Swedish Mosquito creates a buzz in America.

No challenger even comes close! The absolute lightest-of-all powered ultralights has to be the Swedish Aerosports Mosquito mated to a choice of hang glider wings. At maximum takeoff weight, this ultralight weighs a mere 370 pounds including a beefy 225 pound pilot. With lighter aviators, gross weight could drop to less than 300 pounds.

The Powered Harness

Hang gliders enjoyed their time in the national limelight as a new sport in the early 1970s. Soon, motorheads added engines to their light wings. The earliest of these date back to the mid-'70s. Late in the decade one concept actually became a commercial product.

The Soarmaster developed a small following. It put pilots in the air mostly without problems, although some early adopters lost toes when weight-shifting, prone pilots met the fixed aft prop in an inappropriate fashion.

As the 1980s started, Soarmaster repackaged its add-on power ideas with landing gear and a fixed-position seat. We now recognize this machinery as an ultralight trike, making …