Flight Aviator - Solid Mango/Okoume Slimline Baritone Ukulele w/Gigbag #6574

There is a quiet movement going on in the Ukulele world right now. The resurrection in popularity of slimline Ukuleles! Flight are not new to producing slimline Ukuleles having enjoyed tremendous popularity with the Songbird Ukulele earlier this year and the Flight Leia a few years back which won a best of show award at the NAMM show back in 2020.

The Aviator is the next step in a contemporary direction for Flight. Offset and contoured for body comfort, drawing the sound out of the instrument in an upward motion towards the player. The Mango top is somewhat of a signature of Flight, warm and expressive with the depth of a bigger instrument but the harp-like harmonics of tropical woods like Hawaiian Koa. Putting that kind of top wood with something reflective like Okume for the body is a great choice for giving the player a clean and clear dynamic range under the fingers while its played.

The Aviator Baritone has an extra element of interest as it is the first of its kind to reach the ukulele world. With the exception of the long established Kala travel series Baritone; there simply has never been an option for those wanting a form fitting, slimline Baritone until now.

The Elephant in the room?
This particular design will undeniably draw comparisons to the long established Revelator and Night Owl Ukuleles by Kala. At a glimpse, it can actually be hard to tell these ukuleles apart but there are quite a few differences that need to be pointed out as I imagine most people seeing both will be keen to compare and hopefully purchase either a Night Owl or an Aviator. The closer you look at these instruments, the more important differences can be seen. The main thing here of course is that at the time of launch; Kala are yet to announce or launch a Baritone version of the popular Night Owl Ukuleles.

The Shape - The Aviator shape is more conventional than the Kala Night Owls/Revelator with a body that curves around like a normal ukulele on the shoulder and has a more traditional Florentine style cutaway for access to the upper frets. The offset soundhole is stylish with a unique flourish splitting the soundhole into two. 

Bolt-on neck - The Aviator has a bolt on neck with three bolts that is quite an unusual thing on an acoustic Ukulele. My assessment is that this does have a slight effect on the ukulele itself, creating a slightly snappier and crisper attack when you pluck the strings. It also takes some of the meat out of the middle of the instrument which makes the uke lighter in your hands but does take some of the depth out of the sound and gives the ukulele a more petite feel up the neck. 

The final comparative point between the Night Owl and the Aviator is the lack of pickup. This Ukulele is purely an acoustic instrument although we can fit a MiSi pickup to it by request for anybody looking to use this instrument on stage.

The Aviator has some of the vibe of the Night Owl/Revelators when you look at it but it definitely serves up a completely different playing experience when you play it. If you are a Flight fan already, you'll love how this feels and the sound is wonderful albeit, a bit more filtered, direct and less creamy than the Kala Night Owl Revelator ukes. The use of Aquilas new B-Black strings that imitate the response of Fluorocarbon along with a wound low D and G is a great choice and brings a fresh element to the sound of these ukuleles.

I have a feeling that these ukuleles are going to be a game changer for a lot of folks that want a slimline ukulele or indeed just a great Baritone and are looking to venture for the first time into a serious ukulele on a budget.

Listing shows the actual instrament that you will receive.

Solid Mango Top
Solid Okoume Body
Solid Okoume Neck
Indian Rosewood Fingerboard and Bridge
Tie on bridge
Offset Blue fret dots
Bone nut
38mm nut width (30mm string spacing at nut)
Black front binding
Flight padded slimline gigbag