AERO 2026: What This Year’s Largest European Aviation Fair Showed Us

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Photo: Václav Bervid

AERO Friedrichshafen is a key European event for light and sport aviation. For those who couldn’t attend this year, here’s a brief overview of an edition that meant more to us than presenting an aircraft — it showed how the market sees our work and how expectations among pilots and industry professionals are evolving.

AERO Friedrichshafen is one of the most important European events in the field of light and sport aviation. It is a place where the B2B and B2C worlds meet: manufacturers, suppliers, flight schools, operators, pilots, future owners, and industry professionals.

For many companies, AERO is also the most accurate barometer of the market: it shows which technologies resonate, how pilot preferences are evolving, and how individual brands are perceived by people who work with aviation every day.

This year, AERO had a specific dynamic for us, one that differed from previous editions.

Change in visitor behaviour: from discovering to confirming

In past years, visitors came to discover who we are — to learn what we develop and where we are heading. This year, people arrived with a different expectation: they wanted to confirm that what they had seen before was not a one‑off moment, but part of a stable and continuous development. Orličan is a brand with a long tradition, but it also underwent a change of ownership in 2014 and has since been on a new, long‑term path – one that led to the creation of a modern aircraft for this era, the M‑8 EAGLE. And this year’s AERO clearly showed that the market recognises this continuity.

For an aircraft manufacturer, this is one of the strongest signals that the brand is gaining trust and that its work is perceived as long‑term, not accidental.

What visitors appreciated most

Among the recurring comments, two themes stood out:

the quality of workmanship
the cabin space, which many compared to what they are used to in General Aviation

These comparisons appeared independently throughout the entire fair.

For us, it is an important confirmation that we are successfully bringing GA‑level standards into the light sport aircraft segment – and that visitors notice it.

The role of current owners

An important role at the fair was played by our existing customers who stopped by our stand. Their real‑world operating experience is invaluable both for us and for new prospects, and their satisfaction confirms that the M‑8 EAGLE performs not only on the exhibition floor but, above all, in the air. The current owners of our aircraft are pilots who use it to its full potential – in different conditions, on different routes, and with different operating habits. Thanks to them, we receive precise feedback that pushes the development further, and we are grateful for it.

What comes next?

AERO 2026 was more than just presenting an aircraft. It confirmed that the path we have chosen has continuity and direction — and that the market sees it. This year, we met pilots, operators, and enthusiasts who have been following our progress for a long time, and their reactions were the most important moment of the entire event.

We were also delighted by those who expressed interest in a demonstration flight with the M‑8 EAGLE, because personal experience in the air says more than any description or technical parameter. And for those who could not make it to Friedrichshafen this year, we will be happy to offer similar opportunities in the coming months, just reach out to us by email.

As every year, AERO 2026 brought us a great deal of motivation for the work ahead. We are proud to be part of the light aviation community and look forward to everyone we met — and to those we will meet next year at AERO 2027.