What is a microlight?: Expert on aircraft Mal Watt and Samantha Nuttall were flying in Exmouth crash tragedy

Microlights, similar to the one that tragically crashed at Exmouth killing a well-liked local couple, have grown to popularity in Australia in the past 10 years for both pleasure and for tourist flights as the aircraft’s capabilities have increased. The attraction of a weight-shift microlight is that a pilot licence can be obtained with about 20 hours of practical training — which will also include ground time and flight time. On Wednesday, Mal Watt and Samantha Nuttall were killed after the microlight they were flying crashed in Shotgun Gorge a few kilometres from the Exmouth Aerodrome. The tight-knit Gascoyne community has been shattered by the deaths. Mr Watt was listed as an apprentice flight instructor at Birds Eye View Ningaloo, a local microlight school which is also used to spot whale sharks. He had been licenced since late 2017. Exmouth is a popular location for microlights with tourism flights operating in the area. According to Airborne Flight Training, once you have successfully passed the training, a Pilot Certificate will be issued by either the HGFA (Hang Gliding Federation of Australia) or RA-Aus (Recreational Aviation Australia). Control of a weight-shift microlight is by the pilot using their weight against a triangular control bar that is attached to the wing. The price of a new microlight — which carries up to two people — varies from $27,000 up to $61,000. A top end microlight is typically powered by a 100hp engine with a range of 702km and a speed of up to 190km/hour. Beyond the basic licence there are additional endorsements which require further training. Those endorsements are: passenger carrying endorsement, Radio operators endorsement, cross country navigation endorsement, advanced navigation endorsement and instructor ranking. According to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report, flying in a microlight — both fixed wing and weight-shift — was 40 times less safe than a commercial jet with Qantas. However it noted the main reason for fatal crashes was pilot inexperience. Police have not indicated if this was a factor in Wednesday’s crash. In Australia, to operate a microlight you must be a member of Sports Aviation Federation of Australia, Recreational Aviation Australia or the Sports Aircraft Association of Australia. According to the regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, microlights are typically not permitted to operate into capital city or regional airports, in controlled airspace and are not permitted above 10,000 feet. However in some areas a higher the altitude is allowed. Geoffrey Thomas is The West Australian’s Aviation Editor and Editor-in-Chief of AirlineRatings.com. He has been writing about and commenting on aviation for 45 years.