. Minor accidents cause little damage and major accidents are less often fatal. As with hang gliders, when they were first being invented, there were many poorly designed ultralights being flown by untrained pilots. Hang gliders and ultralights are now well understood and we know how they should be built and flown. Is engine reliability a factor? Gliders have no engine and the operators do not consider that a safety factor. Hot air balloons can only barely control their direction. Skydivers go mostly down! Each type of aviation activity must be conducted within its design limits. Accident statistics are difficult to evaluate. Should it be expressed as accidents or fatalities. Do you want it per mile, per hour, per flight, or per pilot. Airlines use seat-miles to get the best possible numbers. All the various types of *established* recreational flying are reasonably safe if you f
