What is the Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat?

The A22 Foxbat is a Ukrainian-designed high-wing two-seat side-by-side LSA and microlight trainer that first flew in 1996. It uses a Rotax 912 ULS or 912 iS Sport engine, an aviation-aluminum frame with fabric covering, and a bubble-canopy / wide-window layout for visibility. Aeroprakt reports approximately 900 operating airframes worldwide across the US LSA, UK BMAA microlight, French ULM, German UL, and Australian RAAus categories.

What is the difference between the Aeroprakt A22 and A32?

Both use the same Rotax 912 powerplant and four-place ASTM / microlight envelope, but the A22 Foxbat is the slow-flight, short-takeoff trainer with a stall around 32 knots and a takeoff roll under 400 ft, while the A32 Vixxen (introduced 2014) is a faster touring sibling with a smaller wing and a cruise speed near 120 knots. Schools building a primary-training fleet usually pick the A22; cross-country pilots looking for an LSA touring aircraft usually pick the A32.

Is the Aeroprakt Foxbat a microlight or an LSA?

Both, depending on the regulatory environment. In the US the A22LS is a Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) at the 1,320 lb LSA weight; in the UK the type is operated under the BMAA microlight permit; in France under the ULM Class 3 category; in Germany under the UL category; in Australia under the RAAus recreational-aviation framework. Aeroprakt supports the airframe across all of those national rule sets.

Where are Aeroprakt Foxbats made?

Primary manufacturing is at Aeroprakt's Kyiv, Ukraine facility, with European assembly partners (notably in Italy) handling regional final assembly and support for the EU and UK markets. Operations have continued under wartime conditions since 2022; new airframes continue to be delivered into European and other export markets.

How much does it cost to operate an Aeroprakt Foxbat?

Hourly direct operating cost is among the lowest in the LSA and microlight training fleet — the Rotax 912 ULS burns roughly 4 gph of mogas, the empty weight is around 660 lb, and microlight maintenance schedules keep tyre, brake, and overhaul reserves modest. European wet rental rates at clubs and DTOs typically fall in the 130 to 180 EUR per hour range for the A22LS with the 912 ULS.

Aeroprakt

A22 Foxbat / A32 Vixxen

Light sport aircraft (LSA) · LSA trainer · 2010s onward — modern

Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Power: 100 hp
Cruise: 95 kt
MTOW: 1,320 lb
Range: 530 nm
Fuel: Unleaded mogas (EN228 / autofuel)

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)95 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)105 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)32 kt
Climb rate900 fpm
Service ceiling14,000 ft
Range530 nm
Endurance6 h
Takeoff roll380 ft
Landing roll350 ft

Weights

MTOW1,320 lb
Empty weight660 lb
Useful load660 lb
Baggage capacity44 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan31.5 ft
Length19.5 ft
Height8.2 ft
Cabin width45 in

Powerplant

EngineRotax 912 ULS — 100 hp · Mogas · 4 gph
Total horsepower100 hp
Primary fuelUnleaded mogas (EN228 / autofuel)
Unleaded pathMogas-capable (Rotax 912 / equivalent)

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typehybrid
Autopilot commonly availableNo
Typical packages
- Dynon SkyView or Garmin G3X Touch EFIS— current production-line standard
- Basic six-pack analog with VFR GPS— earlier and lower-cost build configurations
Training note
Aeroprakt offers the A22 with a range of avionics fits — current new airframes are commonly delivered with a Dynon SkyView or Garmin G3X Touch EFIS; older and lower-cost airframes carry basic analog panels with a VFR GPS. Schools should specify the avionics fit before purchase to align with the syllabus.

Certification

RegulatoryASTM F2245 consensus standards · FAA S-LSA · EASA LSA / national microlight category (UK BMAA, FR ULM, DE UL)
Certified rolesSpecial Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA, US) · Microlight (UK BMAA-permit, FR ULM Class 3, DE UL) · Day VFR
IFRNo
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)No
High-performance (FAR 61.31)No

Why is the A22 Foxbat / A32 Vixxen popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Production volume

Aeroprakt reports approximately 900 operating aircraft worldwide across the A-22, A-22L, A-22L2, A-22LS, and A-32 variants. The type is one of the longer-running fabric-covered metal-frame LSA / microlight families in current series production.

Fuel future-proofing

Rotax 912 ULS and 912 iS Sport are mogas-capable (EN228 unleaded automotive fuel) and 100LL-capable. The Aeroprakt fleet sits outside the FAA EAGLE / California UNL94 leaded-fuel transition exposure that constrains the legacy 100LL training fleet.

Pedagogy and handling

Very low landing-configuration stall speed (around 32 to 38 knots IAS depending on weight) and the high-wing bubble-canopy layout give the A22 an unusually low task-load handling envelope at low speeds, which suits ab-initio sport-pilot and microlight training.

Operating economics

Rotax 912 ULS burns roughly 4 gph mogas in cruise. The light airframe (empty weight around 660 lb) and slow-flight envelope keep tyre, brake, and engine wear low compared with heavier primary trainers, and combine with mogas cost to produce one of the lowest hourly operating-cost profiles in the LSA / microlight training fleet.

Regulatory fit

Dual certification across US S-LSA (ASTM F2245), UK BMAA microlight permit, French ULM Class 3, and other European national microlight categories means schools in any of those regulatory environments can place the type on the line under the local sport-pilot / microlight rules.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Microlight clubs and DTOs operating the A22 typically configure it in Aviatize as a single-airframe LSA / microlight resource with the Rotax 912 ULS / 912 iS as a child component for TBO and overhaul-reserve tracking against the Rotax maintenance schedule. Fuel is mogas where available. Pilot-currency rules should gate the resource on a current sport-pilot certificate (US) or national microlight rating (UK BMAA, FR ULM, DE UL, RAAus RPC).

schedulingaircraft maintenancetraining managementbilling

Editorial confidence

Medium confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-26

Manufacturer configuration and regulatory positioning attributed to Aeroprakt and aggregated Wikipedia source. Specific production sub-totals and operator lists are thinner than for higher-volume Western LSAs; treat numbers as approximate.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Aeroprakt EU
https://aeroprakt.eu/
Aeroprakt EU distributor site. Verified on 2026-05-26: approximately 900 operating aircraft across the A-22/A-22L/A-22L2/A-22LS/A-32 variants; aviation-aluminum frame with UV-protected fabric covering; Rotax 912 engine line; airframe has no TBO and engine TBO is 2,000 hours / 15 years. The EU distributor is the primary working factory reference; the Aeroprakt Ukraine site has been intermittently reachable since 2022.
Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Foxbat Australia
https://foxbat.com.au/
Foxbat Australia — official Australian distributor of the Aeroprakt A22 and A32 family, supporting the RAAus and VH-registered fleet.
Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroprakt_A-22
Wikipedia article aggregating the A22 development history and configuration timeline.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Operator lists are intentionally empty rather than speculative.

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