Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-02T06:28:14Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

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{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Quad City Challenger
| image = QuadCityChallengerIIC-IBUY08.jpg
| caption = Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via [[commons:File:QuadCityChallengerIIC-IBUY08.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Quad City
| type = Ultralight aircraft
| first_flight = 1983
| produced = 1983-present
| status = In production (2018)
| number_built = 3,571 (2011)
| faa_registered = 754 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = one, one passenger and 500 lb (227 kg) useful load
| engine = Rotax 503, 50 hp
| cruise = 85 mph (Challenger II)
| gross_weight = 960 lb (Challenger II)
| category = Light-sport and kit aircraft
}}

The '''Quad City Challenger''' is a family of one- and two-seat ultralight and light-sport kit airplanes with a pusher engine, built by Quad City Aircraft Corporation of Moline, Illinois, since 1983.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 754 with a valid registration, most of them two-seat Challenger IIs.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The Challenger has a high wing, tricycle landing gear and a frame of 6061-T6 aluminum tubing joined with aircraft bolts and rivets, covered in Dacron envelopes or aircraft fabric. The engine sits behind the cabin and turns the propeller through a cogged rubber belt reduction drive.<ref name="wp"/> The kit comes in four parts (tail, fuselage, wings and engine), with the hardest work already done at the factory.<ref name="wp"/>

== Models ==
* '''Challenger I''': one seat, 31.5 ft wing; with a 22 hp Hirth engine it can fly as a U.S. Part 103 ultralight. About 800 were reported flying by 2011.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''Challenger I Special''': one seat with a shorter 26 ft wing for faster roll; about 300 flying by 2011.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''Challenger II''': two seats in tandem, 31.5 ft wing, can be fitted with floats; Rotax 447, 503, 582 or HKS engines.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''754''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| CHALLENGER II || 558
|-
| CHALLENGER 2 || 26
|-
| CHALLENGER I || 24
|-
| CHALLENGER || 21
|-
| CHALLENGER II SPEC || 18
|-
| CHALLENGER 1 || 15
|-
| CHALLENGER II CWS || 11
|-
| CHALLENGER II SPECIA || 7
|-
| CHALLENGER II LSS || 6
|-
| CHALLENGER II CW || 6
|-
| CHALLENGER II LW || 4
|-
| CHALLENGER SPECIAL || 3
|-
| CHALLENGER II CLIP W || 3
|-
| CHALLENGER 2 PLACE || 3
|-
| CHALLENGER II CLP WG || 3
|-
| CHALLENGER CWS || 2
|-
| CHALLENGER II STANDA || 2
|-
| CHALLENGER IISPECIAL || 2
|-
| CHALLENGER II XL65 || 2
|-
| CHALLENGER II XL-65 || 2
|-
| ''35 other model names'' || 36
|}
</div>

== Specifications (Challenger II) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! Challenger II
|-
| Crew || one
|-
| Passengers / capacity || one passenger and 500 lb (227 kg) useful load
|-
| Length || 20 ft
|-
| Wingspan || 31 ft 6 in
|-
| Height || 6 ft
|-
| Wing area || 177 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 460 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 960 lb
|-
| Engine || Rotax 503, 50 hp (twin cylinder, inline, two stroke, piston aircraft engine)
|-
| Maximum speed || 96 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 85 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 28 mph
|-
| Never-exceed speed || 100 mph
|-
| Rate of climb || 750 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:QuadCityChallengerI.JPG|Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:QuadCityChallengerIIC-IGOK02.JPG|Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:QuadCityChallengerIIC-FSJD05.jpg|Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:QuadCityChallengerIIC-IGUG01.JPG|Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:ChallengerIIC-IWYN.JPG|Quad City Challenger. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Quad City Challenger ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_City_Challenger Quad City Challenger]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Quad City Challenger - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources