The Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen is the more streamlined, cross-country-minded answer to the slow-and-short-field character of the earlier A22LS Foxbat. Its trick is a useful one: retain a thick, forgiving high wing and full-span flaperons for low-speed work, then clean up the fuselage, tail and cabin enough to cruise at around 109 mph at 4,650 rpm. In a market full of light-sport aircraft that ask buyers to choose between field manners and touring speed, the Vixxen was designed to make that choice less severe.

Built as an Aeroprakt development of the A22LS, the A32 programme concentrated on drag reduction, cockpit ergonomics and control refinement. The wing concept and construction philosophy were retained, but the fuselage was reshaped, the tail became an all-flying stabilator, and the cabin was freed of some of the structure and pushrods that defined the earlier design. The result is recognisably an Aeroprakt—high wing, strut bracing, tricycle gear and excellent outward sightlines—but with a more polished touring brief.

Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen quick facts

What makes the Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen different from a typical light-sport high-wing?

It is the breadth of the speed range, rather than any single headline number, that gives the A32 its appeal. The Vixxen combines a quoted 37 mph clean stall and 31 mph full-flap stall with a 109 mph published cruise, while maximum level speed is quoted at 133 mph. That leaves the pilot with a machine that can be flown patiently into modest strips without feeling condemned to a very long journey once clear of the circuit.

The all-flying tail is a central part of the refinement. Aeroprakt paired the stabilator with an anti-servo/trim arrangement intended to reduce control forces and trim drag; in practical terms, the A32 is designed to feel more precise during takeoff and landing than its plain appearance might suggest. Full-span flaperons provide the low-speed lift and roll-control solution, with two selected droop settings. It is not an aerobatic toy—intentional spinning is prohibited—but it is a genuine utility aeroplane with a distinctly more aerodynamic nose for getting somewhere.

Powerplant, systems and technical highlights

• Rotax 912 ULS carbureted or Rotax 912 iS fuel-injected four-cylinder powerplants are specified at 100 hp.
• The 912 ULS installation uses liquid-cooled cylinder heads, air-cooled cylinders, dry-sump lubrication, dual electronic ignition and a 2.43:1 reduction gearbox.
• A three-blade tractor propeller is standard in the basic description, with approved propeller choices varying by configuration.
• Wing-root fuel tanks provide 24 US gallons total capacity as standard; optional tanks raise total capacity to about 30 US gallons.
• The high wing uses full-span flaperons, combining aileron and flap functions; published droop settings are approximately 10 and 20 degrees.
• The fixed undercarriage uses aluminum spring main gear, hydraulic disc brakes and a steerable trailing-link nosewheel.
• Instrument and avionics fit is configuration-dependent; published documentation includes provisions for conventional flight instruments and Dynon SkyView installations.

How it compares

Comparison shown with the Aeroprakt A22LS Foxbat. Published figures vary with model variant, installed engine, propeller, equipment and operating conditions.

Honest ownership note: The A32 is straightforward in concept, but it is still a composite of light-aircraft realities rather than a maintenance-free appliance. A pre-purchase inspection should concentrate on the fabric-covered surfaces and their attachment details, aluminum structure and wing/strut fittings, flaperon hinges and control-cable condition, stabilator and trim mechanism, landing-gear springs and nosewheel linkage, brake system, fuel-tank valves and the complete Rotax installation. Confirm the exact propeller, avionics, safety equipment and approved operating documentation, because these vary by aircraft. A Rotax-experienced mechanic and an owner community familiar with Aeroprakt service information are more useful than optimism and a generic toolbox.

Exterior and cabin

Exterior

• A clean, high-wing silhouette with external lift struts and a noticeably more contoured fuselage than the earlier A22LS.
• Rounded fairings at the wing roots and landing-gear springs, plus a compact cowling with a circular cooling-air intake.
• Fixed tricycle gear that looks purposeful rather than delicate, with wheel spats or mud-screen arrangements depending on wheel and tire installation.

Cabin and cockpit

• A side-by-side cabin with high-mounted, fore-and-aft adjustable seats and a broad, panoramic windshield.
• Absence of diagonal structural tubes in the forward view, one of the A32’s most immediately noticeable ergonomic gains.
• Seats tilt forward to improve access to the baggage area behind them; cable controls also reduce clutter through the cabin.
• Sealed doors, improved heating ducting and ventilation aim to make the enclosed cockpit more credible in cooler-weather touring.

Who is the Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen for?

• Pilots who want light-sport operating simplicity without accepting purely slow local-flight performance.
• Owners based at shorter paved or grass strips who also plan meaningful day trips.
• Touring pilots who value visibility, luggage access and a practical two-seat cabin.
• Rotax-literate operators who appreciate efficient powerplants and are willing to manage a light-aircraft fuel system carefully.

The A32 Vixxen makes sense for the pilot who sees a light aeroplane as transportation with a sense of occasion, not merely a circuit machine. It remains unmistakably practical, but its real accomplishment is that it does not look at a cross-country flight as an inconvenient gap between two good grass runways.