JMB Aircraft VL-3
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
These figures describe the Rotax 912 version. Aircraft whose FAA record lists another engine have their own page: JMB Aircraft VL-3 915, JMB Aircraft VL-3 916.
The JMB VL-3 is a Czech carbon-fibre two-seat low-wing with retractable or fixed tricycle gear, first flown in 2004 as the Aveko VL-3 Sprint and built since by JMB Aircraft as the VL3 Evolution at 600 or 750 kg gross with Rotax 912, 915 or 916 engines: JMB quotes 151 knots maximum cruise and 1,300 fpm with the 100 hp 912iS and 200 knots and 2,700 fpm with the 160 hp 916iS.
The VL3 is the fastest thing in the light-sport-sized class and in the United States it is almost entirely an amateur-built aeroplane assembled from JMB's kit with the turbocharged 915 or 916, so what a buyer is looking at is a $300,000-plus homebuilt with retractable gear, a constant-speed propeller and a 200-knot cruise, and the paperwork - which gross weight, which engine, who built it and with how much factory assistance - is the identity. The published weights are for the lightweight European version; a US 916 aircraft is heavier and its weight-and-balance governs. Retractable gear and a constant-speed prop make it complex for endorsement purposes, the turbocharged Rotax has shorter TBOs and strict fuel and cooling requirements, and a composite airframe needs inspection for finish damage rather than corrosion. JMB and its US distributor support the type; parts come from the Czech Republic.
Variants of the JMB VL-3
- VL-3 · 2004 · 24 active · this page
- VL-3 915 · 24 active
- VL-3 916 · 23 active
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 16.5 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Rotax 912ULS / 912iS (100 hp); 914 on a few |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 2004 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | — |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 1,300 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 42 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 681 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Empty weight | 639 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $320,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $435,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 28 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 24 |
| Median year built | 2020 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 125 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 83.33 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 5 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.83 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 24 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 24 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 24 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9 of 103 |
| Support | 2.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 16.5 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30