B&F Fk9

Otto Funk had designed and built gliders and motor glider since 1970 but the Fk9 was both his first commercial product and his first aircraft with design input from his son Peter. Peter Funk and Dirk Breitkreuz set up B&F Technik in 1990 to produce it. ==Operational history==

The Fk9 prototype first flew early in 1989, making its first public appearance that April at the Aero trade fair in Friedrichshafen. By late 2008, before the introduction of the ELA variant, at least 370 Fk9s of all types had been sold. The mid-2010 European registers (excluding Russia) note 387 aircraft, including four ELAs. Other Fk9s fly in North and South America, where there are agencies, as in South Africa. US LSA for kits was given in 2005. UK microlight weight limits exclude the Fk9 as an assembled aircraft, but the recent ELA regulations are expected to allow that version to be registered. Reviewer Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review as "an all-composite Cessna 150 lookalike, but with much improved performance". ==Variants==

Information from • ; Fk9 Mark IV: Replaced Mark 3 with larger cabin, flaps (30°) and tailplane. Introduced 2003. :::Mark IV SW: Short span wing, better downward visibility. :::Mark IV Utility: For trainer or glider towing roles. Tricycle or conventional gear options. • ; Fk9 ELA: Mark IV improved to fit European Light Aircraft category. Removal of the cabin tubular of structure impvroving visibility through the windscreen, addition of a laggage compartment. Introduced 2009. • ; Fk9 Mark VI: Fully composite construction, redesigned stern tube. Introduced in 2020. ==Specifications (Mark IV, Rotax 912 UL, tricycle undercarriage)==