WEEDHOPPER GYPSY – CHOTIA GYPSY

Chotia Gypsy: The Minimalist “Lawn Chair” in the Sky

The Chotia Gypsy is a rare gem from the golden age of ultralights, designed by John Chotia in the late 1970s. It represents the absolute minimum structure required to fly. Unlike modern airplanes that try to be fast or enclosed, the Gypsy is unapologetically simple: a high wing, a seat, an engine, and the open air. It is famous for its unique appearance and its ability to float on the air like a dandelion seed.

Why Is It a Legend?

• The Ultimate “Floater”: The Gypsy wasn’t designed to go somewhere; it was designed to be somewhere. With its massive wing area relative to its weight, it flies incredibly slowly. It is one of the few aircraft where you can literally watch the world go by at bicycle speeds.

• Ingenious Simplicity: The structure is made of bolted aluminum tubing. There are no complex welded trusses or wood glue joints. It’s an “erector set” for adults. The pilot sits completely exposed, suspended below the wing, offering visibility that no enclosed cockpit can match.

• Pendulum Stability: Because the pilot and engine are suspended well below the high parasol wing, the aircraft has tremendous natural stability. It hangs like a pendulum, making it very forgiving for low-time pilots in calm weather.

• A Rare Classic: You won’t see one at every airport. Owning a Gypsy is owning a piece of ultralight history, a reminder of a time when aviation was about freedom and experimentation, not glass cockpits and autopilots.

Performance and Key Numbers
The numbers for the Gypsy are fascinating not because they are high, but because they are incredibly low. It is a machine built for low-speed loitering.

General Specifications:

• Crew: 1 pilot

• Wingspan: 32 ft (9.75 m)

• Length: 17 ft (5.18 m)

• Wing Area: 144 sq ft (13.38 m²)

• Empty Weight: 165 lbs (75 kg) (Incredibly light)

• Max Takeoff Weight: 415 lbs (188 kg)

• Useful Load: Approx. 250 lbs (113 kg)

• Typical Engine Power: 20 – 30 hp (Cuyuna, Rotax 277, or similar)

Performance:

• Cruise Speed: 35 – 40 mph (56 – 64 km/h)

• Max Speed: 55 mph (89 km/h)

• Stall Speed: 22 mph (35 km/h) (Slower than a sprinting athlete)

• Rate of Climb: 400 – 600 ft/min (2 – 3 m/s)

• Takeoff Distance: Approx. 100 – 150 ft (30 – 45 m)

• Fuel Consumption: 1.5 – 2.5 gallons per hour (5 – 9 L/h)

• Range: Approx. 75 – 100 miles (120 – 160 km)

In short, the Chotia Gypsy is the perfect choice if you aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere, love the mechanical simplicity of aluminum tubes, and want to experience the purest, slowest, and most open form of powered flight possible.