Direct Fly Alto NG
Piston single engine • Low Wing • Fixed gear
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Default: 190 lbs
Default: 30 lbs
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About the Direct Fly Alto NG
Overview
The Direct Fly Alto NG is an all-metal, two-seat, low-wing light sport aircraft built by Direct Fly s.r.o. in Hluk, Czech Republic, and sold in the United States by Direct Fly USA. NG stands for New Generation: a 2022 update to the long-running Alto that stiffened the fuselage and longerons, replaced the cable-and-pulley pitch control with a push-pull system of rods and rockers for crisper feel, reinforced the nose gear leg, and improved engine and oil cooling. It is powered by the 100-horsepower Rotax 912 ULS and cruises around 97 knots on automotive fuel, with fixed tricycle gear and a fixed-pitch propeller as standard.
What sets the Alto NG apart in the current market is not speed but availability and price. At a base price near $147,500 it is one of the more affordable factory-built two-seaters a buyer can order today, and it ships as a ready-to-fly light sport aircraft rather than a kit. Flying magazine framed it as a sensible alternative to waiting for the next wave of more expensive MOSAIC-era designs: a simple, honest metal airplane you can buy now. Buyers cross-shop it against the all-metal Tecnam P2002 Sierra, the composite Flight Design CT, the best-selling light sport aircraft of the last two decades, and, for those willing to pay far more for carbon-fiber speed, the retractable Pelegrin Tarragon.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Available now, factory-built. The Alto NG ships as a complete light sport aircraft, not a kit, at a time when many newer designs are back-ordered or waiting on rule changes.
- All-metal airframe. The riveted aluminum structure is conventional, repairable, and familiar to any A&P, with none of the specialized composite repair a carbon airframe demands.
- Rotax 912 ULS on automotive fuel. The 100-horsepower Rotax runs on mogas or 100LL, burns roughly 4 to 5 gallons an hour, and is one of the most widely supported light-aircraft engines in the world.
- Sport-pilot friendly. Fixed gear, a fixed-pitch propeller, and a docile two-seat envelope make it flyable on a sport-pilot certificate and approachable as a trainer or first airplane.
Trade-offs
- Two seats and very little baggage. The cabin holds two and a 33-pound baggage compartment, and useful load is roughly 615 pounds and falls as you add equipment, so this is a personal and training airplane, not a family hauler.
- Cruise around 97 knots. The Alto NG trades speed for simplicity and price. Carbon-fiber speedsters of the same seat count cruise far faster, and a buyer chasing cross-country pace will look elsewhere.
- Thin US fleet. Only a handful of Altos were on the US register as of 2022, so parts, type-specific maintenance, and resale depth in North America lean on the Direct Fly USA distributor rather than an established support network.
- Rotax calendar maintenance. Like all Rotax 9-series engines it carries a mandatory rubber and hose replacement every 5 years regardless of hours flown, a recurring cost a buyer should budget for.
See Also
- Tecnam P2002 Sierra – the closest direct competitor, an Italian all-metal low-wing two-seater on the same Rotax 912, for buyers comparing two metal LSA head to head. Compare
- Flight Design CT – the best-selling light sport aircraft of the era, a composite high-wing Rotax 912 design, cross-shopped as the volume benchmark. Compare
- Pelegrin Tarragon – a carbon-fiber retractable speedster for buyers who want far more speed and will pay several times the price. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 7.38 ft
- Length
- 20.67 ft
- Parking area (ft2)
- 947.22 ft2
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: manufacturer figure 1,320 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 1,320 lbs
- Useful Load
- Source: manufacturer figure 615 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- Source: manufacturer figure 24 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- Source: manufacturer figure 97 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (Vne)
- Source: manufacturer figure 140 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 62 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (Vs1)
- Source: manufacturer figure 47 KIAS
- Range
- Source: Pilot's Operating Handbook 390 NM
- Service Ceiling
- Source: Pilot's Operating Handbook 14,500 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 1000 fpm
- Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
- 1,345 ft
- Landing ground roll
- 968 ft
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Direct Fly Alto NG specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
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Direct Fly, Alto NG specifications directfly.cz
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US Aerosports (Direct Fly USA), Alto NG specifications usaerosports.com
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Direct Fly Alto POH (Rotax 912 ULS, 600 kg / 92 L config), Section 2.3 Service Ceiling www.aeroedge.com.au
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FAA Special Light-Sport Aircraft make/model directory www.faa.gov
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Flying, 'Direct Fly's Alto NG a Beautiful Bargain' www.flyingmag.com
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