Recently, the Airworthiness Certification Operation Management System on the official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) showed that the SL70-100 "Nebula" Light Sport Aircraft from Starair Aircraft received its Type Certificate (TC) (data sheet attached below) on September 7. The certificate was signed and issued by Xi Yadong, Deputy Director and Chief Engineer of the CAAC Central and Southern Regional Administration. Following the issuance of the TC for FCourier Aviation Technology's E40H on December 30 last year, and after an over 8-month "TC issuance vacuum period," the first TC for a low-altitude aircraft issued by the civil aviation system in 2026 has finally been granted.
https://amos.caac.gov.cn/?show_loading=0&webview_progress_bar=1#/certificate
The SL70-100 is a new generation of two-seat Light Sport Aircraft from Starair Aircraft, following the SA60L "Aurora" and SA70L. It features a more aesthetic appearance, a more spacious cabin (with the two-seat layout unchanged), higher-quality interior, and further optimized flight performance, focusing on a "light luxury flight experience." Compared to Starair Aircraft's previous products, the more significant upgrade of the SL70 comes from supply chain improvements. The avionics system was jointly developed by Starair Aircraft and Tianjian Intelligent Control, featuring high integration and strong scalability. However, the TC data sheet shows that the SL70 continues to use the Rotax 912 engine power solution from the SA60L, rather than the domestically produced Zonsen CA500 aero-engine that was previously validated on the SA60L.
The SA60L "Aurora" received the TC for the first domestic Light Sport Aircraft in 2011 and the Production Certificate (PC) in 2013. In August 2026, the Deputy General Manager of Starair Aircraft stated in an interview with Hunan Daily, "More than 450 units of the SA60L have been sold in China, and nearly 500 units including international regions," accounting for over 80% of the domestic market share for similar products.
Easter Egg: Brother Xiang learned to fly the SA60L at Chengdu Jintang Airport in 2024.