An ultralight is a very small, lightweight aircraft that typically carries just one or two people and flies at relatively low speeds. Unlike regular airplanes that might weigh several thousand pounds, ultralights in some places are defined as weighing less than about 250 pounds without the pilot. They often look like a hang glider with a small engine attached, or like a go-kart with wings.

Because ultralights are so light and simple, they can require less training to fly than many conventional aircraft, and in some countries you don't need a full pilot's license to operate one. Picture soaring over fields and forests on a sunny morning, feeling the wind as you sit in a small open seat with wings.

The word ultralight can also describe anything extremely lightweight. Backpackers prize ultralight gear like tents that weigh just a few ounces, and cyclists seek ultralight frames made from carbon fiber or titanium. The prefix ultra means “beyond” or “extremely,” so ultralight means going beyond ordinary lightness to something remarkably, almost impossibly light.