The FP-606 was designed by Fisher Aircraft in the United States in 1986 and was intended to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category, with the category's maximum 2540NaN0 empty weight. The 606's standard empty weight is 2500NaN0 when equipped with a two-stroke 250NaN0 Hirth F-33 engine. The design goal was to provide an ultralight version of the Cessna 150 or Cessna 152, including its looks, styling features and docile handling. To this end the 606 incorporates the 150's Omni-Vision style rear window and the swept fin found on post-1965 Cessna 150s. The wings are the same design as the Fisher FP-202 Koala with modified wingtips.[7]
The construction of the FP-606 is of wood, with the fuselage built from wood strips arranged in a geodesic form, resulting in a very strong and light aircraft with redundant load paths. The wings, tail and fuselage are covered with doped aircraft fabric. Like the Cessna 150, the 606's wings are strut-braced, but where the 150 uses a single strut, the FP-606 incorporates a "V" strut with "N" jury struts. Also unlike the 150, which has large and powerful flaps, the 606 has no flaps. The FP-606 can be fitted with either conventional-configuration (taildragger) or tricycle-style landing gear, which is bungee suspended in either configuration. The FP-606 has a single door for pilot access, that can be removed for flight. The company claims an amateur builder would need 500 hours to build the FP-606.
The US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicle category version of the FP-606 requires a light weight powerplant, such as the originally specified, but now out-of-production 280NaN0 Rotax 277 or the current 250NaN0 Hirth F-33. Amateur-built category versions can be powered by the 400NaN0 Rotax 447 or 500NaN0 Rotax 503 engines.
The FP-606 won the Experimental Aircraft Association's Best New Design Award for light planes in 1988. By late 2011 more than 15 FP-606s were flying.
