In 1985 the Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Company sponsored the design and construction of a light aircraft, the goal being to develop a new homebuilt aircraft that could be easily constructed from plans and / or building instructions and using commonly available materials.

In the 1950s Messrs T G Adams and Paul Wilson in California designed and developed a single-seat light sporting helicopter for private use. After a prototype was completed and tested, they produced plans for construction of the machine, then known as the Adams Wilson Hobbycopter, for sale to amateur constructors.

This light single-seat helicopter was built in the Melbourne suburb of Black Rock and is believed to have been completed in about 1948. It took about two-years to complete and is thought to be, if not the first, one of the first helicopters designed and built in Australia.

The Aerolite light aircraft series was constructed and marketed in the early 1990s by Australian Aviation Works of Donvale, VIC, the prototype being placed on display at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon.

The J-4 Sportster was designed by Jessie Anglin in the United States and produced by the Anglin Aircraft Company, making its first flight in 1986.