Risen 916 Sets Two World Speed Records

Rotax-powered microlight reached 244.7 knots during record flights in Italy.

Risen 916 Sets Two World Speed Records
[Credit: Aero Club of Italy]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A Rotax 916-powered Porto Aviation Risen aircraft, piloted by Alberto Rodolfo Porto, has set two new FAI-ratified world speed records.
  • These records were achieved in the two-seat RAL2T microlight class for speed over a straight course (453.20 km/h) and over a 50-kilometer closed circuit (432.69 km/h).
  • The record-setting flights took place on October 16, 2025, originating from Alzate Brianza Airport in northern Italy.
  • An additional attempt for a 100-kilometer closed circuit speed record (431.14 km/h) is currently under FAI review and has not yet been ratified.
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A Rotax 916-powered Porto Aviation Risen has set world records for speed over a straight course and speed over a 50-kilometer closed circuit in the two-seat RAL2T microlight class. As of Sept. 15, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale lists both performances as ratified current world records. Pilot Alberto Rodolfo Porto flew the records Oct. 16, 2025, from Alzate Brianza Airport in northern Italy.

The straight-course run reached 453.20 km/h, or about 244.7 knots, while the 50-kilometer circuit was completed at 432.69 km/h, about 233.6 knots. FAI’s RAL2T classification covers land-based microlights flown with two people, using movable aerodynamic controls and a thermal engine.

Porto also flew a 100-kilometer closed circuit at 431.14 km/h, about 232.8 knots, during the same series of flights. That performance remains listed by FAI as a “dossier under review” and has not yet received the same ratified status. Porto Aviation announced all three attempts shortly after the flights last October.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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