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ULTRALIGHT FLYING FOR THE PRIVATE PILOT

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY ^ yf

ULTRALIGHT FLYING FOR THE PRIVATE PILOT JOE CHRISTY

TAB BOOKS YHH| I

Blue Ridge Summit,

Inc.

PA 17214

The

Chapter 1 originally appeared in Michael Bradford’s feature ‘‘Nobody’s Flying School” published by Glider Rider magazine. The material on ‘‘Assembling and Flying the Challenger” by Michael Bradford and Hal Adkins was originally published by Glider Rider magazine. “Tyrebiter’s Ride” section in

FIRST EDITION FIRST PRINTING Copyright

©

Printed

the United States of America

in

1985 by TAB

BOOKS

Inc.

Reproduction or publication of the content in any manner, without express permission of the publisher, is prohibited. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information herein. Library of

Congress Cataloging

in

Publication Data

Christy, Joe. Ultralight flying for the private pilot.

Includes index. I. Title. 1. Ultralight aircraft— Piloting. 85-4641 629.132 '5243 TL685.15.C47 1985

ISBN 0-8306-2382-5 Cover

illustration

(pbk.)

by Larry Selman.

Contents

1

Introduction

v

Transition to Ultralights

1

Air—Tyrebiter’s RideConclusions—The Shoemaker’s Dream Control Pressures How Much Dual Is Enough? Quality

Instruction— Into

the

—

—

2

Special Considerations

20

Structures— Costs— Mechanical Questions—TwoStrokes/Four-Strokes— Propeller Basics Ultralight

3

Ultralight Airspace

Wind—Traffic

Patterns

37

—Air Charts — Controlled Airspace

Cross-Country— Future Regulation?

4

Ultralight

Weather

60

—Air Pressure — Fronts — Clouds—The Icing?—Wake Turbulence — Frost —Air Mass Temperatures — Altimeters Land and Sea Breezes — Moisture —Wrecks and Weather Forecast Reliability

Weather

5

Map—Turbulence— Carburetor

To Buy or Not to Buy

83

Engines— Optional Equipment—What and Where

to

Buy-

Maintenance and Rentals

6

Assembling and Flying the Challenger The Construction Manuals— Covering the Tail—Wings— Fuselage— Engine— Interior— Fuselage Covering— Final Assembly— First Flights—Taking on the Challenger—The Single-Place Challenger

—One-Place

vs.

Two-Place

— Report

Card Detail— Challenger Specifications— Challenger Performance

95

7

Ultralight

Aerodynamics

115

The Wing—Aircraft Axes— Load Factors

8

Ultralight Buyer’s

—

Stall

Factors

Guide

126

Single-Place Ultralights—Two-Seaters

Appendix A

Federal

Regulations:

Part

Aviation

103— Ultralight

Vehicles

163

Appendix B Ultralight Engine Suppliers and Accessories

168

Appendix C Ultralight Dealers: Sales, Service, and Instruction

174

Index

193

Introduction Like so

many who had been

years,

watched the

oriented to “real’’ airplanes for

many

movement evolve with a great deal of skepticism — perhaps even with some hostility. In my view, the FAA was clearly ducking its responsibility by looking the other way and hoping that these minimum flying machines would I

precipitate their

As

saw

ultralight aircraft

own

early demise.

in the

beginning, the ultralights were a clear and present danger to “legal” flying. Here were all these free spirits I

it

unlicensed machines, buzzing around in defiance of the established order of things, often landing without permission on private in

and— hey,

property,

wait a minute;

isn’t that

a pretty fair descrip-

tion of the early-day barnstormers, that

natured the beginning of ’20s?

Could

aviation

who

is to

insist

it

civil

aviation in

determined breed that America during the early

possibly be that, once again, the future of U.S.

civil

be markedly affected by a diverse clan of individualists

on flying despite a number of practical reasons why they

should not? It

was, after

all,

quite clear in the early ’80s that the major

lightplane manufacturers had

abandoned the pilots and the wouldbe pilots in the median income bracket— from whence has always emerged most of our future professional pilots.

They

mean to. Beech, Cessna, Piper, et al, were unable to change the way they did business. The bottom lines on their annual reports overrode any concerns they may have had for the flight lines on the nation’s small airports. The industry would didn’t really

be profitably sustained by the corporate aircraft market. If they suspected that it may have been in their ultimate best interest to support entry-level

was no sign of it. groups, such as the American Associa-

civil flying,

Other special interest

there

and the National Business Aircraft Association, lobbied in Washington for strict— and crippling— control of ultralights by the FAA, while the news media left the general public (including a lot of private pilots) with two buzzwords for ultralights and their pilots: dangerous and irresponsible. tion of Airport Executives

There was some truth in both terms, inevitable when questing minds and adventurous psyches are free to explore new frontiers unfettered by law or convention— and some who led the way paid the inevitable price. Actually, the ultralight airplanes— and they are airplanes— would

become

sound machines, responsibly operated, and achieve that public image, or they would be legislated out of existence, if not by local and state laws, then by federal edict. That is what happened to the early-day barnstormers. The Air Commerce Act of 1926 required the federal licensing of aircraft and rapidly

structurally

minimum

standards for both. Previously,

anyone with the inclination and the

money— as little as $500— could

pilots,

while establishing

buy a war-surplus Jenny or Standard and do as he pleased with it. Some designed and built their own airplanes. Soon after the end of World War I the minimum airplane concept manifested itself in France, England, and the United States. The first WACO was a tiny parasol monoplane with 32 hp; the Lockheed brothers, Alan and Malcolm, joined with John K. “Jack” Northrop to build the S-1, a single-place biplane of 25 hp, and E.M. “Matty” Laird’s Model S, fitted with a 30-hp motorcycle engine, was also a single-seat biplane. All appeared in 1919. Later, in the mid : 20s, Ed Heath, Charlie Meyers, and Harvey Mummert were among the pioneers who turned up at the National Air Races with similar machines.

There were

others, including a 40-hp low-winger built

by Henry

Ford’s airplane company, but none were put into production until

the Great Depression of the early ’30s created an unmistakable

market

for a personal airplane that could

be owned and flown

at

the lowest possible cost.

That

most enervating

of

all

depressions

spawned

the

37-hp Taylor Cub (immediate forebear of the Piper J-3 Cub); the 398-pound, 26-hp Aeronca C-2; the 430-pound, 22-hp

530-pound

,

Cycloplane; the 45-hp Eaglet at 509 pounds, Alexander FlyAbout VI

590 pounds and 45 hp; the Buhl Bull Pup, and the Rearwin Junior. From the idle Cessna plant emerged a neat little monoplane which resembled an Aeronca C-2 with cantilever wings, Model EC-3; but the most successful were the Heath Parasols, Aeronca C-2/C-3 of

and the Curtiss-Wright Junior. The Heath was offered readyto-fly for $1,074, or in kit form for $499 with engine and prop $325 extra. The single-place Heath weighed 450 pounds empty and was series,

with a converted four-cylinder in-line Henderson motorcycle engine of 27 hp. The Aeronca C-3 weighed 466 pounds empty and fitted

cruised at 65 series

The

mph

The

with 36 hp.

was produced 1931-1937

two-place, side-by-side C-2/C-3

inclusive, priced at

$1,695 to $1,895.

two-place Curtiss-Wright Junior

a pusher engine of 45 hp.

It

was a parasol monoplane with weighed 560 pounds empty, cruised

65 mph, and was priced at $1,490. All of these aircraft were certified by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Air Commerce at

(the Civil Aeronautics Authority,

CAA, was

created in 1938; the

CAA in

1958, and in the mid-

Federal Aviation Agency replaced the

Lyndon Johnson reduced the

’60s

FAA

from agency status to the Federal Aviation Administration and tucked it into the Department of Transportation).

Some

present-day ultralights look very

much

C-3 and Curtiss-Wright Junior, particularly the

like the

latter.

Aeronca

But the

earlier

machines were heavier. The C-W Junior grossed 975 pounds with a wing area of 176 sq/ft, resulting in a wing loading of 5.5 pounds per sq/ft and a power loading of 21.66 pounds per/hp. The Aeronca C-3, also a two-placer, grossed 875 pounds with 142 sq/ft of wing area for a 6.16 pounds per sq/ft wing loading, and a 24.3 pounds per/hp power loading. But, again, these were ATCed airplanes. After the Continental A-40 engine (introduced during the early ’30s at

37 hp) evolved

into the 50-hp version in 1938, that resulted

Piper Cub, B-12 Taylorcraft, and a similarly configured Aeronca which seemed to represent the best combination of twoin the J-3

place, low-cost aircraft with

Approved Type

from the Federals. With a measure of economic recovery across the land, and a price tag of $1,617 on the 50-hp Cub, the best compromise between cost and performance appeared to have been achieved.

These hour

in

Certificates

be owned and flown for less than $3 per the 1938-39 economy. I know, because I was paying $3.50 aircraft could

per half-hour for solo time in a

new

from a small sod field operated by Mr. “Tedo” Swain (who later became an AF general, I think). I was 20 years old in 1939, supporting myself, taking university extension courses, and flying 30 minutes each week T-Craft, flying

VII

on a salary of $18.50 per week. affordable then to the average

At the end

of

WWII,

the

My

point

is,

guy with a

minimum

personal flying was

job.

airplane concept

was again

given serious consideration by both Lockheed and Piper with the

Dipper and the Piper Skycycle. These were designed as $995 ready-to-fly single-placers fitted with the 65-hp Continental (which had appeared in 1940, and had promptly been in-

Lockheed

stalled

Little

in

the

Cubs,

Luscombes— along with

T-Crafts,

Aeroncas,

and

Ercoupes,

Franklin and Lycoming four-bangers of

similar rating which had followed the 50-hp Continentals into the

market). Neither aircraft was ever put into production, probably

because the J-3s, BC-12D T-Crafts, and the others in their weight/horsepower class sold well— at least, until the postwar civil

av-boom went bust

1947.

in

Meanwhile, the trend to more power had begun with the 85-hp postwar Ercoupe and Aeronca Champion; the Luscombe went to 90 hp, along with the

first

The Cessna 120s and

PA-18 Super Cub, which appeared

140s, introduced in 1948,

had 85 hp

(later

Ten years later, in 1959, the Super Cub was available with 95 hp (and 108 hp) priced at $5,850, but most were sold with 125 and 150-hp engines. And the fabric-covered 90

hp),

and were priced

in 1949.

at $3,495.

Pipers of that era were the last of the “affordable” four-placers for

people

with slightly-above-median incomes.

TriPacer, Caribbean Model, with an 0-320

The 1959 Piper

Lycoming

of

150 hp was

priced at $8,395 less radio.

movement accelerated with formation of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) by Paul Poberezny and a handful of his Milwaukee friends. The EAA was made possible after citizen George Bogardus of Troutdale, In the meantime, the homebuilt airplane

Oregon, went to Washington and pled the cause of amateur-built airplanes and fun flying, asking the CAA to amend the aviation regulations so that homebuilts could be registered and legally flown.

CAA cautiously agreed,

The

specifying that such machines be reg-

istered in the Experimental category.

not

The homebuilt airplanes— currently an estimated 10,000— have directly contributed to minimum-cost fun flying. The modern

homebuilt

will cost

somewhere between $12,000 and $20,000, plus

two to four years’ spare-time labor. Kits, with pre-molded composite components, promise to drastically cut the building time, but will increase the cost. in a

in the

mid-

’60s,

125-hp homebuilt Pitts Special.

therefore (besides the viii

Back

one could invest $8,000

The

enormous amount

principal advantage,

of satisfaction

many

peo-

pie take from building their

own

airplanes), has

been that one could proceed on a pay-as-you-go basis, and end up with a true sport airplane. As late as 1971 the Cessna Skyhawk had a list price of $14,995, while the Cessna 150 was priced at $8,895. Plainly, the amateur airplane builders have long been motivated by considerations other than cost.

While minimum cost has been one of the primary attractions of ultralight flying, there can be no doubt that lack of regulation in the beginning, and benign regulation during the two-year “trial period October 1982 to October 1984 — was a strong contributing factor. True,

exacted

it

a few accidents resulted from struc-

its price;

weaknesses obviously due to “eyeball engineering.” Most appear to have been chargeable to that ancient bugaboo of aviation, tural

pilot error,

but this judgement

made only by reference to acEAA. Without mandatory registrais

cidents/incidents reported to the tion and accident-reporting requirements for

was no way

to identify special

problems or

all ultralights,

to

there

determine the true

As this is written (late August 1984), no one even knows how many ultralights are in operation in the U.S. overall safety record.

Estimates range from 15,000 to 40,000. According to last count at this writing, less than 1,000 ultralight owners had voluntarily reg-

EAA

istered their aircraft with the

AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation,

Ultralight Association or the

do when FAR become effective in October 1982. believe that registration would be the first step as

all

were urged

to

Part 103 governing ultralights

Most appeared to

to

an ultralight tax and/or more regulation.

Mandatory registration was, of course, certain to come, along with some sort of ultralight pilot s test. That was the least one could expect to result from the FAA’s “ultralight review” in October 1984. Airworthiness standards-that is, the requirement that ultralight

manufacturers design and build to given structural and aerodynamic standards imposed by the FAA would demand documentation and testing, which would significantly increase the cost of such machines.

—

An

alternative

is

the ballistic parachute attached to the airframe,

but this adds both weight and cost (currently about $700). During the summer of ’84, I encountered a number of ultralights so

equipped. Most achieve rapid deployment of the ’chute from ignition of a powder charge; one version is spring-loaded.

Some

ultralight

manufacturers claim that their airframes are stressed for loads of 6 Gs positive and 4 Gs negative. That is impressive

if

The Champion Decathlon aerobatic airplane is Gs positive and 5 Gs negative. Most other ultralight

true.

designed for 6

IX

builders claim design limits equal to standard or utility category

ATCed

lightplanes. For lightplane certification in the Standard Cat-

egory, a load limit factor of 3.8

is

required by the

FAA.

Utility Cat-

egory structures are 15 percent stronger at 4.4. That should be adequate for ultralights. It is not true that wind gusts impose greater stresses on ultralights because of their lighter weight.

machine it

will

be displaced more from

level flight

by a

The

lighter

vertical gust;

more readily. On the other hand, the heavier the more it resists displacement by vertical gusts; the

“rides the swells”

the aircraft,

more

structure absorbs the energy of the gust. Experienced

its

know

lightplane pilots

747

airliner is “severe” turbulence to a

Nevertheless,

and

failures,

we

that “moderate turbulence” reported by a

some

in the

Cessna Skyhawk.

had suffered inflight structural informed reporting and investigation

ultralights

absence of

known how responsible many of the 50 or so manufacturers have been— which surely contributed to the

really haven’t

ultralight

sale of parachute systems.

The manufacturers

have, in theory, a self-policing organization,

PUMA

(Powered Ultralights Manufacturers Association), but insiders charge that members sometimes failed to document com-

PUMA’s avowed

with

pliance

membership

voluntary.

is

standards,

and

in

any

case

Therefore, those forces lobbying in

Washington against the ultralights— both political and otherwise; both in and outside the aviation community— could claim, with some justification, that self-regulation

had not proven

among

the ultralight manufacturers

effective.

Some

manufacturers, including at least one that has sold a lot of ultralights, clearly milked every possible dollar from the market.

This company advertised an aerobatic ultralight in fine disregard of common sense, safety, and the future of grass-roots flying. (When

company to inquire about checkout in one of their standard machines, I was told that the cost would be $675. 1 declined— I

phoned

politely,

this

I

hope.)

So there were

manufacturers

market with substantial advertising budgets whose primary concern was maximum immediate profits, and who obviously had no regard for the long-term effects their quick-dollar policies may have had on the ultralight

future of this infant industry. That, too,

We

are bound to note, however, that

have rapidly advanced.

was all

in the

inevitable.

facets of this activity

The machines appearing

rendered obsolescent those built just a year troduction of the two-place ultralight trainers,

earlier,

in

mid-1984

while the

manned by

in-

certified

flight instructors,

now

assures proper pilot training.

The It is

two-place ultralight trainers were an essential development. possible— and at this writing still legal— to teach yourself to

an

You may spend a couple of hours taxiing and crowhopping up and down a nice long runway (if you can find one where you are welcome), and then cross your fingers and aviate. A lot of fly

ultralight.

people did

way without suffering permanent injury. More than a few damaged their aircraft, however. A few ultralight dealers, who apparently felt that this method was not sufficiently exciting, it

that

towing the student into the air behind a car in a motorless ultralight. But a couple of FAA General Aviation District Offices tried

(GADOs) recognized

the need and approved two-place ultralights for training, and the FAA types at the Head Shed in Washington

followed through with Exemption 3783 to legalized the two-placers nationwide.

This

is

the only sensible

only sensible

way

way for experienced

Such training or checkout

to

go

FAR

Part 103, which

for a beginner,

and

it is

the

pilots to transition to ultralights.

inexpensive, and you will blast off in the single-placer with a lot more confidence, having eliminated the

need

to

is

depend on experience as your

experience as a teacher

is

that the test

teacher.

comes

The

trouble with

before the lesson.

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The

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Aerospace Facts

Handbook of Aviation and

Chapter

1

Transition to Ultralights One

night a year or so ago, while watching a

TV commercial featur-

ing a hang glider soaring gracefully above a mountain valley,

remarked to my She glanced

“That sure looks like fun” the TV. “You’re getting senile,” she

I

wife, at

said, re-

turning to her magazine. “I didn’t say

are for

I

defended. “Those things

never have— flown a hang glider, I mean. I suspect that wife harbors some reservations about the other. To be honest, I was never really attracted to hang gliding. It

seems “

intended to fly one,”

young people.”

And

my

I

to

I

me that while they are

“foot-launchable,” they are seldom

Too many landings are accomplished on some other part of one’s anatomy. No, I wouldn’t get into hang gliding if you gave me such a contrivance— not even if it had wheels and a crew to carry it back up the hill after each brief sojourn into the air. But you have to admit, it sure looks like fun. ioot-landable .”

Meanwhile,

watched the ultralights proliferate and, somehow, I resented them. “It’s a fad,” I told my wife. “You can’t go anywhere in them. People with experience in real airplanes will never want I

one.”

She looked closely

at

me. “The ultralights are dangerous,” she

said slowly. I

know

that look. “Forget

it,”

I

said. “I think they’re

dumb.” 1

Sometimes

I

even mention a subject around

can’t

my

house with-

out being misunderstood.

Everyone has the right to change his mind, right? At least, we should all be openminded about new things, especially those of us who have passed the 60 mark. Anyway, by early July 1984, 1 decided that I owed it to myself to investigate the ultralight phenomenon firsthand. Anyone who knows what happened to the cost of private flying by then will agree that I really didn’t have any choice. I

think

make

waited until dinner was over to

checkout

I’ll

an

in

ultralight,”

I

the announcement. “I

said, matter-of-factly.

Wife Rene nodded, spooning some Kool Whip from her dessert. I

waited, but she merely gave

me

that faint, sort of superior smile.

you are married, you probably know the one.

If

‘‘You don’t

‘‘Should I

hate

it

seem very

surprised,”

I

said.

be?”

I

when she

takes that “I-know-you-better-than-you-know-

had a perfectly valid reason for my decision and she should have been considerate enough to give me the chance to explain it. ‘‘Ah, you want to go along and watch?” There— the perfect opening for her. I knew what to expect— something like, “No, thanks. I’ve seen you do enough stupid things already.” But instead, all she said was: “Okay.” yourself” attitude. Besides,

we

have to leave the house by five tomorrow order to be ready to fly when the sun comes up. It’s a

“Well, ah,

morning

in

I

will

60-mile drive.” “I’ll fix

a thermos of coffee,” she said.

Quality Instruction

The

next day was typical for July on the South Plains. At 5 A.M.

was no wind, and the forecast was the usual “Clear skies, southeast winds 15 to 25 mph, and a high of 100 to 106 degrees.” The first hour or so after sunup would be the only really good time to fly an ultralight. The wind would begin to come up by 7:30, while the thermals would be building with a temperature in the mid-90s by 10 A.M. The thermals— rising bubit

was 77 degrees

F; there

bles of air resulting

make bumpy

from uneven heating of the Earth’s surface-

air.

We arrived at the semi-suburban home of Phillip and Royce Martin

about six o’clock, 20 minutes before

official sunrise.

The Mardowntown

had purchased their home— nine miles west of Wichita Falls, Texas— because sufficient acreage went with

tins

2

it

to en-

compass a good

ultralight landing field.

had found the Martins by simply calling EAA’s Ultralight Division in Oshkosh and reI

questing the names of qualified ultralight instructors close to

home

in

where

Phillip,

my

Lawton, Oklahoma. Phillip and wife Royce are aviation people— early thirties, friendly, unpretentious, the kind you like almost instantly. Royce is a pilot and operates a flight simulator at nearby Sheppard Air Force Base

an Air Force captain and former B-52 pilot, instructs future fighter pilots from Allied nations in T-37s. Phillip also holds the civilian rating of CFII (Certified Flight Instructor and Instrument Flight Instructor), and is, of course, an AOPA-designated ultralight instructor.

was pleased to observe that Rene was impressed with Phillip’s credentials (so was I), and my wife seemed unconcerned when he asked me to sign a waiver absolving him of responsibility in case I

working on

of accident. “I’m far

it

come

hasn’t

through.”

“I soloed a Travel

seven,”

I

He

then asked

me

he

“but so

said,

a few questions.

Air biplane, seven September, Nineteen

thirty-

told him.

“What was I

liability insurance,”

powered with?” suppressed a smile. “A Wright Jay-Six-Five,”

telling the truth

it

about the Travel Air,

I’d

I

said. If

I

remember its among aviation peo-

certainly

engine. Such questions represent a polite ritual

ple that quickly establishes one’s credibility, or avoids obvious

barrassment

was

em-

to the occasional phoney.

went on

he planned three separate programs for his ultralight students. Experienced airplane pilots with current certificates should have about three hours of dual before Phillip

to explain that

soloing in the single-place aircraft, at a cost of about $100.

with a background in flying but

who have

Those

not flown for a long time

(“I’m getting inquiries from former pilots

who

haven’t flown in 30

years”) could expect to pay up to $200 for four to six hours of dual time.

The complete

novice starts with a $20 20-minute demonstra-

tion ride in the two-placer to establish

whether or not he/she wants

one may count on 10 hours of dual instruction, along with the necessary ground study subjects, at a cost of $350. to continue. If so,

Into the Air Phillip rolled the

hangar and

I

followed

Eipper Quicksilver

him through the

with an ultralight because everything

MX II (Fig.

1-1)

preflight inspection. is

from It’s

his

easy

out in the open where you

3

Fig. 1-1.

The two-place

MX-II has centrally-mounted control stick which operates

the elevators and rudder. “Rudder” pedals control spoilers.

The

wings are encased in a plastic covering to protect them from rust and chafing. I identify them as landing and flying wires, but it seems that the ultralight people have other names for them. No matter; they serve can see

the

it.

twisted-steel cables that brace the

same purpose. I

have no qualms about the strength of the cables, but

when I buy an bolts

and

ultralight so constructed,

steel fittings to

I

will carefully

which these cables attach.

if

and

monitor the

I’ll

keep the

and periodically inspect them for hairline cracks with a 10-power magnifying glass. You can’t inspect the bolts without removing them, because bolts tend to crack beneath their heads, but occasionally you need to check for the elongation of bolt holes anyway. Although common sense tells me that these aircraft are well-designed (the Eipper Quicksilvers especially, which were among fittings clean

the

first ultralights in

structures leaves

the market),

my

experience with airplane

me uneasy with load-bearing components that are

bolted through load-bearing, thin-walled tubing.

suppose that it’s one of those things— prejudices, perhaps— that one who knows airplanes is likely to bring with him to the ultralights. If you have

been schooled

in the practices set forth in the

Aircraft Construction, Repair,

I

FAA’s Manual 43.13,

& Inspection, you may tend to look with

suspicion on any departure from those standards, however sound

they

4

may

be.

Checking the I

flight controls of Phillip’s two-place Quicksilver

got a surprise. Left-to-right

the rudder. Phillips

“The

movement

of the control stick activated

controls are backwards!”

and Royce were amused

at

I

called out.

my discovery. “The

pedals control the spoilers,” he said. “But just fly

would an airplane;

it

was beginning

works out

it

the

rudder

way you

fine.”

one with no previous experience with airplanes might have certain advantages when learning to fly I

to think that

ultralights.

The

spoilers are

little

fences (smaller than ailerons would be)

atop each wing, located about two-thirds of the distance to the

When the rudder pedals are neutral, both spoilers are flat the wings’ upper surfaces. When one rudder pedal is

wingtips.

against

pushed, the spoiler atop the corresponding wing raises, creating drag

and “spoiling”

lift.

both spoilers raise

Push both rudder pedals at the same time and to kill speed and lift, which is useful in landing

the aircraft.

you are experienced in airplanes, you will appreciate that such maneuvers as slips can be confusing with this arrangement. On the If

other hand, there’s really no need to slip in order to quickly

dump

excessive altitude without a speed buildup— as on landing approaches, for

example— because most ultralights have

so

much built-

drag that speed erodes quickly with a reduction in throttle setting; in any event you have a relatively narrow speed range, with as little as 10 to 15 mph difference between landing speed and cruisin

ing speed on

many

ultralights.

The

profusion of wire cables con-

A

round wire cable creates at least six times as much drag as a streamlined wire of the same tributes significantly to the total drag.

diameter.

A tug on the pull-type starter brought the 47-hp Rotax engine (Fig. 1-2) to life,

and

Phillip

motioned

me

into the right-hand seat.

Buckling into seat belt and shoulder harness, I discovered that the rudder pedals on my side were merely footrests, unattached to the spoilers, and my instructor explained that, in the beginning, I would fly the

machine with control

stick only.

dihedral in the wings, the rudder would

He roll

said that with so

much

us into turns better than

the spoilers. Apparently, whatever coordination with the rudder pedals (spoilers) was required, he would supply it from the left seat

To further ensure that he would be in position to avert whatever disaster I might bring about, he would rest his right hand atop the centrally mounted control stick while I flew with my left. Each of us had a throttle mounted on the airframe, handily on

this initial flight.

5

positioned. Phillip to the airframe,

The

armed the

ballistic parachute,

and we taxied

Quicksilver’s nosewheel

which

is

attached

into position for takeoff. is

non-steerable, but the two-seater

has brakes on the main wheels, which help

in

turning on the ground.

dead spot— obviously a carburetion flaw— when advancing the throttle from idle. You have to ease I

also learned that the engine has a

the throttle carefully across

it

to avoid killing the engine. (At this

was less than enchanted with this machine.) With the throttle eased past its indecisive mode, the engine revved up to full power and, with a roll of perhaps 200 feet, a little point

I

back pressure on the stick took us into the air. We climbed out with a huge, red sun resting on the eastern horizon, and Phillip indicated that

we should

and

left

me

to

level off at 1,500 feet.

He sat back with arms

become acquainted with the

folded

aircraft.

had already found that stick forces were very heavy in this machine, and the lack of active rudder pedals was distracting. My mind knew they weren’t attached to anything, but my nervous system refused to accept that, so I pushed on them anyway. The only references I could immediately figure for straight and level flight were the wingtips, since there was nothing in front except the whole blue-eyed world. In a conventionally-configured airplane you— or at least, I— quickly establish where the nose rides in relation to the horizon when straight and level. A glance at the I

Fig. 1-2.

The two-place

Quicksilver’s 47-hp Rotax engine

and

fuel tanks, located

with regard to the aircraft’s center of gravity, are positioned beneath the wing. The pusher propeller reduction drive is at the end of the extended drive shaft.

6

Fig. 1-3. Pilot’s

view from the MX-II.

reference for level or turning

flight,

No

flight

makes

wingtips determines that each

is

instruments, and no airframe

this true seat-of-the-pants aviating.

the

same

distance above, on, or

below the horizon (depending upon whether you are flying a highwing or low-wing airplane) when the wings are level laterally. In a biplane you’ve got

had is

more wings-level

at the World’s Fair.

your

feet,

But

visual references than they

in the Quicksilver the

while the very pronounced dihedral

both so far above the horizon

only thing in front

in

the wings places

in level flight that (in the

beginning,

anyway) that reference was not very useful (Fig. 1-3). It’s also less important on an ultralight such as the Quicksilver because all that dihedral, coupled with the fact that the aircraft’s weight

beneath the wings, makes Practicing turns,

I

is

suspended

for very positive lateral stability.

continued to feel crippled with no airframe

out in front to pin on the horizon. Here

I

was, riding with one of

and I very much wanted to demonstrate well coordinated turns with no altitude loss or gain. It then occurred to me that I was tense— I was trying too hard, and therefore robbing myself of the seat-of-the-pants indicators that I needed. At once, a bit of advice came back to me from out of the past, something my first instructor had said on a similar morning long ago: “Quit trying to please me. Fly this airplane to please yourself!’’ so I relaxed and Uncle Sam’s

best,

began to enjoy myself. I judge our cruising speed at approximately 40 mph— this aircraft was equipped only with an altimeter— and maintaining a track away from the sun along a section line below, 7

the crab angle required, about 30 degrees, revealed a brisk south

wind I

at this altitude.

finished out the first hour with

Phillip

tapped his watch.

He

some

fairly steep turns until

landed the aircraft while

I

observed

Meanwhile, another ultralight pilot had arto seek advice on a minor rived in a single-place Quicksilver mechanical problem and our post-flight discussion was brief, because Phillip was due at the air base at 8 A.M. I skipped a couple of days to give me time to think about what his technique (Fig. 1-4).

MX

MX

II, then I was had experienced during my first hour in the back on Interstate 44 at 5 A.M. again, bound for the Martins’ miniaerodrome. Phillip allowed me to fly around for a little while, then he reached over his shoulder and cut off the engine. I put the nose (!) down a little and he said, “I want you to see how she stalls with power off.” So, back on the stick. The fact that I did not myself have charge of the spoilers did not bother me, because I was originally taught that if a wing drops in a full stall, it’s better to pick it up with rudder than with aileron, and by this time I had accepted that left and right stick in the Quicksilver activated the rudder. But the II did not drop a wing; the stall was surprisingly gentle and straight I

MX

ahead.

Fig. 1-4. Author in right seat, with instructor Phillip Martin. Martin, an Air Force captain, currently instructing future fighter pilots at Sheppard AFB, is a former

B-52

8

pilot.

I

considered him "slightly” overqualified

for

the job at hand.

Then my

instructor said,

“Now

try

it

with

full

power.”

He

reached over his shoulder, gave the pull starter a yank, and the Rotax roared back to life.

power and the stick all the way back, the MX II showed equally good manners. She mushed along and finally tucked her nose straight ahead, seeking a flyable angle of attack. “The break

With

full

be more pronounced in the single-seater,” Phillip let’s go down and shoot some landings.” will

said.

“Now

He

pointed toward Wichita Valley Airport a couple of miles to the north, where a 300-foot N-S ultralight strip had been created by mowing the grass in a comer of the airport. There we would stay out of the way of the nonexistent airplane traffic. The ultralights

have their

own

traffic pattern there at

400

above the surface. Wichita Valley Airport is an uncontrolled field— no tower. My first two approaches were not good, in my judgment. You feet

machine under reduced power to within inches of the surface before making what passes for your flareout. Slightly nose-high, the mains touch, and both pedals are pushed forward to open the spoilers and kill the lift as the engine is throttled back. The nosewheel will come down almost immediately, and then you can fly this

use the brakes as necessary— I found it necessary because too high and used too much of the available strip.

I

was

But it all comes together, just as it did when you learned to fly. Your nervous system memorizes the feel of the machine, and this time around it does so very quickly. The ultralight is easy to fly, and most of your initial minor frustrations are traceable to habits and reflexes formed in heavier and faster aircraft. You discover— with pleasure— that you don’t really need any instruments. Quite adequate is the well-proven Mk I Eyeball, which feeds reliable data to the

computer between your

number

ears,

which

of finely-tuned sensors collectively

is,

in turn,

known

to the

MX

II’s left

to a

as seat-of-the-

pants— a system originated by Orville and Wilbur, and employed by the air pioneers and others ever since.

The experienced

wired

pilot transitioning to ultralights

effectively

should move

seat after one or two hours of dual, assuming

a careful, methodical instructor such as mine, and on to a singleplacer after an additional hour of dual. If you get this for $100, it’s a bargain because the crow-hop, crossed-fingers

seater will cost about as

much and

there

is

method

no safety

in a single-

pilot

aboard

keep you from bending the machinery. I have a good friend who is an airline captain (and aviation writer), and despite his years of airborne savvy he flipped his new to

9

Fig. 1-5.

MXL,

The fun

starts with solo in the single-placer. This is the Quicksilver

equipped with semi-enclosed cockpit.

ultralight

upside-down on his

first

landing attempt following the

crow-hop method of self-instruction. It’s a familiar story. No matter how many hours you have logged in ATCed production airplanes,

you should recognize that there is enough difference between them and the ultralights to require supervised checkout in a two-placer. It may not be as thrilling as the grit-yer-teeth-and-hope-for-the-best system, but it may save you from having to finance your doctor’s next trip to Las Vegas.

The 1-5). It

fun starts

when you

switch to the single-place machine (Fig.

gets off the ground a lot quicker, climbs

much

faster— 800

350 fpm in the two-placer— and is more responsive. Control forces are markedly lighter, and the single-placer is easier to land. It has a brake on the fixed nosewheel, none on the mains, and is a pain in the posterior to maneuver on the ground at taxi speed. But it is fun. It cruises a little faster at about 45 mph, and lands

fpm

a

vs.

little

slower than the

MX

There are some things

II. I

don’t particularly like about

Quicksilver models. Again, airplane prejudices, perhaps, but er have the wings braced with steel struts than

a

there were ailerons for

all

some

I’d rath-

those wires;

I’d

and the rudder controlled yaw as God intended. And the nosewheel should be steerable. As it is, you have to unbuckle, stand up, and penguinwalk the single-placer in the direction you want to go unless you have enough speed for the rudder to be effective. I realize that changing the control system to the conventional like

10

it

lot

better

if

roll

control

airplane type and taking out a lot of dihedral makes for a less forgiving flying machine and one that is not as easy to fly, and Eipper has done this with the new single-placer which is clearly in-

MXL

tended for people possessing experience in production airplanes. The MXL has conventional three-axis controls, and dihedral reduced to 7 1/2 degrees. It

may well be that

the ultralights with the three-axis airplane-

type control systems will prove to have a higher accident rate than the high-dihedral machines with spoilers. Once all ultralights are registered and

may

that

it

becomes possible

to

compile accurate

influence the kind of aircraft

ticularly with so

many

we

statistics,

see in the future, par-

licensed airplane pilots turning to ultralights.

don’t hesitate to admit that

had trouble accepting the odd (to me) control arrangement of the Quicksilver MX-II. The singleseat MXL is an improvement, from my point of view, since the control stick activates the spoilers and elevators, and the rudder pedals the rudder. But turns are still different because the dihedral, although reduced by half, is still more than twice as much as that I

I

of the average lightplane,

and therefore you can make coordinated turns with rudder alone— which is just as well, since the spoilers require far

more pressure

to activate

than does the rudder.

may have done things this way so that people who learn to fly in an MX-II may continue to find turns easy with rudder alone. Or perhaps that is just the way it came out as a result of the comEipper

MX—

pany’s reluctance to substantially re-engineer the original which itself was but a short step removed from the Quicksilver hang glider of the ’70s. Except for the unbalanced controls, this machine flies

well

and

spin, but I’ve

MXL

thoroughly predictable. I’m told that the will talked with no one who has actually spun one.

is

Tyrebiter’s Ride

Another example

problems experienced pilots have transitioning to ultralights is reported by Glider Rider Editor Michael Bradford in his magazine feature, “Nobody’s Flying School’’: of the

was Sunday morning at Nobody’s Flying School, and the field was strewn with bodies. In every nook a sleeping carcass curled. What a party. The fading campfire’s smoke rose vertically in becalmed air. You might have stirred early to enjoy the sunrise, cursing the “night before,” and thinking that, surely, no one is cruel enough to It

crank a two-stroke on such a peaceful morning. But

listen:

11

Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop— whnnnnngg! The little ultralight was almost as loud as the slumberers’ moans. Without opening their eyes, a dozen angry mushheads snatched up pitchforks and began to

Nobody plane

in the noisy ultralight;

it

was

riot.

But

it

wasn’t Lazarus

Tyrebiter, the savage

jump-

pilot.

“Is that Tyrebiter?”

someone asked.

“I didn’t

know he

flew

ultralights, too.”

Neither did

I,

thought Nobody, rushing to the runway and

snatching up a helmet on the way.

We often hear from ultralight instructors that experienced pilots, when

transitioning to ultralights,

general assumption, this

may be

make

the worst students.

unfair, but

it’s

As

a

certainly not un-

founded.

Nobody and Tyrebiter conferred briefly as the ugly mob came closer. Then Tyrebiter made the decision to “fly now; ask questions later.” Into the cloud of runway dust kicked up by his prop someone tossed an aluminum can. It bounced in a sad imitation of a dud grenade. Tyrebiter flew out of the morning fog with throttle wide, a hint

by an impromptu turn. It was to be a quick trip around the patch, a piece of cake for someone who can horse a Cessna 180 bushplane into a baseball field. The helmet he was wearing happened to contain a radio receiver— or so he hoped, after a voice from within the helmet spoke to him: “That’s a coordinated machine you’re flying. Look out!” Increasing wind noise is a comforting sound for a skydiver, and of oscillation quickly hidden

unknowingly.

Tyrebiter accepted

it

was building

mph and

to

60

He

didn’t realize the airspeed

the trees were getting closer instead

of disappearing below.

After thousands of hours flying big and first-time feeling

was back. The

little

airplanes, the old

treeline flashed by,

and the adja-

cent river threw a blinding flash of the morning sun in Tyrebiter’s eyes.

Up over the creek,

he thought,

in

a nylon saddle, and “Climb!”

the voice in the helmet cried, “Climb, Tyrebiter!” It

must have been induction from the approaching powerlines

that passed

down

his spine with

such

force.

A calm befell Tyrebiter

and he straightened up, put the plane in a climbing attitude, and gave up playing with the impotent “rudder” pedals. This flight was rapidly shaping up as being much more than he had bargained for. Back on Earth, Nobody ignored the angry mob and concentrated on Tyrebiter’s plight. “Set up a long, straight approach/' he ad-

12

vised.

“Remember 35

That was

to

45 on airspeed. Relax.”

a politician to get to the point. In his Cessna 180, Tyrebiter had come to know his feet as the true focus of control. Ailerons were used, for the most part, to compensate for the weight of four skydivers crawling around outside the airplane. It was a living thing, this stick in his right hand. It seemed like telling

to fight

his will.

Somehow, Tyrebiter managed

to position himself over the

approach area to the 2,000-foot runway. To Nobody’s horror, he banked suddenly in a spiral approach. Lazarus grimaced and turned away. “No,” he said. “You can’t slip that thing!” initial

Maybe

Tyrebiter realized that about the

same time he heard Slowly he unbanked the machine, levelling out on a heading some 90 degrees from the one intended. it.

Nobody’s

relief

was

cut short.

apparently didn’t matter to Tyrebiter that his approach was going to end in a freshly plowed field or a moderately dense forest. The object was to end it soon.

Nobody gave

It

emotion. “You are, without a doubt, the worst checkout in the history of Nobody’s Flying School!”

The

in to

dipped and sank below a small rise, arced back into view and leaped over a fence. Headed back toward the runway now, Tyrebiter jazzed the throttle, wallowed side-to-side in a ultralight

protracted flare, and dropped the tiny wheels onto terra firma with a

vengeance.

He managed to taxi the machine to the hangar. He unbuckled with an oath. What the hell kind of machine is this, anyway? What kinda airplane won’t

Nobody checked

fly

a straight line?”

the gear attach points for signs of damage.

“Oh, you can get used to it in a short time, Tyre,” he said diplomatically. “Your first ultralight experience was a lot like mine,

Welcome to the club.” Nobody gestured toward the jump plane behind which a group the awakened pilots and jumpers were waiting to exact retribu-

in fact.

of

tion for their shattered

hour of recuperation. “Why don’t you go check out the jump plane, ace? I can put the ultralight away.”

Conclusions Current trends

in the ultralight

market indicate that full threeaxis controls are an advantage. But this is the result of market pressure, and doesn’t necessarily make the unconventional (“coordinated”) systems obsolete.

13

A

coordinated system has distinct advantages, especially in a

training craft. Reducing the overall load on the student, they also

make

very difficult to accidentally enter a potential spin situa-

it

But every good idea has its price. Part of the price we pay for coordinated controls is the loss of options in choosing our immediate path of flight. The shortest distance between the pilot and any point for which he is not curtion.

rently stabilized

is

not a straight

line;

it is,

instead, a curved flight

path.

Such restrictions mean little to a pilot trained on a coordinated system. To those who are accustomed to more specific control, it is an adversary system, which can very well feel like a loss of controllability.

Think about the following before you

fly a

coordinated system

make

early corrections.

for the first time:

Plan your flight path ahead and

Always be ready to abort the takeoff and try again. Think specifically about the divisions of power, flight path, and pitch controls. Choose a time with no wind factor for your first attempts. Ignore the yaw and roll perturbations you may feel; place emphasis on bank angle, and don’t try to turn at low altitudes.

When

you transition from a coordinated to a split-axis system, take the time to explore slow flight, as well as spin entry and recovery in an airplane certificated to perform those maneuvers.

The Shoemaker’s Dream it

The following story is completely true. Far from being typical, may illustrate the fact that a professional instructor has a very

critical

task to perform for the student, a task which invariably

dif-

each student he encounters; he must test the student’s knowledge at every step, against valid standards. It is not always fundamental snafus that get a new pilot in troufers in nature for

Many

with a good grasp of the basics bring with them poor, undeveloped seeing and thinking habits. ble.

This

is

another Michael Bradford

story,

from

his

Nobody’s Fly-

ing School:

He was 14

waiting for

me by

the hangar. Squat on his heels with

knees

at ear level, like

an old leprechaun, the shoemaker smoked and backfired with each breath. There was no mistaking what he wanted. On the side of his step-van camper a brand new ultralight rested.

One if I

to

of his eyes scanned oblivion as he

approached and asked

was the one he had come to see. Reluctantly, I introduced myself. “I need to learn to fly this thing,” he said, “and I need a place do

it.”

pondering his request. The shoemaker kept smoking and backfiring with each breath. I looked at him, and the sky, and the ultralight. It was not an unusual wish. Many have been I

stalled for time,

so smitten.

We have a standing rule that we don’t make rules until the need for a rule exists. In the case of not allowing

however, the rule

is

hard and

fast.

one

So why was

I

to train himself,

even considering

the old guy’s request? I

saw

I

made

that

dream

in his

one good eye.

a lousy decision. Wanting to relive with

ing of accomplishment,

I

that feel-

did that fellow a great disservice.

set about learning to teach himself to

As

him

And he

fly.

shoemaker moved slowly from task to task in the assembly of his aircraft, it became even more apparent that he wasn’t hitting on all cylinders, physically speaking. He smoked. He the

backfired.

He

rested 45 minutes out of every hour.

Moving closer to his lifelong dream, the shoemaker was beginning to grow on me— not just because of his age or determination. I gained increasing respect for one who would go through what he did. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear his silent litany: Before

I

die.

Perhaps

Before

I

die.

was because

drama

had constructed about him that I failed to do my professional best for the shoemaker. Certainly, I did him no favors, no matter what my intentions were. Watching the first, cautious taxi sessions of the shoemaker it

of this

I

somewhat eased my feeling of guilt. He was being methodical, he was asking for advice, and he was aware enough to detect and fix a couple of squawks on his aircraft. The attitude and the approach he took to learning were encouraging. In no time at all he was moving through the recognizable routines. He’s going to make it, I remember thinking; he’s going to make it. The first clue to impending disaster came when he gained the confidence to venture above taxi speed. Imagine the psychic

feel-

15

ing which results from seeing an event before

it

happens.

The

time the shoemaker cleared his tiny wheels from the runway, tell

that he

was the victim

tion: Pull up;

of aviation’s

I

first

could

most common misconcep-

go up.

Most students come

environment quite preeducated in the basics. Many possess the ability to critique and improve their own performances. A rare few come with the developed to the learning

judgment to guide themselves safely through the learning process. The shoemaker was another matter. Sure enough, he pulled that nose up a little and, noticing the aircraft begin to settle, he pulled it up a little more. Disaster stuck its nose around the corner, then withdrew. Unfortunately, the shoemaker didn’t know disaster from a hole in the ground. Turning around at the end of the runway, he repeated the scenario a second time, and I finally admitted to myself that I was going to have to talk with the old guy. One hour later, I was almost convinced that pulling the nose up would result in unlimited climb. The idea seemed to have more inertia in the shoemaker’s mind than I

could overcome.

More

cautious

now than

began passionately sellOne hour later, I was offering

emotional,

I

him on the idea of taking lessons. him the instruction gratis. No go. Oh well, at least he agreed not to fly while I was away. Somewhat relieved, I hurried off to run a ing

few errands.

And er smile lieved

so the shoemaker taught I

me,

me a lesson.

In his

wry

little

leath-

could clearly read a message: You shouldn’t have bekid.

Of course

I

tried to fly

it.

His machine was creeping up the runway, tied at the nosewheel to the old Ford tractor. The beautiful ultralight had been involuntarily

rendered car-toppable.

It

looked like an obedient winged

camel.

And

and alfalfa could be read the entire incident: Impact from nosewheel to right main gear. Rear axle, rear braces, and drive shaft wasted. No wingtip or compression strut damage. He had to have hit fairly hard and flat. Another student, waiting for me to return, had witnessed the incident. According to him, the shoemaker dove the aircraft to the ground with at least a little power on. According to the shoemaker, he suddenly found himself at 50 feet, and simply pointed his mount to the ground. A single synaptic miswiring of an otherwise good mind nearly caused the shoemaker to erase himself.

16

in that pile of airplane

Here the story should ideally end, with the shoemaker understanding the need to learn seriously and slowly, one new step at a time. He labors and learns and, in the end, flies off into the sunset while

But

suppress a lingering

I

tear.

noooooooo.

Word came by way of the found another

by higher

field.

terrain,

local pilots’ party line.

One-fourth the length of our

and almost

The shoemaker

field,

surrounded

totally lacking in alternate landing sites,

shoemaker a chance of success. Having survived a second crash— though not without understand— rumor has it that he finally sold his aircraft. it

did not offer the

rather believe that he

is

injury, I

I

would

quietly rebuilding that bird again.

A

shame if he sold it— and a blessing. The shoemaker’s experience need not have been so negative. With a little time and effort, he could have become a good pilot. His behavior and ability were impressive.

Had he overcome that no matter how long it may have tak-

fundamental obstacle, en, he could have joined with his dream. single,

Imagine, though, his years of flying fantasies— swoops and loops and supersonic zooms, and all that time the imagination accumulates its

own

experience. Pull up; go up.

I

bust

my butt to get ahead,

someday I’m going to fly. Pull up; go up. Going over my justification for allowing the shoemaker

and

to at-

tempt learning on his own, I can only rationalize. Actually, he simply tugged at my heartstrings. But evaluating a student and the student’s needs

Can you

is

the primary responsibility of an instructor.

train yourself to fly

recently about a dentist in Italy

So

it

can be done.

I

an ultralight?

who

I

saw a

operated on his

seriously doubt, however,

if

TV

story

own mouth.

he would be willing

on his own mouth. When we set about to acquire a skill as life-critical as flight, we need the detached perspective and experience of one who understands the art of teaching as well as the art of flying. The to learn dentistry

typical “hard landing’’ costs a great deal

more than the most

ex-

pensive course of instruction.

you are already a “hot stick” and are transitioning to ultralights, you need the instructor as much as anyone. It may not take you long to checkout, but without a briefing every aircraft is If

a blind date. Find somebody’s flying school.

As

the incidents recounted above by Michael Bradford

the ultralights create their

own

special kind of

“war

testify,

stories,”

and

17

there

is

something of value

to

be taken from them. Pilots tend

to

educate one another.

my

remain an advocate of the conventional control system, with ailerons. But I do recognize that spoilers offer some advantages, especially to kill the remaining lift at touchdown. Personally, I’d rather have flaps for approaches; somehow, I just prefer For

part,

I

the idea that a steeper approach results from the flaps’ extra rather than from the spoilers’ reduced

lift.

Having been taught

the beginning that the whole art of aviating

is

I

wing— I’m uncomfortable with any seems to me to be counter to that.

also recognize that

my attitude can be

in

contained in a single

phrase —fly the cedure that

lift

device or pro-

charged to pro-airplane

and that once one is truly proficient with, say, the Eipper control system, it is no longer a question of which is better, but which one likes better. I observed long ago that pilots praise the machines in which they are the most proficient. prejudices,

Control Pressures Generally speaking,

control

pressures in the single-place

ultralights are similar to those in a Citabria, although

the stick a greater distance, and the the average lightplane

more

initial

initial

you must move

pressure

pressure

is

is lighter.

In

required. In other

words, the single-place ultralight controls are displaced from neutral

with less pressure, then

Although tailwheels)

I

demand more

total input.

started out in taildragger airplanes (tailskids, not

many

years ago,

I

don’t like taildragger ultralights

because they are too skittish on the ground

How Much

Dual

Is

in

uncooperative winds.

Enough?

young thousand-hour CFI who had just checked out in an ultralight. He said he had spent about half an hour taxiing a single-place Bl-RD, followed by three or four liftoffs and landings in ground effect, then took off and flew around the pattern. He said he believed that was adequate because he had twoway radio communication with his “instructor,” who observed his every move and offered advice as necessary. I hope he is right. However, if I had it to do over again, knowing what I now know, I’d go with a two-place checkout again. It takes the pressure off, and you don’t have to prove anything. There is no taxiing or crow-hopping; just strap in and go. Your instructor can sit there with his arms folded and get his jollies while you explore the special character of ultralight Recently

flight.

18

I

talked with a

It is

true that you won’t need

much

advice in

but in the beginning, at least, you will have to work at your landings and landing approaches, and with a qualified instructor along things will

move cost

faster —safely.

you more

Too many regard

it

As Bradford

flight,

points out, one hard landing can

than a complete course of dual instruction. experienced pilots bash ultralights because, I believe, they

as

in repairs

demeaning

veterans with fat

admit a need for a proper checkout. The logbooks who can “fly a barn door if it’s got an to

engine’’ will discover, as Tyrebiter did, that ultralights are different.

How much dual time is recommended? Experienced pilots who are current

Two

may

to three

feel

hours

is

comfortable in an ultralight within an hour.

more

realistic for the

and entry-level students may require up

average private

pilot,

to 10 hours’ dual.

19

Chapter 2

Special Considerations As

Approved Type Certificates, granted. Your airplane was

a licensed pilot flying airplanes with

one is able to take a lot of things for designed and constructed to certain standards, thoroughly tested and documented, at great expense, to the satisfaction of the FAA.

So was

its

engine. Every bolt and nut

is

special, aircraft quality.

the style and size of your aircraft’s registration its

FAA-designated position

ultralights have

been

to self-policing of

in

accordance with

left, first,

minimum

number decorates

FAA policy.

to self-regulation,

regulation.

It

was

Even

But the

and then largely

a noble experiment,

with results both good and bad.

Ultralight Structures In the late

summer

of 1984, as the time

approached for the FAA’s review of the ultralight regulations— and the possibility of additional regulation— there were no more than half a dozen truly responsible ultralight manufacturers. That unsettling fact had not gone unnoticed by the FAA. There had been as many as 80 altogether since 1981, and kits in

more than 50 were

September 1984.

The appearance ultralight airframes

of fast-deployable parachutes attached to

was evidence enough

owners were concerned about the and/or engine failure.

20

offering ultralight

The

that

many

ultralight

possibility of inflight structural

accidents voluntarily reported to the

EAA

and

ASF by interested

parties often left one to merely guess at the probable causes. True, many of the fatal and serious injury accidents

were investigated by a representative of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as early as 1981. The NTSB had no regulatory authority, but the members felt that a data base could be acquired for future reference, that this would allow identifica-

tion of special

problem areas should patterns develop. Two years later, no U.S. ultralight manufacturer had asked to see those data. It is significant that FAA Administrator Donald D. Engen, when interviewed by Glider Rider magazine, said that “The first thing that needs to be done is standardization of manufacture” ( Glider Rider, August 1984). That, plus his belief that ultralight pilots should be certified, told us what to expect— and a look at some of the acci-

dent reports, involving experienced Typical

was the accident

pilots, tells

us why.

which a retired airline captain sustained serious injury when one wing of his Quicksilver failed just outboard of the outermost download brace wire. This machine is supposed to be designed for maximum inflight loads of 6Gs positive and 4Gs negative. It is highly unlikely that this pilot could have imin

posed such loads because he had just taken off and was at an altitude of approximately 75 feet when the failure occurred. He was flying an aircraft with conventional three-axis controls. The rear spar reportedly separated completely, and the front spar then bent upward 90 degrees.

Why did

the rear spar break?

or perhaps ground

damage while

Was

due to defective material, down? We need to know.

it

tied

Ultralight designer Gerald Ritz

was

fatally injured in

mid-1984

when the right wing of his machine reportedly developed flutter as he made a low pass along a runway. Why? We need to know. The reason we need to know is obvious, and it follows that we need

to act to

need

is

prevent such accidents in the future. What we don’t over-reaction by the bureaucrats and politicians.

What we

don’t need

cess similar to

an expensive aircraft certification prothe one that general aviation manufacturers have to is

live with. Ultralight flight ain’t all that

much

expect ordinary, bureaucrats? to

everyday

complicated. Is

common

it

asking too

sense from the

FAA Administrator Engen has checked out in an ultralight. He is

a retired U.S.

was a member

Navy

vice admiral with 6,000 hours in the

of the

NTSB when

air.

He

that board

began collecting AOPA opposed), and training suggested that some form of

ultralight accident data (which, strangely, the his belief in “stylized” flight

21

license

A

would be required

for ultralight pilots.

basic ultralight pilot’s license

we can

live with; ultralight

manufacturing standards we can’t live without. Self-regulation by the manufacturers simply did not work.

Costs the the

Two important factors contributing to the ultralight boom were promise of a low— or at least manageable— initial investment for average person, and low operating costs. Lack of regulation was

probably the single most important attraction (besides, of course, the joy and satisfaction of flight

has ever been cheap, and

if

itself).

anyone

But no form of human

tells

you that he

is

flight

flying his

ultralight for less than

$10 per hour, he is leaving out something; $20 per hour was nearer the norm in 1984 dollars, assuming at least two hours’ flying per week. Actually, the true figure for any given pilot/owner depends on aircraft depreciation and other fixed costs, as well as the number of hours flown. What your machine is worth in the used market when you are ready to sell or trade establishes what it has cost to own since its purchase. At present, this figure is very hard to estimate in advance, but with proper maintenance on, say, a $5000 ultralight, one should suffer no more than $3000 depreciation over a threeyear period, even

if

the engine

is

ready for overhaul by then. Such

a machine probably will not further depreciate in value

if

kept

air-

worthy.

Added

to the depreciation cost is the

amount you paid

(or

gave

up) in interest on the $5000, which should be figured at between

$500 and $600 per year. Other fixed costs include insurance, hangar, and (if you want to be thoroughly honest about it) such items as helmet, fueling equipment, and air charts. Hangar space on airports ranges from $35 to as much as $270 per month. Planeports, which are like carports, are usually cheaper and are better than nothing, but not

much

tection against sun

better for ultralights. They’ll give fair pro-

and

characters in light twins

hail,

who

but none against high winds or the enjoy running up their engines with

their tails pointed at others’ aircraft (Fig. 2-1).

Ultralight quonset-type hangars are available,

some covered with

synthetic materials. Priced in the $3,000 to $4,000 range, that is too much for too little. You can get the most hangar for your money

by erecting a pole building covered with yourself, the cost for materials will

22

steel sheets. If

you do it be under $3,000, and you will

If you must tie down your ultralight outside overnight, dig a shallow hole for the nosewheel so that the aircraft presents a negative angle of attack to possible wind gusts. These crafts were damaged by a nighttime thunderstorm after pulling free of their tiedowns. (Courtesy Don Downie)

Fig. 2-1.

have a sound structure, a T-hangar that will withstand winds up to 108 mph. This can be a good investment with the right kind of lease

on a small airport or ultralight park, because it will lower your insurance costs, and you will have a salable building if you move. Pole buildings are common on farms and ranches, and some modern

homes

are

now being

constructed this way.

The

Penta-treated poles,

eight inches in diameter, are set 3 1/2 to 4 feet in the ground to form

each inside and outside corner of the building; framing is 2 x 6s, and the steel-panel exterior— with a baked-on enamel finish if desired (it’s

cheaper than painting and

lasts

much longer)— is attached with

and will not work loose with exposure to wind loads or the expansion and contraction resulting from temperature changes. No floor is needed, and bottom-rolling doors special nails that are self-sealing

are optional.

You have other options for aircraft storage. You may simply tie it down outside, which is probably the most expensive solution in the long run due to the effects of sun and wind; or you may opt to take the wings off after each day’s flying and trailer your machine

23

home

to rest in the family garage.

Most

ultralight

manufacturers

claim setup times of 30 to 45 minutes, but in practice these figures are about as reliable as their other published numbers. (Nor is setup

and disassembly a one-person operation.) Partial disassembly of your craft and then reassembly every time you fly does indeed eliminate storage costs (while your cars sit outside),

although you do have

As

(Fig. 2-2).

money

its

license

a practical matter, such an arrangement will inevitably

lead to less flying, particularly

morning

invested in a trailer and

some

of the best flying— those early-

going off to work that are possible during the spring and summer months. Another consideration is the flights before

possibility of a mistake in ble.

No

matter

assembly which could lead

how many times you do

it

or

how

to serious trou-

well you

the aircraft, the danger remains. Experienced pilots

still

know

forget to

lower landing gear and land wheels-up, and insurance companies can predict with some accuracy how many will do so each year. I

viewed the wreckage of a sailplane out in West Texas several years ago in which a young California pilot died. He failed to install the pin in an aileron hinge

when he assembled

his aircraft.

you are serious about your flying and intend to continue ownership of a flying machine, a proper hangar is probably a good investment if erected on a permanent, public flying site (or your own property, if you can fly from there). A T-hangar that has an If

Fig. 2-2. Ultralights

hangared

home

the family garage and trailered to and receive good care while saving hangar rental costs, but many good flying opportunities are sacrificed, including those first hours after daylight on summer mornings before work. (Courtesy Don Downie)

from a flying

24

site

may

at

in

11 x 40 foot opening,

32 feet deep with a 13 foot width at the rear, will not only handle any ultralight or air recreation vehicle, but all production lightplanes including Baron-sized twins. On a is

public airport, such a structure

ing the foreseeable future.

is

likely to appreciate in value dur-

A typical agreement with a municipali-

ty transfers ownership to the city in 10 or 15 years while you pay nothing for the site in the meantime. In any case, have your attorney prepare the contract. (He is a pilot, isn’t he?)

Aviation insurance of insurance

is

a custom package as a rule.

quite so personal, unless

No other form

one of those kooky deals we’re always hearing about involving Lloyds of London. Aviation is

it’s

insurers are interested in

experience, the kind of

what kind of person you are, your flying flying you do, even how you pay your bills

(they say that people with poor credit ratings are poor insurance risks as pilots). Normally, it pays to shop around for insurance

because rates do vary, but at present only a few insurers are into ultralights. Others will follow as they acquire a statistical bank on such aircraft. Liability protection should remain fairly low in cost because ultralights have not done (and are not likely to do) much damage to the property of others. Low airspeeds mean that most accidents do not result in serious injury.

Based on the above, here is how total costs would work out one year, assuming a total of 100 hours flying: Interest

on investment

$

for

550.00

Storage

420.00

Insurance

100.00

Depreciation

1000.00

Total fixed costs

2070.00

Fuel and

220.00

oil

Parts and miscellaneous Tbtal operating

and ownership

That comes

to

2490.00

costs

$25 per hour.

for four-fifths of the total, the

becomes.

200.00

Clearly, since fixed costs account

more you

fly the less

expensive

it

you averaged only four hours per month for nine months and did not fly at all during three months of winter, the cost would go to $69 per hour. But if you fly four hours per week throughout If

the year, the cost

is

$12 per hour.

25

you operate an ultralight business, either full or part-time, the picture changes substantially, because your cost of doing business will be tax deductible. As a part-time business for one with If

another (good) income, this may be very attractive, especially if you enjoy doing it. However, the handful of responsible ultralight manufacturers are choosy in selecting dealers (unlike one of the most

which aggressively advertises for dealers and make a “dealer” of anyone who buys a couple of their machines

visible manufacturers, will

and pays

for their classroom course in “salesmanship”).

gest aren’t necessarily the most responsible.

I

The

big-

found the largest

manufacturer to be singularly unreliable. I’m not sure whether they found my questions embarrassing or perhaps humorous. They put me off with promises, and the writing of this book was delayed a month by my naively waiting for them to follow ultralight

through.

Oh

well,

I

didn’t like their

machine anyway— and

sure

I

wouldn’t want a brand with that kind of factory support.

Mechanical Questions

An ancient aeronautical adage holds that aircraft are sometimes worse but never any better than the engines that power them. “Engine” is defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary as 1) “a machine for converting any of various forms of energy into mechanical force and motion,” and your pick; both are appropriate.

The

2)

“an

evil contrivance.”

Take

two-cycle engines that have thus far dominated the

ultralight

scene— because

of their comparatively

low cost and low weight-to-horsepower ratios— have their drawbacks. The main problem is that these engines develop their rated power at 6,000 rpm or higher and propellers cannot be turned at that speed; about 3,000

rpm

is

the

maximum

for the average-size ultralight prop.

Beyond

that, efficiency falls off rapidly as tip velocities

approach the speed of sound, where shock waves replace thrust (most of the thrust is generated by the outer third of each prop blade). True, you can shorten the prop and thereby reduce tip speeds, but you wouldn’t have much prop left by the time you reduced tip speeds enough to allow 4,000 rpm. Remember, a propeller is shaped like a wing in cross section;

it

produces

“lift” just as

a wing does, except in a

dif-

ferent direction.

you are old enough to remember the giant B-36 bomber of the early ’50s, you will recall that its 19-foot propellers were geared If

down 26

so

much

that

it

seemed one could almost count the rotating

blades.

The

early aircraft engines, with no reduction drives, simply achieved their rated power at low crankshaft speeds. The

WWI

surplus

OX-5 engine

’20s produced its 90

that

hp

was

fitted to

at 1,400

so

many

civil

biplanes of the

rpm. That allowed props up

to eight

feet in diameter.

Since the ultralight two-cycle engines operate at such high rotational speeds, almost all are fitted with reduction drives between

engine and propeller (Figs. drives

are— for

2-3, 2-4).

The most popular

reduction

and low cost— belt-driven. These work well as long as the belts have just the correct amount of tension— not too little, and not too much (too much being worse than too little). simplicity

There must be some flexibility in the reduction unit or something is going to break or burnout. In other words, the belt(s) must be able to slip slightly. Here’s why: Each explosion of fuel/air mixture within the engine’s combustion chamber(s) imparts a burst of

energy

to the crankshaft, followed

by a compression stroke which prepares the next fuel/air charge for ignition. Therefore, the engine does not transmit its power (torque) at a perfectly constant rate.

seems

to

transmitting

its

detect, the engine

crankshaft of in

is

As

far as the

human

eye and ear can

run smoothly, but the fact

power

is

in a series of impulses,

the

each

which boosts rotational speed immediately followed by a decrease rotational speed caused by the resistance of the compression

stroke. Multiple cylinders tend to

smooth out this action, as does a flywheel or propeller, but these shocks must be absorbed somehow. An explosion is an explosion, and no matter how closely spaced, each one

is

an individual event

(Figs. 2-5

through

2-8).

There are often several throttle settings at which a periodic resonance occurs as a result of the power impulses being so timed in relation to the is

rpm

that the stored energy in the reduction drive

not dissipated before another power impulse occurs.

torsional vibration

is

destructive,

and may lead

The

resulting

to propeller failure—

usually at the hub.

There are other types of reduction drives for ultralights, and some employ mechanical clutches of the centrifugal kind which automatically allow slippage as needed. But the simplest and most trouble-free

is

a small, circular housing containing tiny steel balls

called a flexidyne.

The

flexidyne

may be

attached to the propeller

or to the reduction drive jackshaft.

Reduction drive ratios generally range between 2:1 ing that propeller

rpm

is

to 3:1,

mean-

half to two-thirds less than that of the

engine.

27

Fig. 2-3.

The reduction

Kawasaki, turning

28

at

drive unit

on the

60-inch propeller.

CGS Hawk

engine

is

the 35-hp

Fig. 2-4. This two-place trainer has a water-cooled Kawasaki, with unique threebearing prop shaft mounted atop the wing. (Courtesy Don Downie)

Torsional vibration appears to be accentuated in installations

employing an extended shaft between engine and propeller. It is seldom a problem in four-stroke direct-drive engine installations. Speaking of the need for bolt-on reduction drives on high-rpm ultralight engines,

we

are reminded of something the late Bill Lear once said: “You’ll never have to maintain, repair, or replace anything you leave out.” However, for the nonce, the two-cycle engines—

The Kirk “radial” (actually, a twin-row opposed) produces 25 hp at 5,000 rpm, weighs 60 pounds dry and sells for $2,500 a high weight per horsepower ratio, and a high price for an ultralight engine. (Courtesy Don Fig. 2-5.

—

Downie)

29

Weight

342 goes to 34 pounds with essential reduction mounts add four pounds ($145), and ultimate weight with tuned exhaust ($170) is 44 pounds. Total cost is $1,650. Fig. 2-6.

of the Ultra

drive ($340); engine

reduction drives and all— are the best compromise ultralight flight

when

all

factors are cranked

we have

for

in.

Two-Strokes/Four-Strokes Internal combustion engines (based on the of

Germany

in the late

work

of Nicholas Otto

19th century, and therefore called Otto cy-

Mike Brown of Bakersfield, California, with his father, a WWII fighter pilot. Both fly the Pioneer Flight Star, fitted with the popular Kawasaki 440 of 35 hp. (Courtesy Don Downie) Fig. 2-7. Dr.

30

The Cuyunas,

in 20, 35, and 43 hp, weighing 42 and 65 pounds respecCrosby, Minnesota, by a company with a good record for customer service, which is at least partly responsible for Cuyuna popularity.

Fig. 2-8.

tively,

are built

cle engines)

The

in

encompass

five distinct actions for

each power stroke.

four-cycle engines accomplish these five essential operations

downstroke of the piston draws the air/fuel mixture into the combustion chamber of the cylinder head; 2) the in four piston strokes: 1) a

following upstroke compresses the mixture, with the timed spark

from the ignition system igniting the mixture near the end of this stroke; 3) the expansion of the ignited gases forces the piston downward in its working stroke, and 4) the piston coasts upward again to expel the burned gases. Five operations (counting the

ig-

one of which is a working stroke that transfers the crankshaft— in other words, the four-cycle engine pro-

nition), four strokes,

power

to

duces a power stroke for every two revolutions of the crankshaft. The two-cycle engines do all this in two strokes. In place of valves set in the cylinder head to draw in the fuel/air mixture and

31

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^— Fig. 4-12.

tions.

Eddy currents formed by winds blowing over uneven ground

or obstruc-

(Courtesy FAA)

73

around

and buildings (Fig. 4-12). It can be particularly bothersome if you fly from a field that has such obstructions nearby Air is fluid and behaves like a fluid. An air mass moving hills, valleys, trees,

across a low, well-rounded terrain

and produce a

hill will

little

tend to follow the contour of the

or no turbulence. Buildings and trees,

however, are not very streamlined, and wind on their lee sides will burble and eddy. You have seen how rocks and boulders cause rapids in a river.

A similar thing happens to a moving air mass as

it

flows

along the Earth s surface and encounters obstructions. This is known as “mechanical” turbulence, and although the term is not important, it is important that you are aware of wind direction and velocity,

and visualize how it is flowing over obstructions in its path anytime you are flying near those obstacles on the downwind side.

Carburetor Icing?

The possibility of carburetor ice as a cause of engine failure must be reckoned with. The manufacturers of the two-cycle ultralight engines are strangely silent on this subject as this is written. The best answer I could get was: “It has never been a problem.” Maybe; maybe not. Engines have quit in flight for no apparent reason— and, after the forced landing and thorough inspection, started again and ran normally.

you are licensed to fly heavier airplanes, you undoubtedly know about carb ice and have used carburetor heat to prevent or melt it. You have pulled out the carb heat control countless times If

as part of your pre-takeoff check. ly) is

no provision

And

the fact that there

is

(present-

for carb heat

on the two-cycle ultralight engines insufficient evidence that none is needed.

On

the carburetor-equipped four-cycle engines that power lightplanes, ice can form in the carburetor throat anytime the free

temperature

between 25 and 70 degrees F if the air is relatively humid (Fig. 4-13). That is due to the fact that suction through the carburetor increases intake air velocity, expands it, and thereby lowers its temperature as much as 40 degrees F. It seems reasonable air

is

assume

that the laws of physics apply equally to the carburetors of both two and four-cycle engines. to

Therefore, until

tested-on

we have

the

numbers— certified, sworn

to,

and

temperature drop through ultralight carburetors, the question of possible carb icing in flight is unresolved. air

Wake Turbulence Wake 74

turbulence comes from the wingtips of

all

fixed-wing

AIR

Fig. 4-13.

Carburetor

ice.

(Courtesy FAA)

heavier-than-air machines. Its severity is proportionate to wing loading. It is caused by the higher-pressure air along the wing’s

undersurfaces spilling upward off the tips toward the lower air pressure above the wing. This forms, in effect, mini-tornados that

downward and behind an aircraft in flight. These are extremely strong vortices in the wake of a jet airliner, but even an ultralight will generate some wake turbulence. If you doubt that, fly a perfect trail

circle,

with just a

little

altitude loss,

and see what happens when

you encounter your own wake. This invisible turbulence can be extremely dangerous during takeoff and landing. Numerous aircraft have encountered wake turbulence of such severity that complete loss of control of the aircraft resulted. The aircraft were, in some cases, too low to recover. It may even result in structural failure to an ultralight. It’s another reason

why you always give other aircraft plenty of room in flight, and why you do not land or take off close behind heavier airplanes. In calm air, wake turbulence from a large airplane may churn along the runway for several minutes after that plane’s takeoff. If you are flying from an ultralight patch close to an active runway,

keep

in

mind

that

wake turbulence from

a heavy can be blown into

your area.

A

different

kind

of

“wake turbulence”

helicopters. Never, but never, fly beneath one.

is

And

generated

by

since the fling-

75

wings are more maneuverable than fixed-wing aircraft, always keep a wary eye on one that is airborne in your area. Assume that the pilot is

demented, and that his actions are completely unpredictable.

Frost your aircraft has remained outside overnight and collected a layer of frost on its wings, it must not— indeed, probably cannot— be flown until the frost is removed. Many a lightplane pilot has reIf

fused to heed this admonition to his regret. It’s not the weight of the frost that causes the problem, but the fact that frost consists

With frost on the wings, you may, if light, manage to lift off in ground effect, but you won’t be able to climb— and probably won’t remain airborne. The foregoing discussion of weather and the atmosphere was limited to considerations presumed to be the essential minimum for ultralight pilots. It may be— and probably should be— regarded as too minimal but, hopefully, the subject is less painfully presented of millions of tiny drag-producers.

in

such a fashion.

Now we

can expand on

it,

referencing the

FAA

Manual AC-00-6, Aviation Weather. Air

Mass Temperatures Although extremely

and compressible.

It is

light, air

has weight and

a mixture of gases.

is

highly elastic

A given volume of pure,

dry

air contains

the

same in all parts of the world. The air also contains water vapor which

about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and a one percent mixture of other gases. The proportions are about varies in

amount from

zero to five percent by volume. Water vapor acts as an independent gas mixed with air.

The atmosphere, even when apparently clear, contains an enormous number of impurities, such as dust particles and products of combustion. The impurities are necessary because they provide the nuclei around

The range

which raindrops form. of temperature

deal, both with

the surface, at

between night and day varies a great

season and location. The daily range is large near barren high-level places, over sand, plowed fields,

and rocks, often ranging from 30 to 50 degrees F; it is much smaller over vegetation, and over deep water surfaces it amounts to only about two degrees F. There is practically no range of temperature between night and day in the free air 4,000 feet or more above the surface within the troposphere (the troposphere

76

is

the layer of air

adjacent to the Earth;

varies in depth from an average of 55,000

it

feet over the

Equator to 28,000 feet over the poles). The temperature at and near the surface greatly affects takeoff and landing performance.

As we

aircraft

gain altitude, the temperature usually becomes lower and

This variation in temperature with altitude is called the lapse rate. The average lapse rate is two degrees C (3 1/2 degrees F.) per 1,000 feet, but you will seldom encounter this so-called normal lapse rate. It will vary depending on the amount of heat energy reaching and escaping the Earth, and on vertical and horizontal movements lower.

of

air.

another variation in the lapse rate is with altitude itself. For example, the temperature may decrease at a rate of three degrees C per 1,000 feet from the ground to an altitude of 5,000 feet; then at a rate of one degree C per thousand feet between 5,000 and 7,000 feet, and at two degrees C per 1,000 feet above 7,000 Still

feet.

Many

times there

a layer of air that has an increase of temperature with altitude rather than a decrease. This is usually a rather shallow layer, and is called an inversion. is

The most

frequent type of inversion over land is that produced immediately above the ground on a clear, relatively still night. The

ground loses heat rapidly through next to

it.

The amount

of cooling decreases rapidly with altitude,

and the temperature of the is

affected

or not at

little

than the air above

air a

all;

or

few hundred

feet

above the ground

thus, the lower layer of air

is

colder

it.

Fronts can cause inversions air,

radiation, cooling the layer of air

when moving warm

air

when

colder air pushes under

moves up over cooler

warm

air in its path.

Fog, haze, smog, and low clouds are often found in or below

low

and low-level inversions sometimes produce some wind shear when the upper, warmer mass is moving and the level inversions,

lower, cooler air

The weight

is

relatively calm.

of the atmosphere, as

the average equal to the weight of

measured at sea level, is on a column of mercury 29.92

The atmosphere’s weight

could be balanced against the

inches high.

weight of any other liquid in a similar way, but mercury is used because it is one of the heaviest liquids at ordinary temperatures. water were used instead of mercury, the height of the balancing column would be about 32 feet. If

As altitude becomes

less

increases, the weight of the air above the barometer

and

less,

to achieve a balance

so the length of the mercury column required

becomes shorter and

shorter.

Within the lower

77

few thousand feet of the troposphere, this decrease in the mercury column amounts to roughly one inch per 1,000 feet of altitude.

The

aneroid barometer also measures air pressure. It is compact and reliable, and is the heart of several flight instruments, including the altimeter, airspeed, and vertical speed (rate-of-climb)

The made of

indicator.

essential feature of a typical aneroid

a cell

thin metal

The

which

is

corrugated to

barometer

make

is

flexible.

it

cell is partially

evacuated of air so that it will respond more readily to changes at atmospheric pressure. One side of the cell is fixed, the other is coupled to a pointer on a dial. The coupling

movement of the free end of the cell. This simple demay have its dial marked to indicate atmospheric pressure as

magnifies the vice

a barometer; slightly modified dial

markings,

it

becomes an altimeter with

different

etc.

Pressure variations definitely affect flight. The most noticeable effects of decreased pressure due to increased elevation are higher required true airspeed (TAS) for takeoffs and landings, lower rate of climb,

and higher

stalling speeds.

aircraft is twice as long at

The

Denver as

takeoff run for the average

at sea level,

assuming similar

surface temperatures.

Pressure also varies with time for the three following reasons:

The movement

1.

of pressure systems:

developed pressure system often inch or 2.

more

The change

deepening or 3.

in the

filling

A daily

is

The passage

of a well-

accompanied by a change of one

atmospheric pressure. in intensity in

pressure systems, such as the of a low pressure system.

variation.

as an atmospheric tide,

The

variation,

which may be thought of

strong in equatorial latitudes, but vanishes above latitude 60 degrees. This daily pressure variation should be taken into account when watching a barometer, and not mistaken for an approaching storm. The pressure is highest from this effect at 10 A.M. and 10 P.M. (local standard time), and lowest at 4 A.M. and 4 pm. It amounts to about .04 Hg (inches is fairly

of mercury)

in

the middle latitudes.

The

sea level pressure at each reporting station about the U.S. is plotted on a weather map, and lines of equal pressure (isobars) are drawn at selected intervals, usually four millibars apart.

lines indicate the configuration of pressure systems.

that

all

(When we say we mean that they above sea level.) The

stations give their sea level pressures,

give the pressure corrected for their altitude five types of pressure systems are defined as

78

These

follows:

A

Low:

center of low pressure surrounded on higher pressure.

High:

A

center of high pressure surrounded on lower pressure.

Col:

The

Trough:

all

sides by

all

sides by

neutral area between two highs and two lows.

An

elongated area of low pressure with the lowest pressure along a line marking the maximum curvature in

the isobars. Ridge:

An

elongated area of high pressure with the highest pressure along a line marking the maximum curvature in

the isobars.

A direct relationship exists between pressure systems and wind. High pressure areas are ditions, while jet

streams

in

typically regions of favorable

weather con-

lows are usually associated with bad weather. The the upper atmosphere tend to steer weather systems

across the U.S.

Altimeters

ly

Your altimeter reading and your actual height are the same onunder these conditions: 1) The sea level pressure and temperature

are equal to that of the standard atmosphere; 2) The rate of decrease of temperature with altitude is the same as that specified for the standard atmosphere.

Since these standard conditions are seldom, if ever, found, altimeter indications require correction before true altitudes are

known. Remember that altimeter readings are based on an assumed pressure-height relationship, not an actual heights.

The

actual altitude

is

rarely the

same

as that which

is

indicated

because of pressure changes. It is good practice to keep the altimeter adjusted to the current setting for the nearest weather reporting

Always remember that a change of altimeter will result in a change of about 300 station.

.30 inches in the feet in the height

reading.

Even when sea hours of

level pressure

flying, incorrect height indications result

changes. For every 20 degrees

temperature of the differs

does not change during a few

air

F

(11 degrees C) that the average

column between the

aircraft

from the standard atmosphere, there

in the indicated altitude. If the air is colder

mosphere, the aircraft

will

from temperature

is

and the ground

a four percent error

than the standard

at-

be lower than the altimeter indicates;

79

if

the air

is

warmer, the

aircraft will

be higher than the altimeter

shows.

Although subject to errors, the altimeter is still a very useful instrument, and when it is adjusted to the exact elevation of the field from which you fly, the error due to nonstandard temperature diminishes on descent until, upon landing, the altimeter reads the field altitude.

In flying on the basis of altimeter readings,

all

heights indicated

are above sea level, subject of course to the difference and errors discussed above. The usual procedure is to adjust the altimeter to the local barometric setting just before takeoff. available, the instrument

If this

setting

is

not

may be

so that the indicated altitude

is

properly set by rotating the scale equal to the elevation of the field

from which you are operating. The “setting” indicated in the small window on the instrument’s face will then be the proper altimeter setting. This can be done only when the aircraft is on the ground.

Land and Sea Breezes Since temperatures of land masses rise and fall more rapidly than water surfaces through radiation, the land is warmer than the

during the day and colder at night. This difference in temperature is more noticeable during the summer months, and at times when there is little horizontal movement of the air in the low sea

levels. In coastal areas, this difference in

temperature between the land and water produces a corresponding difference in pressure (pressure gradient); during the day the pressure over the warm land becomes lower than that over the colder water. The colder air over the water moves toward the lower pressure, forcing the warm air over land upward.

The

resulting onshore

wind

is

therefore a “sea

breeze.”

is

At night, the circulation is reversed so that the air movement from land to sea, producing an offshore wind called the “land

breeze.”

The

sea breezes are usually stronger than the land breezes, but they seldom penetrate far inland.

Moisture Water, an important part of the atmosphere, states: solid, liquid,

snow,

and gaseous. As a

solid,

hail, sleet, frost, ice-crystal clouds,

it

is

found

in three

takes the form of

and ice-crystal fog. As a liquid, it is found as rain, drizzle, and dew, and as the minute water droplets composing clouds and fog. In the gaseous state water is

80

an invisible vapor. Ice can form directly from water vapor, and is exemplified by the formation of frost on a cold, clear night. The dewpoint is included in aviation weather reports because a critical temperature, indicating the behavior of water in the atmosphere. When the surface air temperature is higher than the dewpoint, and the difference between those two temperatures is increasing, any existing fog and low clouds are likely to dissipate it is

because the air is becoming capable of holding more water vapor (the higher the air temperature, the more water vapor the air can hold before saturation

reached and condensation occurs). This is especially true in the morning hours when air temperature near the ground is increasing. On the other hand, you should be alert for the possibility of fog or low cloud formation at any time when the surface air temperature is within four degrees F. of the dewpoint, and the spread between them is decreasing. is

Condensation occurs if moisture is added to the air after saturation has been reached, or if cooling of the air reduces the temperature below the saturation point. The most frequent cause of condensation, cooling of the

air,

often results

when

1)

air

moves

over a colder surface; 2) air is lifted (cooled by expansion); or when 3) air near the ground is cooled at night as a result of radiational cooling.

The most common forms

of condensation are clouds

and fog. at temperatures well below freezing, clouds and fog are composed of very small droplets of water that collect on microscopic particles in the air such as salt from evaporating sea spray, dust, and products of combustion. The abundance of these particles on which the droplets form, called “condensation nuclei,” permits conExcept

densation to occur generally as soon as the air becomes saturated. Clouds and fog that form at temperatures well below freezing (-15 degrees C or lower) are usually composed of small particles of ice

known

as ice crystals, which form directly from water vapor through the process of sublimation. However, liquid water droplets

are frequently observed in the atmosphere at temperatures

much

lower than the freezing point. This situation, called supercooling, prevalent in clouds to a temperature of about -15 degrees C.

is

Wrecks and Weather In spite of the U.S., a large

amount

of

weather information available

percentage of pilots

in the

in the

general aviation category

receive either an incomplete check of the weather or no check at all.

In a recent year, the

NTSB

listed

40 percent of the 4,400 gen81

av accidents as weather-related (general aviation except the scheduled airlines).

We

have no reliable

written, but

if

we

statistics

on

is all civil

flying

ultralight accidents as this

is

include the ultralights bashed by pilots flying in

wind conditions that should have prompted them to remain on the ground, and flying into power lines during periods of reduced visibility,

then similar figures

Wind and

may

well apply to us.

seem to be the primary concerns of the VFR ultralight pilot. Our low wing loadings make us especially sensitive to wind and turbulence. Flying at low altitudes, wires— visibility— these

including the kind that brace hazards, and

We need

to

we need

all

TV transmission towers— are special

the visibility

we can

get to avoid them.

understand weather systems to keep from being caught

unawares in flight, and we may save ourselves a certain amount of trouble and doubt if we are able to recognize developing weather situations that will plan.

82

make

flight inadvisable for the

time period

we

Chapter 5

To Buy or Not to Buy Should you purchase an ultralight? If so, how do you buy wisely? Why are there so many from which to choose th^t look so much alike?

Are they generally overpriced? Are these machines evolving

so rapidly that today’s latest models will be obsolete— and therefore hard to sell or trade— two years from now? For many of us,

new much as a

ultralight represents a significant investment

a

new car— and

we’d like to have

— almost as

some assurance

that

we

are get-

ting a soundly-engineered aircraft that returns the pleasure per dollar that we anticipate.

To begin with, it’s difficult to put a price on pleasure. Although we seldom try to put it into words, perhaps most of us feel that

we

are entitled to as

as

we do

not

much

pleasure as

harm anyone

we can

take from

life

as long

else in that pursuit.

Enough problems and sadness and disappointments come to each of us unbidden to justify that. Such a position should be perfectly moral by any standard

assuming, of course, that the fun stuff is compatible with our self-respect. A pretty good case can be made for the proposition that it is more important to be happy than to be practical (if I didn t believe that, I certainly would not be writing for a living).

So much for the philosophical side of the equation. Having decided more or less — that you are going to buy an ultralight, and can afford it, it’s time to gather as much data as is practicable to aid in a proper selection.

Let s assume that you have gained some feel for the scene,

start-

83

ing with a subscription to Glider Rider * magazine, and then had

enough dual time

in

an ultralight

deed, your kind of adventure.

to firmly establish that this

The

fact that

you may be licensed

to fly conventional airplanes doesn’t automatically

A

is, in-

reasonably accessible place from which to

guarantee

fly is

it.

an impor-

tant consideration, preferably with hangar space at a realistic price.

You won’t fly as much machine each time you

you have to erect and disassemble your fly, and that also results in a lot of wear and if

tear on your airframe.

With such basics resolved, you may start thinking about the kind of machine you want. Most licensed pilots seem to prefer the threeaxis conventional-type control with ailerons, and the manufacturers are paying heed because 40 percent of their sales by mid-1984 were to licensed pilots. Those with no previous flying experience may prefer a machine that demands less of them, an aircraft with spoilers and lots of dihedral, which is more forgiving of imprecise control handling. There is no reason to unnecessarily complicate things for yourself. The object is the freedom and exhilaration of flight. Why dilute that? You should be mentally comfortable with your aircraft. should mention that while the current two-place ultralight

I

trainers are essential to a safe

and sensible introduction

to this

kind

of flying, they really aren’t the best demonstrators. All of those

saw

summer

I

1984 were cobbled-up versions of the single-placers of the same manufacture— same airframes, minimally modified to accept an extra seat, with more power. As I said earlier, in the late

the fun begins

when you

of

switch to the single-placer with

its

much

improved performance and lighter, more responsive controls. Perhaps the single most important consideration is structural integrity— which is essentially the same as the manufacturer’s integrity. This is also the most difficult to pin down. For example, Eipper claims that it is the largest ultralight manufacturer in the world, but

I

them— plenty

found

it

impossible to obtain any useful data from

of promises, but

no follow-through, which suggests

that the requested data does not exist.

most cases you can regard the manufacturers’ advertised specification and performance figures as guides at best. Some apparently employ 20-pound test pilots, and when advertised empty In

weights are close to the

may be

maximum

FAR

Part 103, you

assured that the addition of any optional equipment will

*3710 Calhoun Ave., Chattanooga, tion $18 U.S.

84

allowed by

TN 37401; sample copy $3; yearly subscrip-

render that machine technically illegal— if it isn’t already. Prior to FAA’s promised “review” of Part 103 in the fall of 1984 there was a lot of agitation for, and some hope that the empty weight limit would be raised to 331 pounds, presumably to allow stronger airframes. This could make a lot of difference. Since the laws of aerodynamics have not changed since Orville and Wilbur first put them to work, it’s obvious that, with the same

horsepower,

we

could have heavier machines with better performance. We had them more than 30 years ago. The 1931 two-place Curtiss-Wright Junior (Fig. 5-1) had 45 hp, cruised between 60

and 70 mph, had a top speed of 80 mph, landed at 32 mph, and possessed a service ceiling of 12,000 feet. Fuel consumption was less than three gph, and initial climb rate was 580 fpm. Its empty weight was 570 pounds; gross, 975 pounds. Its 176 sq/ft of wing area

wing loading of 5.5 pounds per sq/ft. The Junior was priced at $1,490, which would probably equate to ten times that amount today, but it was an ATCed airplane. Interestingly, Walter Beech (who had sold his Travel Air company to Curtiss-Wright two years earlier) was largely responsible for the C-W Junior’s resulted in a

development.

Another very popular economy airplane of the Great Depression era was the Aeronca C-2/C-3 series. The little Aeroncas, in both one and two-place versions, also enticed a lot of entry-level pilots into the air before the time of the Piper Cub. (Fig. 5-2), in production for six years, did very

The

two-place C-3

well with 36 hp.

weighed 466 pounds empty, grossed 875 pounds, cruised

Fig. 5-1.

mph on

at

It

65 mph,

The two-place Curtiss-Wright Junior less than three gph, landed at

of 1931 had 45 hp, cruised at 60 32 mph, and weighed 570 pounds empty.

85

Fig. 5-2. The two-place Aeronca C-3, in production during most weighed 466 pounds empty, and cruised at 65 mph on 36 hp.

maximum

had a

speed of 80

The C-3 landed

fpm.

at

mph and

an

initial

of the ’30s,

climb rate of 500

35 mph, had a 200-mile range with an eight

gallon fuel supply, and sold for $1,695 in 1931.

There were others, such as the 30-hp American Eagle “Eaglet,” the 45-hp Buhl “Bull Pup,” and the 45-hp Alexander “Flyabout.” True, all had Approved Type Certificates, and although their weights would take them out of today’s ultralight class, my point is that, with similar power, they had more substantial airframes yet equal or better

performance.

Any increase

in the present

weight restrictions can

amendment to Part FAA makes a definite and

only be beneficial, and the possibility of such an

103

another consideration until the

is

official

statement on this subject.

Engines There appears

to

be no promising four-stroke engine on the ho-

KFM

was among those who announced 1982, but we’ve heard nothing more of it.

rizon for ultralight use.

development of one in None seems likely because of the

ultralight

weight restrictions.

The

best low-horsepower four-stroke aircraft engines were the Continen-

A-40 and the 50-hp and 65-hp Continentals, Lycomings, and Franklins of the ’30s, but all were four-cylinder, and even the A-40 of 37 hp weighed approximately 100 pounds, which would have left but 153 pounds for an ultralight airframe. The A-50 weighed 160 pounds. Meanwhile, the two-cycle engines currently fitted to almost tal

all

ultralights average less than

while mills

some

two pounds per (claimed)

and

power is lost in the reduction drives, these little do produce more power per pound— and more power per of that

dollar— than anything else available.

86

hp,

A

two-cylinder, four-stroke opposed-type engine could be a possibility, and there has been some effort in that direction, including

one-half of a Volkswagen engine. However, no automobile engine has ever proven entirely satisfactory in an aircraft, the

Volkswagen

probably coming the closest. Automobile engines achieve their rated power somewhere over 4,000 rpm, and are, of course, heavy. Occasionally there are

some Hercules two and

four-cylinder,

four-stroke opposed-type engines available from military surplus (they were used to generate electricity in the field); these are rated

20 and 35 hp at 3,600 and 2,600 rpm respectively. But both appear to be too heavy for ultralight use, exceeding three pounds at

per

horsepower.

They are

built

by various manufacturers, including Con-

and Lycoming. Another automobile engine that has been under test for ultralight and homebuilt airplane applications by at least two developers is the Mazda rotary. Originally the Wankel, designed in tinental

Germany about 15 years ago, it was licensed to Curtiss-Wright in the U.S., who found no use for it; the John Deere farm implement company purchased U.S. rights early in 1984. The Wankel/Mazda is

attractive because of

its

low weight-to-power

and because it has no pistons or valves, just a large rotor-and little or no vibration. But it does turn at 6,000 rpm and higher, and therefore requires a reduction drive for aircraft use. powers the Mazda RX-7 sports car.

So

appears that

One

ratio,

version of this engine

weight restrictions are substantially raised, the ultralights will continue to be powered with two-cycle engines. Properly maintained, these powerplants are probably reliable enough, the main problems being with the reduction drives it

until the

and those installations with extended propeller shafts. There has been some shaft breakage due, apparently, to torsional vibration.

The

must be stiff (heavy) enough engine and propeller. shaft

to resist

any “whip” between

Optional Equipment Optional equipment for your ultralight can include flight instruments and engine gauges, parachute, electric starter and alternator, strobes,

wheel pants,

floats (Figs. 5-3

through

5-5),

cockpit

enclosures on certain models, and even a transceiver. Perhaps the best place to shop for instruments and gauges is in the pages of TYade-A-Plane (Crossville, 38555; $7.50 for six

TN

months, 18

issues), a general aviation

paper devoted exclusively

to

87

W

Fig. 5-3. Floats are available for

most

ultralights, with prices

averaging about

$1,200 per pair. Pictured is a twin-engine Hummingbird near Bakersfield, California. (Courtesy Don Downie)

the buying and selling of everything from aircraft cotter keys to used

There you will find new and reconditioned instruments the most competitive prices. Personally, I see small use for any flight instruments beyond

airliners.

at

a good aircraft-type sensitive altimeter.

mounted so

that

it

A

rides free in the relative wind, preferably

front of your aircraft,

is

An

If it

breaks,

airspeed indicator

is

88

it’s

It’s

easy to

cheap, and

it

when a fitting

it

doesn’t

fix.

a security blanket of sorts

Fig. 5-4. Orlando, Florida pilot loses

Don Downie)

on the

not only an effective slip and skid indicator

but an angle of attack indicator as well.

add any weight.

six-inch length of yarn,

lets

if

you

like

go on landing. (Courtesy

The Cobra is righted (Courtesy Don Downie) Fig. 5-5.

with help from a friend;

damage, no

little

injury.

by the numbers, at least in the beginning, but once you become comfortable with your machine it isn’t likely that you’ll pay much to fly

attention to

The

least expensive

and simplest ones float a ball in a transparent tube, but if they are mounted in a handy viewing position they seem to get broken a lot by pilots strapping in and it.

leaving their aircraft.

any need for a compass. If you plan some limited cross-country flights, you will navigate by pilotage with frequent checkpoints, following a definite ground track drawn on your Sectional chart. You’ll go only VFR during daylight and with mild winds, and your checkpoints should be close enough together that you can always see at least one ahead. A kneeboard strapped to your leg, I

can’t see

holding your Sectional chart folded so that your ground track can be traced with a finger as you progress, will be far more useful than a compass.

You may justify a cylinder head temperature gauge, and an exhaust gas temperature gauge to help assure proper fuel/air mixtures. An accurate clock is handy for local flying and essential to crosscountry flying, but you undoubtedly already have one on your wrist.

A

tachometer

suppose,

you like to keep an eye on engine rpm, but it seems to me that you get all the input you need from throttle position and the sound of the engine. Frankly, I’ve never flown an ultralight fitted with a tach and can’t say that I missed it.

ly

There

isn

t

is

much

nice,

I

if

point in a pre-takeoff

have one magneto, and

if

the engine

is

mag check

warm, and

it

since you on-

accepts takeoff

89

you may as well go ahead and aviate. This is true seat-of-the-pants flying and you do it by sound, feel, and eyeball. Therein lies its special appeal.

power

A

setting,

parachute? Absolutely! True, that means another $700 (for

something important comes unstuck in flight, that could be the best investment you ever made. It may not only save your life, but preserve your aircraft as well. a good one that deploys quickly), but

about $400, but for my part cheerfully pay the additional $300 for an extra six seconds in

Hand-deployed chutes are available I’ll

if

an airborne emergency

ment can make chute provides

all

is

(Fig. 5-6).

for

At low

altitudes, quick deploy-

The peace of mind a good paracost. The first time you encounter

the difference.

alone worth

its

and watch your wingtips flap up and down, I think you may agree. You can trust the manufacturer’s inflight load-limit figures if you want to. I do not. Besides, these structures may be overstressed with improper ground handling, or by wind substantial turbulence

gusts

when

tied

down

outside.

How

about an electric starter and alternator? Well, that adds weight, but pushbutton engine start sure is like uptown, and you

may

as well add strobe lights while you’re at

seen environment of ultralight devices, even in the best of

another $150. for $90.

A

Some

Fig. 5-6. Ballistic

In the see-and-be-

strobes are great safety

conditions.

The

strobes will add

battery-activated strobe systems are available

starter, alternator, voltage regulator

engines for which

90

VFR

flight,

it.

it is

parachute

is

available, will cost

system, on those

about $150.

mounted behind the seats on

Phillip Martin’s MX-II.

Wheel pants racier,

are cosmetic.

They make your machine

but at ultralight airspeeds add

little if

look a bit

anything to perfor-

mance. They do add some weight, render your tires more difficult to check for cuts and wear, and may become packed with mud or

snow (which can

freeze after takeoff in cold weather). If you often operate from wet surfaces, simple, homemade mudguards are more practical. Fiberglass

wheel pants cost about $50 each. On machines such as the Challenger, a cockpit enclosure will encourage you to fly when the temperature has everyone else sitting around the heater in the flight office. There are a lot of good flying days during the

and winter when the air is clear and cold and smooth. Even when the temperature is pleasant on the ground, the few degrees you lose with a little altitude, plus your cruising airspeed, can

make

it

a cockpit enclosure, Well, then,

you

fall

quite cold. If your aircraft

buy

it

and

fly

is

configured for

it.

who needs a radio? That depends on where and how

For some, it could be a waste of money. Most of us can get some use from one if it receives aviation weathercasts and allows fly.

air-ground communication, including the Unicom frequencies at uncontrolled airports. You should shop around for this piece of equip-

ment, seeking the best combination of price and utility. A receiver alone can be quite useful and inexpensive. If you want to transmit, going to cost more. At the top end, you can get the TR-720 from Communications Specialists for $795. This featherweight portable transceiver weighs slightly over one pound and has 720 communicait’s

tions channels, teries.

200

air navigation channels,

There are many

others, ranging

and rechargeable

downward

in price to as

bat-

low

as $150.

Your local ultralight dealer will normally have all of the above mentioned options for sale, including portable two-way radios. If he provides a flying site, and other services at reasonable prices, he deserves your support.

What and Where

to

Buy

you have a local ultralight dealer, or one close enough to be regarded as local, chances are that is where you will become an ultralight pilot, and the machine in which you first become proficient is the kind you are most likely to purchase. You may feel some obligation to buy from your instructor/dealer. That is not necessarily a bad situation, especially if he is providing you with a base of operaIf

tions,

but that shouldn’t prevent you from

first

shopping around and 91

comparing aircraft,

As you

prices.

Try

to talk

and of course

a rule, a dealer

and

fairly,

if

with ultralight pilots

fly different

who expects

makes to

if

remain

who fly different

you get the chance. in

business will treat

he makes any promises or guarantees, you

know

will

where to find him. He will feel more obligation to his customers than you can expect when buying from an individual. In any case, your dealer will be more important to you than the factory that produced your machine. In most cases, whatever product support you get will be from your dealer. For the above reasons, your choice of an aircraft

be predetermined. However,

way

your money, and

if

tend to

you have

defi-

about the kind of aircraft you want, that has got to be

nite ideas

the

it’s

may

to go.

You may prefer an aircraft that is more “airplane-like” than the open-air wire-braced models that dominated the scene during the early ’80s; the trend is definitely away from the breezy types, although you may find a sound used one at a good price for that very reason. Just keep in mind that all aircraft are a collection of compromises; you get one feature by giving up another. The high-drag wire-braced models have their good points. They lose speed quickly with a reduction in power, and with spoilers instead of ailerons, they are not going to float on landing. They are easier to land and you can put them on the ground exactly where you want them with a

minimum

of practice.

the harder you have to

The

cleaner the aircraft aerodynamically,

work

at precision landings.

Under the 254-pound weight

limit,

the main thing you gain in

an aerodynamically clean machine is the ability to push the 55-kt speed limit. That is a definite plus if you want to go somewhere, and you can do so with a small engine.

which suggests a rule: The more it looks like an airplane, the more it flies like an airplane. The strut-braced machines have other advantages. They will have fewer fittings-that is, fewer wing-attach points— and therefore fewer bolts and whatnot to monitor as possible sources of trouble. All of

A

metal strut

not going to stretch.

you choose to keep your aircraft at home and have to attach the wings and tail each time you fly, and then remove them again for the trip home, these actions are much faster and easier, with less chance of error, if you do not have all those wires to contend with.

Man aircraft is

is

a comfort-loving animal, and you will fly more if your so configured that you can be shielded from the airstream

is

in cool weather.

92

If

A windshield

and cockpit enclosure make a

lot of

difference.

A windshield also eliminates the practice of dispatching

bugs with your

face.

A single- or double-surfaced wing is another consideration.

Here

again, the manufacturer has had to build within the weight limit, and while the additional weight of the wing’s bottom

covering

is

more than offset by increased wing efficiency, the double-surfaced wing is not necessarily stronger, despite its more substantial ap-

pearance. Ultralights are almost always offered in both kit form

and ready-

and there may be as much as $1,000 difference in the price. It is a good indication as to how much actual labor is involved in assembling the kit if you figure that the manufacturer can do it in 40 percent less time than you can. His people are experienced, to-fly,

have

the tools handy, and his operation is set up for such production. He will figure no more than $12 per man-hour because all

few,

if

any,

pay that much. What you must determine is whether or not you want to count your labor at $5 per hour — unless, of course, you enjoy building things in your spare time and count it not as labor but as part of the fun. In the latter case,

you may want

to consider

buying plans only and building from scratch, scrounging your own materials. In this event, you may expect materials, including the engine, to total under $2,000. The problem with this approach is that there are so few designs from which to choose: the Hovey Delta Hawk, B&B Aircraft’s Sand Piper, Petit Breezy, Starfight’s TriStar, and the Volmer

Sun Fun.

The

(I

may have missed

so-called

trikes

’

a couple.)

are best described as hang glider wings

attachable to a metal-framed cage containing landing gear. These are tailless designs that

pilot,

engine, and

employ hang

glider did not investigate the trikes; they’re a tad too primitive for me, and there aren’t many left.

weight-shift control. Frankly,

You may want

I

check on insurance costs before finalizing an ultralight purchase. I ve seen at least one report which indicated to

that insurance for wire-braced

machines costs more than for strutThe insurance representatives I queried would not specifically confirm that, emphasizing instead that they were more interested in an applicant s personal background and ultralight experience, as well as one’s base of operations. braced models.

Maintenance and Rentals

A

permanent, responsible local dealer can make a lot of difference to the average ultralight owner. Do not expect much from

93

You may perform most of your own maintenance and some repairs, but you are certain to need some professional help and service from time to time. Your aircraft must be properly maintained, and it is best if you the factory in the

way

of product support.

have an ongoing schedule of inspection

to

monitor every

bolt,

fit-

and structural member of the airframe. There is very little structural redundancy in an ultralight; almost every wire, strut, bolt, and fitting is essential to the machine’s structural integrity. There is one way to avoid maintenance problems altogether: ting,

rent.

The manufacturers

aren’t going to love

me

for this (I’m not

no compelling reason why you should buy at all if you have a reliable dealer nearby who rents his machines. The average rental charge is around $25 per hour, and that may be less than your cost of ownership. crazy about most of them), but there

That

is

is

not going to attract those pilots

who care

little

When I applied for membership in this fun-flying fraternity, saw

that

many were

for costs. I

quickly

not into ultralights because of low costs.

simply their kind of flying. Here was the freedom and

It

was

thrill of flight

without the hassle. Others (such as myself) were not against saving a buck, and renting

makes sense

for

some

of us.

Meanwhile, a few ultralight flying clubs are appearing, operated

on the order of time-proven flying clubs equipped with conventional airplanes. One that I know about requires a $50 initiation fee, $10

and members pay $18 per hour to fly. A minimum number of members— 15, I think— are necessary in order to meet the monthly payments on the aircraft. Their dues take care of all per month

in dues,

maintenance costs and build a reserve fund for engine overhaul, new wing fabric, and the more expensive parts. Each member is liable for repairs

if

conflicts; too

The only probmany members want

is difficult to

reserve the club ma-

he/she breaks anything expensive.

lem with clubs are scheduling to fly at the same time, and it chine days in advance

when one cannot usually count on the weather-

man’s cooperation. However, one does build a modest equity in a club machine, and since well-run clubs usually have waiting lists, it is

often possible to sell one’s equity

Some

if

a job change dictates a move.

dealer-operated clubs leave aircraft ownership in the

and such an arrangement amounts to a rental system with minimum guarantees to the of the dealer,

94

little

name more than

dealer.

Chapter 6

Assembling and Flying the Challenger The

Challenger, produced by

Quad

City Ultralights of Moline,

Il-

representative of the third generation of ultralights (Fig. appears to have been inspired by the popular Curtiss-Wright

linois, is 6-1). It

Junior of the ’30s.

It is

strut-braced, has ailerons for roll control,

and an enclosed cockpit. Following is Hal Adkins’ account of what it is like to assemble the Challenger kit— and then fly it:

Quad

City Ultralight Aircraft’s Challenger is a good-looking ultralight— very “airplane-ish” with double-surfaced wings,

somewhat enclosed

cockpit,

covered

standard

fuselage,

con-

figuration.

Must take quite a while to put Chuck Hamilton and Dave Goulet of

it

together,”

QCUA at

I

commented

to

the 1983 ultralight

convention.

About 50 hours,” they said. They explained that the fuselage and all its rigging was practically completed at the factory. In general, most of the hard, time-consuming construction was already done by the time you got the kit (Figs. 6-2, 6-3). visited the Challenger factory that fall

and found that, yes, there really does seem to be an awful lot of work completed on their kits by the time they go out the door. I asked if they would be willing to have me put one together and then write about it. They I

agreed.

The

kit

was picked up

a two-car garage

I

Moline and taken to home. A couple of days

at the factory in

had secured near

my

95

Fig. 6-1. like

The Challenger

airplanes,

fly

typical of the third generation ultralights which look like airplanes, and reflect the fact that man is a comfort-loving

animal. (Courtesy

Fig. 6-2.

Quad

is

City Ultralight Aircraft)

The Challenger

kit is delivered with fuselage and tail group built at the factory. Landing gear is factory-welded, and all flight controls are installed reducing construction time to 40-60 hours for the average builder (Courtesv

Quad

96

City Ultralight Aircraft)

1

Fig. 6-3.

Challenger three-view.

were spent going through the various boxes of goodies that make up the kit, and hooking up some extra lights and much-needed heat. After everything was in order, I began building the Challenger, stepby-step, right from the manuals.

The Construction Manuals There are three manuals. They are very high quality, although a few steps could have used a little more detail. The written instructions are accompanied by good drawings and very good photos. The first part of each manual is text, followed by drawings, and then photos of how the finished component should look. This made for a lot of page-flipping and may have slowed down my comprehension of a few steps, but it was hard not to get everything right the first time. I understand that these manuals will have been updated and rewritten by the time you read this. Not much improvement was needed.

97

Covering the

The This

first

Tail

step

is

will help give

covering the rudder with zero-porosity* Dacron.

you a

goes on the rest of the

feel for

applying the covering material that

and wingtips. The procedure is this: Sand the perimeter of the rudder frame with a fine sandpaper; clean with solvent (MEK is best), put masking tape on the edges and rivets, coat the perimeter of the frame with the contact cement supplied with the kit, and allow it to dry.

The

tail

surfaces, fuselage,

rudder, as well as the other

tail

unit frames, are completely

assembled, and the Dacron coverings for them are delivered as presewn socks or envelopes. The covers are shipped inside out, and

have to be turned inside in before installation. After the covers are slipped on, the seams are straightened and then parts of the cover are tacked to the frame with a household iron set on “Linen.” That reactivates the adhesive and makes a strong bond. the Dacron

The

is

rest of the

firmly in

frame

run over with the iron until place. Then both sides of the rudder are is

gone over with the iron— carefully— to shrink the fabric nice and It works very well.

The

taut.

vertical stabilizer (fin), horizontal stabilizers,

and elevators are covered in this way. The appropriate hinges and control horns are then installed on these surfaces. All this took me about two hours longer than the instructions said the typical completion time would be. The manual said eight hours; I took around 10. The tail pieces were completely finished now, and set aside. That finished Book

One

of the instructions.

Remember, unless otherwise mentioned, all work was done by me alone. The only time you really need more than one is when you get to Book Two, the wings.

“Zero porosity”

is

a term you

must accept with a measure

of charity.

Dacron

is

manufactured by the condensation of dimethyl terephatalate and ethylene glycol which is drawn into threads and then woven into cloth. Aircraft Dacron is sold in its “griege” state,

meaning

mined nia,

it

is

not shrunk at the time of production. Stits Aircraft tests deter-

that griege Dacron, unfinished,

began

gone

that

to deteriorate in eight

in four

months. However,

ly applied, cotton fabric lasts

to the

weather

in

Southern Califor-

months. Unfinished aircraft-grade cotton fabric was

when up

exposed

the weave

is filled

to eight years,

and an opaque

finish proper-

and Dacron 15 years or more. Sun

worst enemy. “Zero porosity” obviously means that the Dacron fabric has been treated with a filler, probably a resin compound. is

fabric’s

98

Wings The

were covered with the same heatshrinkable Dacron as the tail. That was fast and easy, as only the ends need to be readied for the adhesive. At least two people are needed to assemble a wing. I had plenfull-span ailerons

ty of helpful, interested

Harold Adkins, Rapp.

my

hands

to assist

me in the form of my father,

wife’s father, Dale Billhorn,

The wing envelopes

and neighbor Bud

are also pre-sewn, but are not shrinkable

except for the wingtips (which are sewn in the same Dacron as the tail and fuselage). The envelopes slide easily onto the complete and

wing frames. After they are squared with the ends, and the seams centered along the trailing edge, holes are drilled and pop rivets placed along the trailing edge to hold the covering in place. pre-drilled

The next

step requires

more than two hands. You have

to pull

wing covering on the bottom by “rolling” the fabric around the leading edge, and then drilling and pop riveting to hold it in place, as was done on the trailing edge. It works very well to have two or three people doing the rolling and holding, while you do the drilling and popping. Next comes the insertion of the plastic stay rod ends into the tight the

stay rod tubes

(ribs).

These are held

the tube ends. Stays are then slid into

by center punching the pre-sewn channels in the in place

wing’s upper surface.

The

last step in

covering the wing panels

is to

clean the wingtip

frames, tack on the shrinkable Dacron, and shrink it with the iron. With help mentioned, both wings and ailerons were covered in under three hours.

Putting the wings together

is

not a hard job, but

it

is

time-

consuming trying to get the four piano-type hinges lined up evenly on the trailing edge before pop-riveting in place. The hinges are not pre-drilled, but that is not a problem.

I

have

to

admit

to possibly

taking more time than was really necessary in rounding off their sharp, square corners, trying to drill the holes evenly, and at-

tempting

to

make them appear matched from wing

to wing.

on the wings took about as long to accomplish as covering them. The instructions were a bit fuzzy on the proper positioning of the ailerons. If you match up the root ends of the ailerons and wings, you will have covered the holes in the trailing edge meant for attaching the wings to the fuselage. The control horn ends of the ailerons need to be set out a couple of inches. This was not mentioned in the instructions, and it’s hard Installing the ailerons

99

to tell their positioning

from the photos.

not difficult to figure out the proper placement on your own, but someone in a hurry could end up with a lot of extra work It is

to redo, drilling out rivets

and starting over on aileron

installation,

not to mention a bunch of extra holes in the trailing edge. Supposedly, this gray area in the instruction manual has been cleared up in the

new

edition.

Next came mounting of the strut attachment brackets on the leading and trailing edges of the wings. The pre-drilled holes were easy to find through the wing covering. I made holes in the Dacron with a heated icepick, and slits in the appropriate spots to place the brackets that go on the inside of the edges.

When

run the bolts through the brackets and trailing and leading edges, I found they would not quite line up. That was the only time in the whole project that I had to run a drill through any of the pre-drilled holes to make something fit, and it didn’t take I

tried to

much

extra effort.

to the

end of

less

With the brackets installed and tightened, I came Book Two. So far, I had worked on the Challenger for

than a week

in

my

spare time.

Fuselage

Book Three

is

as thick as

One and Two combined. There’s

a

when full appreciation begins for the factorybuilt fuselage. A visitor commented on the amount of work I had done on it, and thought I was yanking him when I said the only lot to do.

thing

I

Okay,

I

But

this is

had done to the fuselage frame was take it off the truck. admit I put the seat cushion in so I could sit in it and make

motor sounds, but that’s all. The fuselage comes from the factory virtually complete. All you really do is attach other assemblies to it and cover it. All aluminum tubing

bent, fitted, slotted,

and bolted or pop riveted into place. Bellcranks and control cables are installed and adjusted. Indeed, all cable assemblies on the entire aircraft are complete. No cable swagging is required of the builder. is

All critical

work on the

controls

finished and adjusted at the factory. The center-mounted control stick is in place and finished except for safety wiring of the turnbuckles. Cables are is

routed and

held securely in place; the rudder pedal assembly the canvas base of the seat is installed. It goes

is in

place; even

without saying that

all this

saves a

Therein

100

lot of time.

lies

the secret of the Challenger’s speedy transforma-

from boxes to flyable aircraft. The hard stuff— the critical work on which you must take your time and get it right— is already done. I started Book Three on a Sunday, and in one five-hour afternoon I installed two aluminum angle formers to be used to cover the fuselage, both main gear legs, the tailskid assembly, and the tion

tail

surfaces.

Engine

The

first

KFM

the

snag

in the project

107 powerplant.

Challenger parts,

I

failed to

when

occurred

When

I

began

to

mount

inventoried

the

thoroughly check the engine box.

Had

initially

I

would have discovered that, in order to get a KFM Operation Manual, you must first send in a registration card. Book Three I

done

so,

I

refers to this

the

KFM

manual

on mounting and operating the time being there were no details

for instructions

107, so at least for

available for engine installation. Actually, that

was not a problem as

in the Challenger.

The

it is

a simple engine to mount

went to Komet Flight a few days the very de-

registration card

Montgomery, New York, and in tailed operator’s manual arrived. In the meantime, a call had to be placed to KFM to request the nuts needed to mount the carburetor and exhaust system to the engine. These were not to be found with the otherwise complete engine package, even though they were marked off on an accompanying checklist. Komet said this had never happened before, and I had them within two days. I routed and hooked up the throttle and choke cables, and completed the exhaust installation. The next step was the wiring, of which there was plenty, primarily because of the KFM’s electric start. This was accomplished from easy-to-follow drawings provided by Quad City. Everything worked the first time the engine was put in operation, except the tachometer. That took a little more research in the KFM Motors

in

book.

My only complaint about the wiring are followed step by step, you will find

nections at the

same

more than once on the

on the airframe. further step

A

it

that

I

if

the instructions

necessary to

place twice a few times.

some and time-consuming, but mostly the locknuts

is

It

was a

make

little

con-

bother-

hated to have to take off

points used for electrical grounds

notation not to tighten a particular nut until a

was completed would have reduced wear on the

locknuts.

101

Interior

A

look ahead into the final assembly phase of the Challenger showed that the instrument panel was to be mounted after the windshield

was pop-riveted

decided that

into place.

But after a

bit of sighting-in,

would be far easier to put the panel on first. It looked as if it would be very difficult, with the windshield in place, to drill mounting holes needed for the panel. It would also be harder to hook up the wiring and instruments because by the time you reach I

it

this point, the fuselage

would be covered, making

it

harder to work

behind the instrument panel.

About the instrument

The standard Challenger kit does What is mounted on the panel initial-

panel:

not include any instruments.

keyed ignition switch and a kill-button to stop the magnetofired KFM. A good assortment of instruments was supplied with my kit, including an airspeed indicator, altimeter, tachometer, cylinder head temp gauge, and an hour meter. ly is a

The

unfinished plywood panel provided with the kit made for a tight fit with the instruments to be mounted. Some of them, in

would be touching each other. So I made another one, slightly more than an inch deeper. It fits well, does not interfere with control stick movement, spaces the instruments more comfortably, and fact,

looks good. it

proved

installed the panel in the fuselage at this time,

I

to

be no problem later on

when

it

came time

to

and

mount

the windshield.

The

motorcycle-type battery for the electric starter is mounted on a simple plywood board, which it shares with the solenoid relay. The board is bolted on, and Quad City recommends using glass fiber strapping tape to hold the battery down. This makes for a stur-

dy mount, although I did wrap a bungee around the whole works just to be sure. You should also make certain that the electrolyte in

the battery

is filled

once the fuselage

is

to the

covered

proper

level before

you

install

it,

because

quite a chore to

remove the battery. instructions said that the installation of the fuel system should take around one hour. I took two. The fuel capacity (on it is

The

kit) is

3 1/2 gallons.

time you read

A

my

five-gallon tank should be available

by the

this.

Two rugged

go-kart tanks are used, each with its own on-off valve, and hooked together with a cross-tube. A simple drawing

showed how the installation was to look when finished. Very few words were spent on instruction, and few were needed, although a couple of tips would have come in handy. Holes were already in

the tanks for the valves, and they

102

made

for a very tight

fit.

The main reason was my

it

took

me so long to assemble the fuel system

inability to get the valves started into those small holes.

used no sealant or gaskets on the valves, as none were provided or called for. Sure enough, when the tanks were filled, they leaked. I

Not a

lot;

but any

is

too much, particularly in an enclosed airplane

such as this. So gaskets were made and a silicone sealant used to end this problem. The rest of the hoses, fuel filter, primer bulb, and hose clamps were installed as per the drawings. Most of the nuts, bolts, and rivet work was now completed, with a total of just under 40 hours’ labor invested.

Fuselage Covering in

Next came what is probably the hardest and longest single step the building process— covering the fuselage with the heat-shrink

(griege) Dacron.

After almost everything else on the plane had gone together relatively slick and quick, all the work needed to put several different pieces of fabric on the fuselage tionate to the overall effort.

seemed slow and disproporUnlike the tail and wing coverings, there

are no pre-sewn or even pre-cut pieces of Dacron for this job. What you get are several yards of Dacron fabric, which has to be cut to

approximate size for each section of the fuselage. Plenty of extra Dacron is provided, but you don’t want to ruin a large piece more than once or you will come up short. (Aircraft griege Dacron costs about $5 per yard in 60-inch widths.) The extra material provided allows

of a

you

to cut the pieces oversize to

be sure

fit.

Keep in mind that there is a “right” and “wrong” side to this Dacron. The shiniest side is the side attached to the airframe. Six drawings of an

air fuselage take

you step by step, piece by piece, to completion of the fuselage covering. There are 10 pieces that must be cut and attached to the tubing.

The procedure it

with

MEK,

tact adhesive to

is

same as

before:

Sand the tubing, clean

tape the rivets and edges, then liberally coat with con-

and

let dry.

be covered with the

Once

the

The Dacron

iron, leaving

attached, the excess material

to the fuselage tubing. It

is

is

then tacked around the area

excess material hanging loose.

trimmed and the edges adhered

would make the job move along

faster

if

each piece of fabric was cut closer to its required shape at the factory. For most of this process I used an industrial heat gun to shrink the Dacron. There were a lot of corners and grooves and I chickened out on using the iron because it can melt a hold in the fabric

103

if

too

much

heat

worked best for gun until it was

is

applied or

me was

if

the iron

is

not kept moving.

to first shrink the

What

Dacron with the heat flat surfaces, and then

enough to give large, run the iron over them to complete the process. With care, it is not hard to do a good job covering the fuselage, although it can be a little tedius. The book said typical completion time

Final

is

taut

eight hours.

I

did

it

in 10 1/2 hours.

Assembly

The major components were now completed.

It

was time

to put

everything together. After fitting the Lexan windshield to the windshield frame and removing the protective paper, I found a bad flaw in the lower third of the windshield. A strip about half an inch wide, angling upward, was of an entirely different optical quality and was very noticeable from the pilot’s seat. Quad City sent a replacement.

The wings were mounted with

the able help of

my

father and

Leonard Zimmerlein. Bolting on the outboard ends of the struts to the wings proved to be finger torture because of the restricted space. helps to have one person hold up the end of the wing while two people fight the hardware into place. Fortunately, these bolts do not have to come out again in the normal takedown procedure. Bolts It

with castle nuts and safety clips handle this job on the fuselage end of the struts, while on the jury struts, clevis pins and safety clips are employed.

The

ailerons pushrod tubes

were

fitted

and

installed along with

the propeller, and other than some running-in time on the engine, the Challenger was complete and ready to fly. Total construction time to this point was 65 hours, including installation of the optional instruments. I believe that the average person can build the Challenger kit in 55 to 70 hours. The optional wheel pants were supplied with my kit,

do a

lot to

make an

attractive ultralight a beauty.

and they

These took slightly longer than normal to put on. When I bolted the axle tubes to the gear legs in an earlier procedure, I unknowingly put the bolts right where the clamps for the pants have to go. After altering (grinding) part of the clamp, the rest was easy. Side curtains are also available, but did not arrive until after the first flight. The Challenger is a good-looking machine. It flew well right out of the box with minimal adjustment. I regard it as sturdy and comfortable. But most of all, it goes together easy, with few problems, and the building time is as advertised.

104

First Flights

After a slight weather delay,

my

first flight in

the Challenger

was made exactly one day short of a month after the kit was started. My father and I found to our surprise that the plane would slide sideways out of the two-car garage without removing the wings or tail surfaces. The entire aircraft was then lifted into the back of a pickup truck and driven carefully to a private landing strip. The Challenger was unloaded and attempts were made to bring

KFM to

the

a

jump

start

However, the battery was down and we had to get from an automobile, and that proved to be the procedure life.

for the rest of that day.

Even with a warm engine,

it

did not

want

without a jump to really get it spinning. Part of the problem was certainly chargeable to the fact that it was a new engine, and also to our efforts to get it into the right tune for that stage to start

of

run-in.

its

But

also noticed that after the engine was shut down even for a short time, an air bubble would form in the fuel line entering the fuel pump on the bottom-mounted carburetor. Even after furious I

choking and cranking, the plugs would remain dry when they should have been wet and fouled. It was decided by the time the day was over to turn the “T” in the fuel line at the twin tanks down rather

than up (as illustrated in the instructions). That, and an added piece of fuel line to aid gravity flow to the carburetor, made a difference in the

way

the engine started and idled by keeping any air that might be in the line away from the fuel pump and carburetor inlet.

When we

got the

KFM

running,

vibration overall and low noise level.

than

it

performed

The

idle

was

well,

with

initially

little

higher

should have been, due to our tuning and fuel-feed problems. The wind was blowing at seven or eight mph, slightly quarter-

ing.

it

A little bit of taxi work showed that the Challenger moves across

the ground straight as an arrow with little conscious effort to keep it that way. I progressed to short hops into the air, followed by long flights down the entire length of the runway. It did not take long to get

comfortable

in the plane.

Takeoffs and landings in ground effect were easy and predictable, and the slight crosswind was no

problem

at

all.

The Challenger has which

is to

say that

it

a fairly hard-sprung tricycle landing gear, is really not sprung at all. Although it does

seem to handle a rough grass strip well, you won’t want to spend more time than necessary on a hard, bumpy surface. The steerable nosegear

quick and will point the aircraft anywhere you want a hurry. Turnarounds are very tight. is

in

105

Finally there

was nothing

do but

and fly around the pattern. No problem. The Challenger takes off and climbs smoothly, with no tendency to leap off the ground when you don’t expect it, but it will climb quickly if you want to. The first two or three flights were around the field and ended each time with a full stop. Three-axis controls make the machine handle like the full-size aircraft it resembles. Full-span ailerons and large tail surfaces make to

to take off

the difference.

The

cockpit

is

somewhat narrow, and

about the throw of the stick from side to allow

deployment of the

I

was

side.

at first

My

legs

concerned

would not

But in all phases of these flights the movement of the stick proved to be more than adequate. While flying, I noticed a tendency to nose-heaviness. It wasn’t full

ailerons.

uncomfortable for normal, local flying, but longer flights at cruise speeds. said

as

I

it

was designed

I

later called

Quad

City and they

much

up a tad cured the problem,

believed went back to a lack of detailed instructions in

I

mounting and hookup.

aileron

A

got to be tiresome on

to trim out a bit nose-heavy, but not as

described. Reflexing the ailerons

which

it

couple of days later

I

received the optional side curtains.

These are mounted with snaps— a

lot of

snaps.

The bottom

(stud)

part of the snaps are pop-riveted to the door opening around the fuselage. It really doesn’t do much for the looks of the aircraft when

what with all those shiny little snaps stuck all over, but when the factory announced that curtains would be offered for winter flying, Challenger owners wanted them immediately. The mountings for the curtains will be redesigned by the time this reaches print to move all the mounting points inside the cockpit to clean up the appearance of this installation. The one and only door in the curtains is a zippered affair on the curtains are

the right side.

off,

opens from the front and falls to the back, providing plenty of room for entry and exit. The side windows are of Lexan, have excellent clarity, and do not greatly restrict side vision. It

A

curved aluminum tube is placed in each of the two curtains to bow them outward and that allows adequate elbow room. Bven with this bow, looking straight at the

nose of the Challenger,

it is

hard

to see that the curtains are in place;

they flow into the lines of the aircraft. Snapping the curtains on or off will take less than a minute each.

The

next flight was the following day and perfect for trying out the effectiveness of the curtains. It was a bright sunny day with virtually

106

no wind; the temperature

at takeoff

was between 30 and 35

degrees

dressed warmly, and with the curtains quite comfortable, although a bit of a draft kept my F. I

if I left it

on the

throttle,

in place

I

was

hand cold that control being mounted on the door left

frame.

After landing,

found that my helmet had fuzzed up the Lexan side windows as they narrow just under the wing. I applied a few strips of Scotch tape to protect the Lexan. If you dress warmly enough, and your Challenger is equipped with side I

curtains,

can be a year-round aircraft. Flights later temperatures were made with the curtains ly

I

was not as warmly dressed,

Taking

On

I

was

in the

day

in

it

tru-

50-degree

in place and,

although

quite comfortable.

the Challenger

Meanwhile, Michael Bradford, a veteran ultralight pilot and managing editor of the oldest ultralight magazine, Glider Rider, arranged with Quad City to give the Challenger a thorough flight test.

Michael’s report follows:

There in the

was-at ground level, belly-up with the itch to fly out open. I was the ultralight airplane salesman’s dream shopI

After five hours glued to the seat of a Cessna 172 I was wearybut somehow unrequited. Following VOR signals and talking to the per.

friendly voices of controllers for directional advice

is

okay,

guess.

I

But it probably isn t the kind of flying that blows your dress up, if you know what I mean. Arriving

in

Moline (Quad

Cities) Illinois,

I

found myself

among

a friendly family airport picnic afternoon full of ultralights called Challengers. I silently forgave Air Traffic Control their

demands

and disappointments. And I broke one of my original Rules of Order. Rule of Order number three used to read: “Never go flying with the vice president of marketing,

but

new times

bring

new

rules.

Some

of the ultralight aircraft of today are prepared to fulfill one of our dreams of yesterday: affordable, comfortable, flying-for-thefun-of-it

machines.

Vice presidents of ultralight marketing are another improving breed, and Quad City Ultralight Aircraft’s J.B. Straley was a

welcome comfort during my first ride in a Challenger. J.B. didn’t know it was also my first ride in an ultralight-type two-seater since I had waddled aloft in ground effect in John Chotia’s original twoplace Weedhopper several years back. Although the future of the ultralight sport may depend on development of the two-place as a side) that building a two-seater

trainer,

I

know

(on the practical

pushes the limits of our powerplants

107

and airframes in providing desirable performance. There can be no doubt; the manufacturer who provides a practical

two-seat trainer multiplies the value of his single-seat craft to

the dealer, and hence

say the

least,

where

its

it’s

value in the marketplace. Two-place

manufacturing research

at in

is,

to

in the ultralight

biz.

my

So

interest in the Challenger

was as a system which com-

bines two-place training and single-place transition, and

I

feel

lucky

have received the same introduction a prospective student or owner would receive to the machine. to

Sitting

up front

in the

tandem two-place Challenger,

I felt

as

had while playing student in my Piper Cub; something about being up front makes one very interested in the path of the aircraft. It’s a good position for a student, since he cannot address— and therefore argue with— the instructor directly. I

I

believe that

more

instructions

most students

in this position

end up following

carefully than those seated side-by-side with their

a personal preference, but the two-place Challenger’s tandem configuration appeals to me. And as an instructor, it’s a dream to be able to solo a student in the same seat he trained in. teacher.

On

It’s

this point the two-place

No dream fulfilled you pay

Challenger scores high with me. on Earth can be perfect though, and the price

in the case of the

two-place Challenger

is

the need to trim

the craft with trim tabs or ballast. Changing the student’s and/or instructor’s weight will change the speed at which the craft wants to

fly.

To compensate, designer Dave Goulet has

fitted

ground-

adjustable trim tabs to the Challenger trainer’s elevators. During my first takeoff in the two-seater I must have looked like a bounding orange antelope, because the stick-neutral position

was producing about 60-plus

indicated miles per hour. Although a stop to retrim could have solved the problem, a five-pound pull aft

on the stick was sufficient to maintain close to the 50-mph mark, the speed Dave Goulet had recommended be maintain in the day’s

uncommonly bumpy

air.

How did pilot did. It

the two-place fare in the air? Probably better than its wasn t a day I would have given first lessons on. But

the Challenger, even though

its

wing loading

single-placer, did not surprise or excite

me honest. On the ground,

me

is

close to that of the

in the

rough

air; it just

kept

gear arrangement to steer

108

things couldn

may be

on the ground.

I

t

have been easier.

nostalgically deficient, but

think

it

may catch on.

If I

The

it

tricycle

sure

is

easy

have a comment

about the steering,

would be for taildragger pilots: Expect a healthy response to rudder input on the ground, even at low speeds, because of the mechanical nosewheel steering. it

The Single-Place Challenger Three single-place Challengers were placed following

word

my checkout with J.B.

my

disposal

Straley in the two-placer.

The one

at

of advice offered

by designer Dave Goulet concerned the best rate of climb speed. J.B. told me of the need for more rudder in the Kawasaki-powered version, and of the stall speeds for the Sakipowered and KFM-powered models.

The

Challenger, as

The

single-placer exhibited

snap

maneuver on the ground. With the nose pointed down the runway, a check of the windsock showed a crosswind from the left at about 10 mph, wavering between a direct cross and about 15 degrees rear quartering. With 2,000 feet of runway ahead, I was comfortable exploring the Challenger’s behavior under such conditions. I

said, is a

to

some

of the same pitch-down trim the two-placer did, but a light pressure pegged the desired speed as the Challenger lifted off smoothly and swung into a pronounced crab.

With

pointy end turned into the wind the craft climbed out directly over the centerline of the runway. I don’t know whether the its

plane or the pilot was responsible. Either way, we both looked good. The pilot felt good, too. Although the terrain was iffy at best, with huge, kite-eating wires all around, I never felt like I didn’t know

where

I

was going

to

go

if

the Kawasaki Kawit.

It didn’t,

and

I

had

a ball with the Challenger; from slow flight to steep S-turns, the solid feeling of control never left us.

The It is

only bug in the soup was that nose-down trim tendency. only a slight nuisance on short flights, but it could get to you

after a while.

Humans

funny things

to

aren’t built to exert constant forces;

it does your nervous and muscular systems. So I was very interested in Challenger dealer Bob Pixler’s demonstrator, which he has fitted with a bungee on the joystick. According to Bob, it makes a hands-off machine of the Challenger.

Bob has

also installed shoulder harnesses, a

every ultralight owner should opt

Bob and

his crew,

$25

after

market item

for.

who

operate Ultra-Flight Aero from the Marion County (Jasper) Airport near Chattanooga, Tennessee, seemed pleased with the Challenger, which they said was easy to build.

Fabric was a

wasn’t hard at

new

experience,”

Bob

told

me, “but

it

really

all.”

109

The KFM-powered Challenger

is

a marketing director’s

dream

one way, because the key start has to appeal to anyone who has ever suffered from “whirlarytus,” that enervating affliction which results from pulling a prop through or yanking a pull-starter until your forearms begin to feel like taffy. in

However, the KFM-powered machine did not climb quite as well as the Kawasaki model

something you have to give something. You can have the convenience, but you must pay the I

flew; to get

weight penalty.

Quad

City

is

currently prototyping the

new

version of the

Challenger with the Rotax 277 for power, which will probably replace the as the standard model ($5,995), and the with

KFM

its

uptown

start will

One-Place Let’s

KFM

be available for a mite more money.

Two-Place

vs.

compare the Challengers, two-place and

single-seat.

The

single-seat version will threaten the student pilot financially because

hard to resist buying, a common hazard when you get hooked on an airplane. After checking out in the loaded two-seater, it’s

the

single-seat Challenger will substantially elevate one’s exhilaration quotient with a markedly faster climb and positive roll control. Pitch control also comes off smoother in the single-place version.

With

no bad habits,

it

s a joy to fly.

would have no qualms about using instruction, and the ability to solo

I

the two-place Challenger for students in the same” seat they train in two-placer a “B” on its report card.

The

is

invaluable.

I

give the

single-seat Challengers flew as

tuned craft

to fly;

one should expect a wellthey reward input with force and cling to a com-

fortable airspeed.

With five minutes in the Kawasaki version, I was having that which I truly craved— honest fun. After a pass or two for Hal Adkins’ camera,

breezed through a check of the Challenger’s behavior. Slow flight, turns, glides, and stalls were straightforward, with no surprises. The Challenger is easy to coordinate, but it does demand I

good rudder training. I give the single-seat Challenger an “A” on its report card.

overall

Report Card Detail Ground Handling—The Challenger

as easy to steer on the ground as a craft can be. I especially enjoyed the Kawasaki version’s nosewheel brake. For once, I wasn’t anxious to leave the ground

110

is

due

to

my

ultralight being a handful to taxi.

Turn radius is quite tight for nosewheel steering, and I imagine this wide throw could get one in trouble if the nosewheel is turned to its limit on touchdown. The gear is a little stiff for bumpy fields, but it had enough flex to handle the grass strip my flights were made from. Compared to many ultralights I’ve flown, A + for ground handling. Comfort—The cockpit arrangement gives the pilot room to relax, easy access to controls and a feeling of solid support. The instrument panel is easy to monitor without contortions. Stick and throttle placement are near optimum for my height; the seat perfectly adapted to my background. Ingress and egress (this is a high class report, folks) are simple exercises: sit

A

stretch out.

down, get small, swing

in,

solid A.

Response—The Challenger won my heart with a snappy, response to roll input. Push its joystick right, the craft rolls up to about 45 degrees. If the air gets really nasty, the full

Roll linear

easily

throw of roll control should enable you to level the wings in all but the most severe upset. Response time is excellent; authority aboveaverage. Roll Response gets an A. Pitch Stability—The single-seat differs from the two-seater in pitch more than any other characteristic. That is natural, due to the

wider range of possible centers-of-gravity on the two-place. The single-seater and two-placer both hold the trimmed speed within a few miles per hour, even in bumpy air. Hands-off pitch stability is

excellent,

judgment.

and stick force

in the single-seater

was just

right in

my

see the two-placer receive a trim control for in-flight adjustment by the instructor. An A- grade for this. I’d like to

Crosswind Capability—The day

and

I

tried

I

flew the crosswind

was

there,

both as a direct crosswind and as a quartering tailChallenger followed my wishes exactly— a good way to it

wind.

The

win a

pilot’s heart.

Dutch

were clean, and showed and positive. Another A.

rolls, at altitude,

the rudder and aileron to be effective

Quality of Finish— An anodized airframe and paintable covering provide the foundation for a builder to please oneself with the final appearance of his or her Challenger. Attention to detail is good,

and the

finish quality of the kit, as

goes out the factory door, will please the builder, much of the work having been done by the manufacturer. The Challenger dresses up nicely, but a lot of finishing is

up

to the builder.

it

B+.

Noise Level—The Challenger makes noise in the cockpit, and although I don’t travel with a decibel meter, I do fly short evaluations without earplugs. Noise level in the cockpit: normal. Noise 111

persons on the ground: normal. Grade: B. Rough Field Capability—The Challenger has a nosewheel, which makes it easy to taxi, but more susceptible to damage on rough fields. I would not hesitate to fly it from grass or sod, but I would level to

avoid the uncharted pasture.

I

give

a

it

B

in this category.

Beginner Suitability—This is a full-blown aircraft, demanding coordination and attention to coordination from its pilot. Any conventionally-trained pilot will adapt easily, and the Challenger twoplace completes a training system many in the industry must envy.

After a complete training program, a Beginner should be well prepared to solo the single-place machine. B + .

Cross-Country Capability— I can’t think of any reason not to rate the Challenger high in this category, except perhaps its rough field suitability.

to land in

Don’t

rough

rough

fly into

you are forced

fields deliberately. If

terrain, hold off the

nosewheel as long as possible.

A-. Overall Rating—The Challenger earns an overall, based on the designer’s goal of a practical, conventional ultralight aircraft that

A

is

easy to build.

and

ture,

the sport

also

factory scores

about

its

its

own

A for testing the struc-

dealers and customers.

Moving

(as

into the future, here’s

not

question, is

for caring is)

It is

The

uncommon

one company that is well-prepared. receive a blank stare in response to the

to

“What has been

common

the extent of your testing program?”

It

hear answers like, “Very extensive,” and then response to specific questions. to

draw blanks in Quad City Ultralight Aircraft has taken a conventional approach to the testing of the Challenger,

beginning with static load tests of positive (lifting) and negative (down) loads on the wing structure. Sandbagging produced evidence that the craft would withstand its calculated loading, and then some. It s

mal

nice to

know

the craft probably won’t

come apart under norflight? I like to know what

what about its behavior in has been done in the air to determine the extent

use, but

testing

the craft’s behavior

is

to

which

conventional, or (the truly important ques-

tion) unique.

J.B. Straley outlined the Challenger’s flight test terms most ultralight manufacturers will

understand.

fast,

we

flew

it

slow;

we

straightforward machine,

tried to spin

we

it,”

he said.

feel confident that

it

program

“We

flew

in it

such a holds no sur“It’s

prises.”

What is

that

112

this

means

to the

you cannot, without

Challenger (or any ultralight’s) owner risk,

push

this aircraft into the

nether

regions of speed or load factor.

When

one decides to push an ultralight by spinning, snap rolling (if it will do either), or looping it, it must be assumed that these maneuvers have never been attempted before in this machine. It may not only be the first time, but the last as well. Stick with the manufacturer’s approved

maneuvers. In the case of the Challenger the limits are 60 degrees nose up,

30 degrees nose down, and 60 degrees of bank. Maneuvering speed is 55 mph, and the normal load limits are four Gs positive and three

Gs

negative.

Testing has already resulted in some changes for the two-place Challenger, including beefing up of the landing gear and rudder pedals, adding a throttle for the instructor, and installation of trim tabs on the elevators.

Challenger Specifications

Empty Weight Wing span Wing area

242 pounds 31 feet 6 inches

144

Height Length

sq/ft

6 feet

18 feet 6 inches

Fuel capacity

5 gallons

Seats

one 30 minutes KFM 107 or Rotax 277 25 hp 6,300 rpm

Setup time, one person Engine

Output Reduction drive

.

.

.

.

@

V-belt

Propeller

wood; 52 x 24

Challenger Performance

Stalling speed

25 mph 55 mph 63 mph 80 mph 500 lbs

Cruising speed

Top speed Never exceed speed (V

)

Gross weight

Design load factor Initial climb rate

Wing

loading

+4 500-700 fpm .

.

Gs;

@

-3 Gs 40

mph

3.47 pounds per sq/ft

113

Power loading Kit

price

Quad

City Ultralight Aircraft

3610 Coaltown Road, Moline, IL 61265 (309) 764-3515

114

20 pounds per hp $5,995

—

Chapter 7

Ultralight When planning this book,

Aerodynamics

promised myself that those aerodynamic forces which pilots must thoroughly understand would be explained effectively with no exotic formulas and no textbook prose. For example, the lifting action of an airfoil is usually explained in I

terms of Bernoulli’s Theorem, which

certainly correct,

and almost as certainly laborious reading. Coordinated turns may be and usually are— explained in the textbooks in terms of resultant forces which are determined by other, simultaneous forces. That’s is

great for aeronautical engineers, but when I decide to turn I never give a thought to a resultant force. In other words, we shall discuss the aerodynamics of flight from the pilot’s point of view, mindful of the mental

images the visible forces he exploits

pilot in

must form with regard

order to

to those in-

fly safely.

The Wing

An the

airplane

wing generates

because of

lift,

as

View

it

higher-pressure beneath pushing

it

shape.

it is

pulled or pushed through

and you’ll note that the upper surface has a deeper curve than the bottom surface. In motion, air flowing over the top of the wing is forced to speed up and thin out in order to meet, at the trailing edge, the air flowing around the bottom of the wing. That creates an area of low pressure above the wing into which the wing is drawn, aided by the air,

its

There are countless

airfoil

in cross-section

upward (Fig. shapes— fat ones,

7-1).

thin ones, short

115

LIFT

LIFT

Fig. 7-1. 1) The wing’s shape produces lift. 2) The airstream is forced downward beyond the wing’s trailing edge. 3) The wing is usually attached to the fuselage at a slight angle (angle of incidence) which adds a deflection force from below. (Courtesy FAA)

ones, long

ones— and each

a compromise.

You get one desirable feature by diluting another. It all depends on whether you want a flying machine that goes fast, slow, lifts heavy loads, or perhaps gives up some of each in order to get a little of all. The designers of jet airliners select

an

is

airfoil that

cruising speeds, and then

cheat

provides efficient

lift

at high

by adding

slats and flaps to the leading and trailing edges which may be deployed to change the airfoil into a low-speed high-lift wing.

Ultralight airfoils are even

more

compromise than most because of structural limitations. Selection of an efficient low-speed airfoil is easy; sailplanes have them. But the ultralight airfoil must also lend itself to a

116

of a

wing planform that

is

as compact as possible

maximum

for

results in a

with the

minimum weight. The light structure main wing beam (spar) doubling as the leading edge, strength with

shape achieved by means of “stays,” flexible rods in compression between the front and rear spars, held in place by pockets sewn in the upper surface fabric. That such an arrangement admits to reasonable efficiency seems a minor miracle in itself. You don’t get something for nothing when manipulating the laws airfoil

of physics.

When

a wing creates

tance of the air as the air

shape is

dictates.

The

is

also creates drag, the resis-

displaced and forced to flow as the wing’s drag caused by the wing’s action upon the air

called induced drag

of drag

lift, it

,

is

and

it is

the price paid for

lift.

parasitic drag, the price paid for struts

,

Another kind

wires, wheels,

must be thrust through the resisting air. The wing s lifting ability is increased by tipping its leading edge upward (Fig. 7-2). That has the effect of increasing the pressure etc.,

that

on

the bottom surface, while simultaneously deepening the low pressure above. However, the wing may be tipped upward no

more than about

18 degrees to the airflow before the air flowing over the top surface can no longer follow the airfoil s contour. Then the air flowing over the top of the wing begins to separate, burble, and the low pressure area disappears. When that happens, the wing “stalls,” no longer able to support the aircraft.

The angle

which the wing meets the on-coming air in flight is called angle of attack. The whole story of flight is contained in that single term. Everything an airplane does in flight depends on angle of attack. Your engine provides thrust, but the throttle, stick, at

Center of pressure

Fig. 7-2.

When

the nose of the aircraft is pitched upward creating a positive is increased up to a point, that point being the critical angle of attack, beyond which the relative wind can no longer flow over the upper surface in the smooth pattern necessary to maintain the low pressure area there. Beyond the critical angle of attack, the airflow over the upper surface begins

angle

of attack,

to burble, the

lift

—

low pressure area drains away, and the wing

stalls.

(Courtesy FAA)

117

and rudder pedals

in the cockpit, separately or in concert, are

angle

You control your aircraft in flight by manipulating angle of attack. Always remain conscious of that, and you’ve got

of attack controls. its

the basics nailed. All else

is detail.

The

wing’s angle of attack determines relative wind, or relative airstream. Relative wind is the reciprocal of the aircraft’s path

through the

tom

air. It is

not the

side of the triangle

same

as angle of attack, but

when you have

is

the bot-

a positive angle of attack.

the oncoming airstream to an aircraft in flight— the “wind” created by your movement through the air— and it strikes your wing It is

below the leading edge anytime you have a positive angle of attack. In level, cruising flight, the several forces acting upon your aircraft are in balance. Lift is exactly equal to the pull of gravity. Thrust balances drag as a result of that airspeed in that air density. Unbalance any of these forces with throttle, stick, or rudder (or a combination of these controls), and things change.

Advance the

throttle,

and you will begin to climb because the increased thrust adds lift. Apply left stick and the left wing lowers as its aileron raises and subtracts lift from that wing while, simultaneously, the right wing rises as its aileron lowers to increase

on that side with a deeper camber over that portion of the right wing. At the same time, the right wing’s angle of attack is increased, and the left wing’s angle of attack is lessened. Had you applied left rudder, coordinated with the left stick, that would have forced the rising wing to speed up and countered its tendency (adverse yaw) to slow down due to the additional drag produced by a greater angle of attack, and a left turn would have resulted. In a turn, your of gravity, but at

on the stick

Aircraft

is

lift is

lift

no longer directly opposite

an angle

to

it;

therefore, a slight

to the force

back pressure

required to maintain a constant altitude.

Axes

So your three axes,

balanced machine, and it rotates about its of which pass through a common pivot point, the cen-

aircraft is a

all

Whenever you change your machine’s atmust turn about one or more of these three axes.

ter of gravity (Fig. 7-3).

titude in flight,

it

The

axis which extends lengthwise through the fuselage from nose to tail is the longitudinal axis (Fig. 7-4). The axis which

extends

crosswise, from wingtip to wingtip,

is

the lateral axis (Fig. 7-5).

axis which passes through the center, from top to bottom, tical axis (Fig. 7-6).

118

is

The

the

ver-

PITCHING

Fig. 7-3. Aircraft

ROLLING

axes converge

at

YAWING

center of gravity. (Courtesy FAA)

Motion about the longitudinal axis resembles the roll of a ship from side to side. In fact, the names used in describing the motions about an aircraft’s three axes were originally nautical terms. They have been adapted to aeronautical terminology because of the similarity of motion

between an aircraft and a ship. Thus, the motion about the longitudinal axis is called

tion along the lateral axis

is

called pitch. Finally,

an

momoves

roll;

aircraft

about its vertical axis in yaw. The nose yaws right or left. Roll is produced by the ailerons; pitch is controlled by the elevators, and the rudder controls yaw.

The

center of gravity can be considered as a point at which all of the weight of the aircraft is concentrated. If the aircraft were sup-

ported at

its

exact center of gravity,

would balance in any position. Center of gravity is of major importance in an aircraft, for its position has a great bearing on stability. it

Load Factors The

load factor

the actual load the wings are supporting at any given time, divided by the total weight of the aircraft. In straight

/

is

Up

/- Bellcrank s' s'

PiV0,

/

lK

Pivot

c

0° Neutral \

\

\ \

Down Fig. 7-4. Control stick forward

and back pressures activate the elevators for pitch control. Therefore, this is your stall control. (Courtesy FAA)

119

Fig. 7-5. Side-to-side

movement

control. (Courtesy

roll

and

of the control stick activates the ailerons for

FAA)

level (unaccelerated) flight, the load factor is

1G (one

gravity).

In turning flight, at a constant altitude, the load factor increases because of centrifugal force. gentle, 20-degree banked turn im-

A

poses a load factor of only 1.06Gs, but a 40-degree banked turn raises the load factor to 1.31Gs. At 60 degrees, your aircraft— and you— are pulling 2Gs. Dive pullouts and other abrupt maneuvers have the same effect. Since you are pushed down in your seat by G-loads

and

feel the

Fig. 7-6.

120

same

force your aircraft does, the rule:

Rudder pedals

activate the rudder for

yaw

Keep

the load

control. (Courtesy

FAA)

off yourself,

and you won’t overload the

aircraft.

Do

not attempt a vertically-banked (90 degrees) turn in an ultralight. You don’t have the speed to accomplish it, in the first place,

and even if you did you would have to find a way to complete out your wings. The G-load would be well over 6Gs.

What

factors cause an increase in load factor?

it

with-

Any maneuver-

ing of the aircraft that produces an increase in centrifugal force will cause an increase in load factor. Turning and dive pullouts are but

two examples.

A combination of these two, such as recovering from

a diving spiral, places you in double jeopardy. You must avoid high speed diving spirals or, if you accidentally get into one, be careful how you recover. Turbulence can also produce large load factors.

Slow to maneuvering speed or below in turbulent air. Does speed affect load factor? Not in itself. However, it has a pronounced effect on how much of an increase in load factor can be produced by strong vertical gusts, or by the pilot through abrupt or excessive application of back pressure on the elevator control. This is why the airspeed should be reduced to maneuvering

speed or below if moderate or greater turbulence is encountered. At maneuvering speed or below the aircraft is stressed to handle any vertical gust that normally will be experienced. Also, below this speed, you should be able to make full and rather abrupt deflection of the elevator control and not exceed the maximum load factor for

which your reason this

aircraft is stressed. is

possible

However,

I

should note that the

because the aircraft will stall thus relievAt airspeeds above maneuvering speed, abrupt is

,

ing the load factor.

deflection of the elevator control, or strong vertical gusts, can cause the limit load factor to be exceeded. As airspeed continues full

above maneuvering speed, the limit load factor can be exceeded with less and less turbulence or abrupt use of the controls. to increase

It is

this load factor question that

considering an ultralight, because

determine

how much

it

looms largest in my mind when has been almost impossible to

been done by most manufacturers. Quad City Ultralights at least had a photograph of an inverted Challenger airframe, with sandbags stacked on its wings, to establish testing has

their load limit claims.

What about load factors and high speed stalls? The higher the airspeed when an airplane is stalled, the greater the load factor.

When

your machine stalls at a slow airspeed, the load factor will be very little more than 1G. When stalled at an airspeed twice as great as the normal

stall

speed, the limit load factor probably will

be exceeded.

121

Stall

Factors

The major cause

of fatal general aviation accidents

“failure to maintain airspeed resulting in a stall.”

of these stalls

is listed

as

Although many

may have

occurred under the stress of other problems (such as disorientation during limited visibility or at night, improper division of attention, etc.), a review of statistical analyses of written examinations indicates a lack of

knowledge and under-

standing of the various factors that can cause or contribute to a stall. What causes an airplane to stall? All stalls are caused by the pilot

exceeding the

critical

angle of attack.

Knowing this

particular

which we have already discussed, does not necessarily solve the problem. What is more important to the pilot is to know what fact,

factors are likely to contribute or to cause this angle of attack to

be exceeded. It is

not necessary for your aircraft to have a relatively low

airspeed in order for

it

to stall.

Any

fixed-wing aircraft can be necessary is to exceed the critical

any airspeed. All that is angle of attack. This can be done at any airspeed if one applies abrupt or excessive back pressure on the elevator control. A stall the occurs at a relatively high speed is referred to as an accelerated or stalled at

high-speed stall

necessary for the airplane to have a relatively high pitch attitude in order for it to stall? No. Your aircraft can be stalled in Is

any

it

attitude.

is to

Repeating the statement above,

exceed the

all

that

is

necessary

angle of attack. This can occur in any attitude by application of abrupt or excessive back pressure on the critical

elevator control.

Weight also affects the aircraft

increased,

stalling speed.

As

the weight of your

speed increases. Due to the greater weight, a higher angle of attack must be maintained to produce the additional lift to support the additional weight in flight. Therefore, is

its stall

the critical angle of attack will be reached at a higher airspeed when loaded to maximum gross weight than when the aircraft is flown

by a lightweight

pilot.

Does the center of gravity location (weight distribution) affect stall speed? Most assuredly. The farther forward the center of gravity,

the higher the stalling speed.

The

farther aft the center of gravity,

the lower the stalling speed. However, this does not mean that weight should be distributed so that the CG is as far to the rear as possi-

That would present problems with stability that would far outweigh any advantages obtained by a decrease in stall speed. As mentioned earlier, every flying machine is a bundle of compromises. ble.

122

An

accumulation of frost on the wings affects stalling speed. Even a light coating of frost can increase stalling speed so much that your aircraft will not fly. Frost disrupts the smooth flow

of air

over the wing and decreases lift. To make up for the lost angle of attack must be used or a higher takeoff

lift,

a higher

speed attained.

you do become airborne, you may be so close to a stall that your machine will not climb out of ground effect. Needless to say, ice or snow on the wings multiplies the problem. Your stalling speed increases with altitude. The thinner the If

air,

the faster you

weight.

It is

must move through it to sustain a given amount of true that you will always stall at the same indicated

airspeed (assuming proper control handling), because your airspeed indicator is a pressure instrument, and it, too, must be thrust through the air faster to feel the same pressure it registers at a lower true airspeed at lesser altitudes. Possibly of

more importance

to ultralight pilots is the effect

temperature can have on stalling speed. Warm air is thinner than cold air. You will stall at a higher airspeed on a hot day than on a cold day. You will need a longer takeoff run and you will have a lower climb rate on a hot day.

And

one most people do not believe until they experience it firsthand: Damp air is thinner than dry air. But water is heavier than air, right? Right. But water vapor is not. Invisible water vapor molecules are markedly lighter than air, so humid air is thinner than here

is

Even when the water vapor condenses and becomes visiis still lighter than air. Otherwise, all clouds would sink to

dry

air.

ble,

it

the ground.

Okay, of what significance

is all

this to a pilot? It is significant

when

landing at higher elevations, or under higher density altitudes, you are operating at higher true airspeeds— and therefore in that

higher ground speeds— throughout your approach, touchdown, and landing roll. This results in a greater distance to clear obstacles during the approach, a longer ground

landing patch.

If,

in addition,

one

is

and the need for a bigger operating under the misconceproll,

tion that a higher than

normal indicated airspeed should be used under such conditions, the situation is further compounded due to the additional increase in ground speed. Personally, I feel that an airspeed indicator is of questionable value on an ultralight. Turbulence can cause a large increase in stalling speed. Encountering a vertical upward gust causes an abrupt change in relative wind, resulting in an equally abrupt increase in angle of attack. A stall

could result. In

flight,

with a reasonable amount of altitude,

123

*

down

best to slow

is

it

landing

it is

in turbulent air,

necessary to carry a

for recovery.

Almost any kind

The

ultralight.

solution to

extra airspeed, because

little

can’t afford to risk a stall close to the

but during approach to

ground with

of turbulence

we

insufficient altitude is

bad news

an

in

And the that is to learn enough about weather that you know the solution to turbulence

conditions which generate

to stay out of

stalling speed.

As

the angle of

in a constant-altitude turn, the stalling

up. This takes us

back

it.

it.

Your angle of bank also affects

bank increases

is

to the load factor.

The higher

speed goes the Gs, the

higher your stalling speed. In a 60-degree bank, your stalling speed is 40 percent greater than in straight and level flight. So there are

two good reasons why excessively steep banks should be avoided: Your aircraft will stall at a much higher airspeed, and the limit load factor can be exceeded.

nose gets down

in

This danger can be compounded when the a steep turn if one attempts to raise it to level

without shallowing the bank since the load factor may be increased even more. This is the situation as it generally exists flight attitude

when, due

one enters a diving spiral— often referred to as the ‘‘graveyard spiral— and attempts to recover with elevator pressure alone. That merely tightens the spiral, because the wings are not level. to disorientation,

Finally, a test question.

The

following remarks are actual excerpts from a pilot’s written report of an accident in which he was involved:

was climbing

an airspeed of 60 mph. I started a climbing turn to the right. The wind now became a crosswind instead of a headwind. This lack of headwind caused the airplane to stall to recover from the stall I turned the airplane back into the wind “I

at

.

Later,

was

.

.

in a

quartering tailwind from the right ... to recover from the stall I turned the airplane back into the wind Later, I was in a quartering tailwind from the right Went into a second .

.

.

I

.

.

This

.

.

.

.

remember.” This pilot had over 100 hours, yet stalled and crashed due to an apparent misuse of his controls at a slow airspeed (high angle stall

.

.

.

of attack).

The

is all I

inspector

who

took this

statement decided pursue this explanation with a group of student pilots. He posed this question to them: pilot’s

to

the aircraft s stalling speed was 60 mph and you were flying at an airspeed of 70 mph into a 30 mph headwind, what would If

happen if you maintained this airspeed of 70 mph but turned downwind?” Five of the six students said the airplane would stall. But

124

I’m sure that you didn’t.

However, for the benefit of the person who borrows this book from you (and skipped some pages), I’ll answer the above by restating something said earlier. Airspeed is the only speed that holds any sipificance for an airplane in flight. Once it is off the ground, an airplane feels nothing but its own speed through the

It

makes absolutely no

difference

what

air.

speed happens to be in The aircraft in flight feels no wind. It simply proceeds, operating with the same mechanical efficiency, upwind, downwind, crosswind, or in no wind at all. I am referring to its

relation to the ground.

a steady wind, of course. Turbulence, gusts, or wind shears can lead to stalls even though airspeed is being maintained above the normal stalling speed.

125

Chapter 8

Ultralight Buyer’s

Guide

Single-Place Ultralights

Advanced Aviation 323 N. Ivey Lane, Orlando, FL 32811 Phone: (305) 298-2920

Huski

Kit Price: $3,995

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp Empty Weight: 190 lbs; Gross Weight: 400 lbs. Wingspan: 33 ft, 6 in; Wing Area: 166 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.65 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 14.67 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Cobra

Kit Price: $5,195

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 35 hp Empty Weight: 245 lbs; Gross Weight: 525 lbs

Wingspan: 35

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area 155

3.38 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 15 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Aerodyne Systems 194 Miller Falls Rd., Turners Falls, 01376

MA

Phone: (413) 863-9736

Vector Kit

Price: $5,795

Engine: Rotax 377; 36 hp

126

Empty Weight: 252

lbs;

Wingspan: 35

in;

ft,

Wing Loading:

10

Gross Weight: 530 lbs Wing Area: 154 sq/ft

3.25 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading:

15.1 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 70 hrs Aerolight Flight Development

456 E. Juanita, Mesa, AZ 05204 Phone: (602) 892-2955

Aerostat 340

Kit Price: $4,795

Engine: Kawasaki 440 or Rotax 377; 40 or 38 hp respectively Empty Weight: 248 lbs; Gross Weight: 488 lbs

Wingspan: 33

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area: 165

sq/ft

Power Loading: 12.2 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs. 2.96 lbs

sq/ft;

Airborne Wing Design 7572 Tesler Way, Sacramento,

CA

95823 Phone: (916) 395-3374

Avenger

Kit Price: $4,995

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp

Empty Weight: 238 lbs; Gross Weight: 536 lbs Wingspan: 31 ft; Wing Area: 135 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.98 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 19.21

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 70 hrs Aircore Industries

3726 13th Ave., SE, Bellevue, WA 98006

Cadet

Jr. Bolt-together Kit: $3,995

New Company;

limited data available.

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp

Empty Weight: 220 lbs; Gross Weight: 520 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 163.4 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.19 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 18.57

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 20 hrs

AeroTech Dynamics Route 1, Box 125, Lawtey,

FL 32058

Phone: (904) 964-6741

127

Wind Rider Recent design; data limited; resembles Quicksilver with ailerons.

American Aircraft 4310 Rankin Lane, NE., Albuquerque, NM 87107 Phone: (505) 822-1419

Falcon Recent design;

lots of advertising

but no firm data without payment.

Said to be a 250-lb canard.

Aerotique Aviation P.O.

Box

152,

Columbia, IL 62236

Phone: (314) 752-1990

Aerotique Parasol

A

copy of the 1930s Heath Parasol; sold ready to fly; 3-axis controls. As most ultralight manufacturers, their ads contain plenty of hype and little hard data. The facts will cost you $5.

AviaSud Ultralights P.O.

Box

89,

TX

77417 Phone: (409) 387-2226 Sirocco Ready to Fly: $9,385 Wire-braced pusher with Konig 430 three-cylinder equipped with electric starter and engine gauges. French design (Fig. 8-1). Beasley,

Fig. 8-1.

The Sirocco

Don Downie)

128

is

a French design sold ready

to fly for $9,385.

(Courtesy

Airway Aircraft 905 Air Way, Glendale,

CA

91201 Phone: (213) 247-4285

Sun-Fun Engine:

Kit Price: $4,800

Yamaha KT-100;

Empty Weight: 165 Wingspan: 36

ft,

Wing Loading:

6

15 hp

Gross Weight: 345 lbs Wing Area: 163 sq/ft

lbs;

in;

2.12 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 23 lbs/hp

Atlantis Aviation

4230 Hoff Road, Bellingham,

WA

98225 Phone: (206) 733-4986

Chicken

Hawk

Kit Price: $3,995

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp Empty Weight: 252 lbs; Gross Weight: 512 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 139 sq/ft

Wing Loading: The Airplane

3.68 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.47 lbs/hp

Factory

7111 Brandtvista Ave., Dayton, OH 45424 Phone: (513) 233-7754

Fokker Eindecker Ultralight

Kit Price: $5,500

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 33 hp Empty Weight: 252 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs Wingspan: 36 ft; Wing Area: 138 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.7 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.45 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 30 hrs

Aviation Marketing International

1870 Wildcat Drive, Porterville,

CA

93257

Phone: (209) 781-2475

Mitchell Wing A-IO Silver Eagle Ready to Engine: Zenoah 242; 23 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 535 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 136 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.93 lbs

Fly: $6,005

Power Loading: 18.8 lbs/hp $1,995; Ready to Fly: $6,995

sq/ft;

Mitchell Wing B-IO Kit: Engine: Zenoah 242; 23 hp

129

Empty Weight: 180 lbs; Gross Weight: 525 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 136 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.86 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 22.83

lbs/hp

Estimated Building Time: 500 hrs

B&B

Aircraft

2201 E. Second St., Newberg, OR 97123 Phone: (503) 538-8855

Sand Piper 83B

Kit Price: $5,495;

Ready

to Fly:

$6,495

Engine: Rotax 377; 38 hp Empty Weight: 243 lbs; Gross Weight: 625 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 150 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.91 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.45 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 65 hrs

B&G 115

Aircraft

S.

Prospect

St.,

OH

44632 Phone: (216) 877-9909 Sparrow G Ready to Fly: $9,500 Engine: Choice; 34 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 136 sq/ft Hartville,

Wing Loading:

3.68 lbs

sq/ft;

lbs

Power Loading: 14.7 lbs/hp

Birdman Enterprises 7939 Argyll Road, Edmonton, Alberta T6C 4A9 Canada Phone: (403) 466-5360

Chinook

Kit Price: $4,240 (Fig. 8-2)

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp Empty Weight: 225 lbs; Gross Weight: 590 lbs Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 138 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.27 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 21.07 lbs/hp

Cascade Ultralites 1490 19th Ave., NW,

WA

98109 Phone: (206) 392-0388 Issaquah,

130

The Canadian designed Chinook, with a 28-hp Rotax, cruises at 50 mph. Kit is priced at $4,240. Winner of the Reserve Grand Champion Award at Oshkosh in 1983. (Courtesy Don Downie) Fig. 8-2.

Kasperwing 180-B

Kit Price: $4,450;

Ready

to Fly:

$5,250

Engine: Zenoah 242; 23 hp Empty Weight: 160 lbs; Gross Weight: 395 lbs Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 180 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.36 lbs

Kasperwing 180-BX

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 17.17 lbs/hp

Kit Price: $5,665 (Fig. 8-3)

Engine: Zenoah 242; 23 hp Empty Weight: 220 lbs; Gross Weight: 470 lbs Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 180 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.61 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 20.43 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Fig. 8-3.

John

Fetter,

Chula

stick landing contest.

(Courtesy

Vista, CA, bounces his Kasperwing during a deadThe Kasperwing is billed as the STOL of the ultralights.

Don Downie)

131

CGS

Aviation

1305 Lloyd Road,

OH

44092 Phone: (216) 943-3064 Wickliffe,

CGS Hawk-B

Kit Price: $6,195 (Fig. 8-4)

UL

Engine: Cuyuna

Empty Weight: 251 Wingspan: 28

ft,

Wing Loading:

11-02; lbs;

10

in;

30 hp

Gross Weight: 530 lbs Wing Area: 135 sq/ft

4.81 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 18.57 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs

Cloud Dancer Aeroplane Works P.O.

Box 14202,

Columbus, OH 43214 Phone: (614) 548-5456

Jenny

Kit Price: $6,500 (Fig. 8-5)

UL

Engine: Cuyuna

Empty Weight: 253 Wingspan: 28

ft,

Wing Loading:

4

11-12;

35 hp

Gross Weight: 499 lbs Wing Area: 186 sq/ft

lbs; in;

2.7 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 12.7 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs

Condor Aircraft 10772 SW 190th St., Miami, FL 33157 Phone: (305) 238-3920

Fig. 8-4. Aviation writer

Hawk

132

cruises at 55

Don Downie

mph on

2

1/2

taxis out for takeoff in a

gph.

CGS Hawk

The

Rear cockpit 45 mph. (Courtesy Don Downie) Fig. 8-5.

Condor

“replica” Jenny.

is

not for real. Cruising

speed

is

III Kit Price: $6,595

Engine: Kawasaki 436; 40/50/75 hp

Empty Weight: 252 lbs; Gross Weight: 627 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 168 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.24 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15.67

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 20 hrs Delta Technology

12953 E. Garvey Blvd., Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Phone: (213) 814-1467

Nomad

II Kit Price:

$5,380

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp

Empty Weight: 204 Wingspan: 36

ft,

Wing Loading:

lbs;

1 in;

3 lbs

Gross Weight: 442 lbs

Wing

sq/ft;

Area: 147.34 sq/ft

Power Loading: 15.8 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs

Honcho

II Kit Price:

$4,980

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp

Empty Weight: 196 Wingspan: 32

ft,

Wing Loading:

2

lbs; in;

Gross Weight: 420 lbs

Wing Area: 131.35

3.1 lbs sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 15 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs

Super Honcho

Kit Price: $5,980

Engine: Rotax 503; 50 hp Empty Weight: 238 lbs; Gross Weight: 525 lbs

Wingspan: 32

ft,

Wing Loading:

2

in;

4 lbs

Wing Area: 131.35

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 10.5 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs

133

DeltaDyne Manufacturing Star Route,

Box

104,

El Mirage Airport

Adelanto,

CA

92301 Phone: (619) 388-4273

Hovey Delta Bird Ready

to Fly:

$6,995 (biplane)

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 35 hp Empty Weight: 230 lbs; Gross Weight: 450 lbs Wingspan: 24/20 ft, 2 in; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.81 lbs sq/ft;

Hovey Delta Hawk Ready

Power Loading: 12.86 lbs/hp to Fly:

$9,250 (biplane)

(Fig. 8-6)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp Empty Weight: 248 lbs; Gross Weight: 450 lbs Wingspan: 24/20 ft, 2 in; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.81 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 11.8 lbs/hp

Eastern Ultralights P.O.

Box 424,

Chatsworth,

NJ 08019

Phone: (609) 726-1193

Snoop

Kit Price: $4,790

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 35 hp Empty Weight: 238 lbs; Gross Weight: 518 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 165 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.52 lbs sq/ft; Power Landing: 14.8 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 30 hrs

134

Eipper Aircraft

26531 Ynez Road Temecula, CA 92390 Phone: (714) 676-3228

MX

Quicksilver

Kit Price: $4,950

Engine: Rotax 377; 33 hp Empty Weight: 239 lbs; Gross Weight: 525 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.28 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.6 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

MXL

Quicksilver

Kit Price: $5,695

Engine: Rotax 377; 33 hp Empty Weight: 252 lbs; Gross Weight: 550 lbs

Wingspan: 30

Wing Area: 150

ft;

Wing Loading:

3.67 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 16.42 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Evergreen Ultralite PO. Box 25528,

Lake

WA

98125 Phone: (206) 487-0230 City,

Shadow Recently introduced; similar to Quicksilver

MX;

no specifics

available at this writing.

Experimental Aeroplane Works PO. Box 457,

CA

94514 Phone: (209) 465-0945 Byron,

RK-1

Kit Price: $4,500

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp

Empty Weight: 240 Wingspan: 26

ft,

Wing Loading:

6

lbs; in;

Gross Weight: 475 lbs

Wing

Area: 151 sq/ft

3.1 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.3 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 175 hrs Fisher Flying Products

Route

2,

Box

282,

South Webster, OH 45682 Phone: (614) 778-3185

FP-lOl

Kit Price $3,490 (scaled-down

Cub

look-alike)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp

135

Empty Weight: 253

lbs;

Wingspan: 34

in;

10

ft,

Wing Loading:

Gross Weight: 500 lbs

Wing Area: 140

sq/ft

3.57 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 12.5 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 200 hrs

FP-202 Koala

Kit Price: $4,350

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 29 ft, 10 in; Wing Area: 120 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

4.17 lbs

Power Loading: 12.5 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 250 hrs sq/ft;

Wicks Aircraft Supply 410 Pine

St.,

Highland, IL 62249

Phone: (618) 654-7447

Goldwing Ready

to Fly:

$6,595 (canard)

(Fig. 8-7)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 37 hp Empty Weight: 240 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.64 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 13.78 lbs/hp

Greenwood Aircraft P.O. Box 401, Alexandria, MN 56308 Phone: (612) 762-2020

Witch Ready

to Fly:

$6,800

Engine: Zenoah; 20 hp

Empty Weight: 225 lbs; Gross Weight: 440 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 150 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.11 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 21.75

Fig. 8-7.

The Goldwing

to-coast. Cruising

tandem-wing

136

is

is

speed

lbs/hp

one of several ultralights that have been flown coastis 55 mph. Whether is it is a canard (tail-first) or a

arguable.

HighCraft Corporation

Box 899, Longwood, FL 32750 P.O.

Phone: (305) 831-6688

Buccaneer Ready

to Fly: $5,995;

Amphibian: $7,995

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp Empty Weight: 228 lbs; Gross Weight: 453 lbs Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 147 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.08 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.18 lbs/hp International Ultralight

2727

SW

Houston,

Freeway,

TX

77098 Phone: (203) 683-2760

Sidewinder

Kit Price: $6,395

Data limited; Kawasaki.

tri-gear; conventional controls; strut-braced;

37 hp

Kolb Company R.D.

3,

Box

38,

Phoenixville,

PA 19640

Phone: (215) 948-4136

Kolb Flyer Engine:

Kit Price: $2,995

Two Solo

210s; 26 hp total

Empty Weight: 185 lbs; Gross Weight: 420 lbs Wingspan: 29 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.62 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.15 Kolb Ultra-Star Kit Price: $3,590 Engine: Cuyuna

UL

Empty Weight: 252 Wingspan: 27

ft,

Wing Loading:

5

11-02;

lbs/hp

35 hp

Gross Weight: 515 lbs Wing Area: 145 sq/ft

lbs; in;

3.43 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.71 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 300 hrs

The P.O.

Little

Airplane

Company

Box 255843,

Sacramento,

CA

95865 Phone: (916) 424-2413 Pintail Kit Price: $6,500 Engine: Kawasaki 440; 36 hp Empty Weight: 245 lbs; Gross Weight: 645 Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 185 sq/ft

lbs

137

Wing Loading:

3.48 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 17.91 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 50 hrs

Maxair Sports 32 Water Street, Glen Rock, PA 17327 Phone: (717) 235-2107

Hummer

Kit Price: $4,800

Engine: Zenoah 250; 22 hp

Empty Weight: 185 lbs; Gross Weight: 440 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 128 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.44 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 20 Estimated Assembly Time: 85 hrs Maxair Drifter Kit Price: $5,800

(DRIFTER

lbs/hp

XP, $6,800)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp

Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 132 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.29 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.16

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 45 hrs

Maverick Manufacturing 12139 Glenwood Rd., SW,

WA

98366 Phone: (206) 876-9175 Port Orchard,

Maverick

Kit Price: $4,695

Engine: Rotax 277

;

28 hp

Empty Weight: 195 lbs; Gross Weight: 450 lbs Wingspan: 28 ft; Wing Area: 168 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.68 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.07

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 10 hrs

Meadowlark Ultralight PO. Box 1524

OR

97501 Phone: (503) 779-8284 Medford,

Meadowlark C Ready Engine: Cuyuna

UL

to Fly:

$6,575

35 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 550 Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 136 sq/ft

Wing Loading: 138

11-02;

4.04 lbs

sq/ft;

lbs

Power Loading: 15.71 lbs/hp

Midwest Microlites 1351 W. Second St.,

Oconomowoc

(honest!),

WI

53066

Phone: (414) 567-6663

Tomcat Tburer Engine: Cuyuna

Kit Price: $4,695;

UL

Ready

to Fly:

$5,845

35 hp Empty Weight: 235 lbs; Gross Weight: 595 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 175 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.4 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 17 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 100 hrs 11-02;

Mirage Aircraft 31 Pearson Way,

West

Springfield,

MA

01089

Phone: (413) 732-5067

Mirage

II Kit Price: $4,850

Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp, or Kawasaki 440; 37 hp Empty Weight: 220 lbs; Gross Weight: 470 lbs

Wingspan: 34

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area: 141

sq/ft

Power Loading: 16.78/12.7 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs 3.01 lbs sq/ft;

Northstar Ultralights

5221 W. Montebello, #15 Glendale, AZ 85301 Phone: (602) 931-9462

Northstar Viking

Kit Price: $5,395

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 38 hp Empty Weight: 244 lbs; Gross Weight: 502 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 170 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.95 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.21 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 80 hrs

Paup Aircraft Arthur Neu Airport,

A

51401 Phone: (712) 792-5816 P-Craft Kit Price: $3,600 Carroll,

I

Engine: Cuyuna 215; 20 hp Empty Weight: 165 lbs; Gross Weight: 396 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft, 5 in; Wing Area: 132 sq/ft

139

Wing Loading:

3 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 19.8 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs Pioneer International Aircraft PO. Box 631, Manchester,

CT

06040

Phone: (203) 644-1581

Flightstar Kit Price: $7,495 (Fig. 8-8) Engine: Kawasaki 440; 35 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 144 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.47 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.2 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Pterodactyl Ltd.

Box 191 Watsonville,

CA

95076

Phone: (408) 724-2233

Fledgling Kit Price: $4,547 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp

Empty Weight: 185 lbs; Gross Weight: 425 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 162 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.62 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.16

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 50 hrs

Ptraveler Kit Price: $4,926 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp

Fig. 8-8.

The

Flightstar fitted with optional cockpit enclosure

Don Downie)

140

and

floats.

(Courtesy

Empty Weight: 200 lbs; Gross Weight: 465 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 173 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.68 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading:

15.5 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 55 hrs

Ptiger Kit Price: $5,747 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp Empty Weight: 240 lbs; Gross Weight: 550 Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs Light Flyer Kit Price: $5,420 Engine: Cuyuna UL 202; 30 hp Empty Weight: 240 lbs; Gross Weight: 530 Wingspan: 26 ft; Wing Area: 174 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

Ascender

3.04 lbs

sq/ft;

lbs

lbs

Power Loading: 17.66 lbs/hp

II Kit Price $5,242

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp Empty Weight: 215 lbs; Gross Weight: 465 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 173 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.68 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.5 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 80 hrs Ascender II + Kit Price: $5,536 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp

Empty Weight: 235 lbs; Gross Weight: 535 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 173 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.03 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 17.83

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 80 hrs

Quad

City Ultralights

3610 Coaltown Road, Moline, IL 61265 Phone: (309) 764-3515

Challenger Kit Engine:

Price: $5,995

KFM

107ER; 25 hp Empty Weight: 235 lbs; Gross Weight: 530 Wingspan: 31 ft; Wing Area: 145 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

lbs

Power Loading: 21.2 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 80 hrs 3.65 lbs

sq/ft;

Rans 1104 Hays,

E Hi way 40

Bypass,

KS

67601 Phone: (913) 625-6348

Coyote

Kit Price: $6,500

141

Engine: Rotax 277; 27 hp Empty Weight: 229 lbs; Gross Weight: 520 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 130 sq/ft

Wing Loading: 4

lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 19.26 lbs/hp

Ranger Aviation 2103 Airport Dr. Suite

B

Bakersfield,

CA

93308

Phone: (805) 399-1987 Silver Cloud Ready to Fly: $10,000 Recently announced; molded composite construction, strut-braced; Rotax 277 of 28 hp; full-span flaps. Ritz Aircraft

Shipmans Creek Rd., Wartrace, TN 37183 Phone: (615) 857-3419

Ritz Standard Model A Kit Price: $2,495 Engine: Zenoah 242; 22 hp Empty Weight: 210 lbs; Gross Weight: 475 lbs Wingspan: 36 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

Power Loading: 21.59 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 200 hrs 3.39 lbs

sq/ft;

Roberts Sport Aircraft PO. Box 9217,

WA

Yakima,

98909 Phone: (509) 457-4377

Sceptre Twin-tailed airplane of composite construction that

may be

operated

under FAR Part 103 with a 22 hp Rotax. With the 48 hp Rotax and 120 kt max speed it becomes an ARV or homebuilt airplane.

Kit

price not firmed

up

at this writing.

Robertson Aircraft

Snohomish County Airport, Everett, WA 98204 Phone: (206) 355-8700

Bl-RD

Kit Price: $5,995

Engine: Cuyuna

UL

Empty Weight: 250 142

202; 35 hp lbs;

Gross Weight: 530 lbs

Fig. 8-9. Rally Sport is foreground,

Wingspan: 32

ft;

Wing Loading:

and Eagle XL. (Courtesy Don Downie)

Wing Area: 162

3.1 lbs sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 17.66 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 50 hrs Rotec Engineering P.O.

Box

220,

Duncanville,

TX

75116 Phone: (214) 298-2505 Rally Sport Kit Price: $5,600 (Fig. 8-9) Engine: Rotax 503; 48 hp Empty Weight: 242 lbs; Gross Weight: 470 Wingspan: 27 ft; Wing Area: 135 sq/ft

Wing Loading: Rally

2B

3.48 lbs

sq/ft;

lbs

Power Loading: 9.79 lbs/hp

Kit Price: $4,800

Engine: Rotax 377; 38 hp Empty Weight: 220 lbs; Gross Weight: 452 lbs Wingspan: 31 ft; Wing Area: 155 sq/ft

Wing Loading: 2.91 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: Assembly Time not announced St.

11.89 lbs/hp

Croix Ultralights

5957 Seville St., Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Phone: (503) 636-4153 Excelsior Kit Price: $5,800 Engine: Zenoah 242; 20 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 525 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 136 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.86 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 26.25 lbs/hp

143

Sorrell Aircraft

16525 Tilley Road, S., Tenino, WA 98589 Phone: (206) 264-2866 Hiperlight Kit Price: $6,500 (Fig. 8-10) Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp Empty Weight: 243 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 Wingspan: 22 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.57 lbs

sq/ft;

lbs

Power Loading: 17.86 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 150 hrs Sport Flight Engineering PO. Box 2164,

Grand Junction,

CO

81502 Phone: (303) 245-3899

Sky Pup

Kit Less Engine: $969 from

Wicks Aircraft Supply

(Fig.

8 11 ) -

Engine: Cuyuna 215; 20 hp ($850) Empty Weight: 195 lbs; Gross Weight: 400 lbs Wingspan: 31 ft; Wing Area: 130 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.08 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 20 lbs/hp Estimated Building Time: 600 hrs

SR-1 Enterprises

2323 Endicott,

MN

55114 Phone: (612) 646-3884 St. Paul,

Fig. 8-10.

imum

144

The

Sorrell Hiperlight

cruising

speed and a

is

a negative stagger bipe with a 60 mph max(Courtesy Don Downie)

10-to-1 glide ratio.

The Sky Pup may be

Fig. 8-11. at

55

mph on 20

built

from plans

for less

than $1,000; cruises

hp.

Hornet Ready

to Fly:

$6,450

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 35 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 800 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft, 3 in; Wing Area: 220 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.63 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 22.85 lbs/hp

Manufacturing Box 197

Starflight

Route

3,

Liberty,

MO

64068

Phone: (816)781-2250

TX-IOOO

Kit Price: $5,195

Engine: Rotax 377; 32 hp Empty Weight: 252 lbs; Gross Weight: 502 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft, 6 in; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.13 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.68 lbs/hp

Starfire Kit Price: $3,995 Engine: Cuyuna 215; 20 hp

Empty Weight: 175 lbs; Gross Weight: 475 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 165 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.88 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 23.75

lbs/hp

Iristar Kit Price: $4,750 Engine:

Cuyuna 430; 35 hp

Empty Weight: 225

lbs;

Gross Weight: 525 lbs

Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 165 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.18 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15 lbs/hp Estimated Building Times not provided by Starflight.

145

Sterner Aircraft P.O.

Box

811,

Sterling Heights,

MI 48078

Phone: (313) 268-1882

Sky Walker

Kit Price: $5,495

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp Empty Weight: 253 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

2.5 lbs sq/ft;

Power Loading: 14.28 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs Striplin Aircraft P.O.

Box 2001

CA

93439 Phone: (805) 945-2522 Lone Ranger Silver Cloud Kit Lancaster,

Price: $6,950;

Ready

to Fly:

$8,950 Engine: Zenoah or Rotax; 20 hp Empty Weight: 245 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 119.5 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.18 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 25 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 200 hrs

Squadron Aviation P.O.

Box 23276,

Columbus, OH 43223 Phone: (614) 871-9042

Spad

XIII,

Fokker D-VII, SE5a “replicas”

Kits or

to Fly

Engine: Cuyuna

UL

11-02;

35 hp

Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 24 ft; Wing Area: 176 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.84 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.29

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 160 hrs

Sun Aerospace P.O. Box 317, Nappanee, IN 46550 Phone: (219) 773-3220

Sun Ray

Kit, price n.a.;

new

design; amphibious airplane

Engine: Kawasaki 440-B; 30 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs

146

Ready

Wingspan: 32

ft;

Wing Area: 130

sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.92 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 17 lbs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 200 hrs

Teman Aircraft P.O. Box 1489, Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716 Phone: (213) 402-6059

Mono-Fly

Kit Price: $3,900;

Ready

to Fly:

$4,578 (Fig. 8-12) Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 550 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft, 9 in; Wing Area: 124 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.46 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 11.7 lbs/hp Teratorn Aircraft

1604 South Shore

Dr.,

Clear Lake, IA 50428

Phone: (515) 357-7160

Teratorn

TA

Kit Price: $4,595

Engine: Rotax 377; 34 hp Empty Weight: 230 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

TFM,

3.18 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15 lbs/hp

Inc.

705 E. Gardena Blvd., Gardena, CA 90248

Fig. 8-12.

Mono-Fly

is

a strut-braced, uncluttered design. (Courtesy

Don Downie)

147

Phone: (213) 532-2030

Pegasus

Ready to Fly: $4,695 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 35 hp II

Empty Weight: 203 Wingspan: 35

ft,

2

lbs; in;

Gross Weight: 503 lbs

Wing Area: 182

sq/ft

Wing Loading: 2.76 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.05 lbs/hp Pegasus Supra, priced at $4995 ready to fly, has same specs. Ultavia Aircraft

PO. Box 3316, Las Vegas, NV 87701

Phone: (505) 425-6054

Ultavia Kit Price: $4,595; Ready to Fly: $5,395 Engine: Cuyuna 430; 30 hp Empty Weight: 230 lbs; Gross Weight: 460 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 155 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.2 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15.33 lbs/hp

UFM

of

Kentucky

2700 Freys

Hill

Road,

KY

40222 Phone: (502) 245-0779 Louisville,

Aeroplane

XP

Kit Price: $4,500

Engine: Cuyuna 430; 34 hp

Empty Weight: 195 lbs; Gross Weight: 450 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 170 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.79 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.97

lbs/hp

Ultra Classics

PO. Box 8597,

LA

70448 Phone: (504) 626-5237 Bearcat Price n.a.; Ready to Fly; Corben Baby Ace look-alike Engine: Rotax 277 or Kawasaki 440; 30 hp or 40 hp, respectively Empty Weight: 247 lbs; Gross Weight: 500 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 152 sq/ft Mandeville,

Wing Loading:

3.29 lbs

Ultravia Aero

795 LAssumption, Repentigny, Quebec,

Canada J6R 5H5

148

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 16.66 lbs/hp w/Rotax

mm

The twin-engine (Courtesy Don Downie) Fig. 8-13.

Lazair, with

a

total of

20

hp, cruises at

50 mph.

Phone: (514) 585-6132

Super Pelican New; no

price

announced

A

250-lb airplane, reminiscent of a strut-braced Aeronca C-3 but meets the legal description of an ultralight under Part 103. Engine is a 35-hp two-cylinder, four-cycle developed by Global Machine Tool

Corporation of Hendersonville, North Carolina. Ultraflight Sales

PO. Box 370, Port Colbourne, Ontario,

Canada L3K 1B7 Phone: (416) 735-8352

Lazair

Kit Price: $5,400 (Fig. 8-13)

Engine: two Rotax 185s; 19.5 hp total Empty Weight: 210 lbs; Gross Weight: 530 lbs Wingspan: 36 ft, 4 in; Wing Area: 142 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

Power Loading: 27.18 Ibs/hp Estimated Assembly Time: 25 hrs 3.73 lbs

sq/ft;

Ultralight Flight

480 Hayden Station Rd., Windsor, CT 06095 Phone: (203) 683-2760

Phantom

Kit Price: $5,995 (Fig. 8-14)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 40 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 510 lbs

149

Wingspan: 28

ft,

Wing Loading:

6

in;

Wing Area: 142

3.59 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 13.78 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 70 hrs Ultralight Soaring

3411

NE

6th Terrace,

Pompano Beach, FL 33064 Phone: (305) 785-7853 Wizard J-2 Kit Price: $3,895 Engine: Rotax 277; 28 hp

Empty Weight: 175 Wingspan: 32

ft,

Wing Loading:

Wizard J-3

4

lbs; in;

Gross Weight: 450 lbs

Wing Area:

161.5 sq/ft

2.77 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.07 lbs/hp

Kit Price: $4,720

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 36 hp Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 550 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft, 4 in; Wing Area: 161.5 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.39 lbs

Weedhopper

Utah

of

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.27 lbs/hp

1148 Century Drive, Box 2253 Ogden, UT 84404 Phone: (801) 621-3941 Did not respond to our query; said

to

be under new management.

Wicks Aircraft Supply 410 Pine Street, Highland, IL 62249

Fig. 8-14.

the wing.

150

The Phantom

is

another wire-braced tractor design with the

pilot

under

Phone: (618) 654-7447 Provides kits, without engines,

Boomerang Woodhopper

for the following:

$1,422

$1,082

Barnstormer Goldwing

Mohawk

$1,787

Mitchell B-IO

$785

Sky Pup

$919

$1,268

$2,042

Worldwide Ultralite 27711 Interstate 10, Katy, TX 77450 Phone: (713) 392-7000

Sky Raider

Kit Price: $4,995

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 40 hp Empty Weight: 253 lbs; Gross Weight: 563 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.52 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 14.07 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Sky Raider S/S

Kit Price: $6,095 (Fig. 8-15)

Engine: Kawasaki 440; 40 hp Empty Weight: 253 lbs; Gross Weight: 678 lbs

Wingspan: 32

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area: 160

4.24 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 16.95 lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 40 hrs

Fig. 8-15.

The Sadler Vampire, a Grand Champion winner at Oshkosh, has an and 63 mph max cruise. Pilot flies in semi-reclined (Courtesy Don Downie)

all-metal cantilever wing, position.

151

Fig. 8-16.

The

more costly than most. Cruise Don Downie)

Spitfire kit at $7,595 is

with a 40-hp Kawasaki. (Courtesy

is

60

mph

Spitfire Kit Price: $7,595 (Fig. 8-16) Engine: Kawasaki 440; 40 hp

Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 580 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 152 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.81 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.5

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 45 hrs

Wren 6315

Aviation S.

Wichita,

Wren

Hydraulic,

KS

67216

Kit Price: $4,700;

Ready Engine: Kawasaki 440; 40 hp

to Fly: $6,500; airplane-type

Empty Weight: 220 lbs; Gross Weight: 450 lbs Wingspan: 36 ft; Wing Area: 145 sq/ft Wing Loading: 2.7 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 11.25

lbs/hp

Estimated Assembly Time: 200 hrs

Zenair Ltd.

Zenair Seattle

236 Richmond St

606

Richmond

Federal Way,

Ont.

Hill,

L4C 3Y8

SW

302nd,

WA

98003

Zenair Atlanta

Rt

12,

Box

Gainsville,

30501

Canada

Zipper Ready Engine:

PUL

to Fly:

$6,300

(Fig. 8-17)

425; 22 hp

Empty Weight: 180 lbs; Gross Weight: 420 Wingspan: 28 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 152

19.09 lbs/hp

720,

GA

Fig. 8-17. The Zenair Zipper is offered ready to fly for $6,300; has a five-minute setup time due to folding wing feature. The Zipper cruises at 40 mph with 22 hp.

Two-Seaters According

to

Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103 there

such thing as a two-place ultralight of ultralights

is

aircraft.

The

is

no

official definition

“single-place recreational vehicles.”

There are

which may be used for trainPart 103, and these craft may not ex-

ultralight-f^c aircraft with two seats

ing under an exemption to

ceed 350 pounds empty. Instruction

in

these two-seaters

may be

given by current Certified Flight Instructors (CFI) designated by either the Experimental Aircraft Association, or the Aircraft

Owners

&

EAA

Pilots Association’ Flight Safety Foundation, after the

or

AOPA has satisfied itself that the CFI is also a qualified ultralight pilot (Fig. 8-18). According to my ultralight instructor, AF Capt. the

Phillip Martin, the

than those of the

Fig. 8-18.

AOPA’s standards

EAA. The

for

such approval are

stiffer

rule covering instruction in two-place

The two-place Eagle owned by

Larry

Newman.

153

ultralights

3783”

to

This

was issued by the

FAR

will not

be a complete

leased. This it

the minimum-cost sport flying designs (and copies of successful

list;

new almost monthly. Some

existing ones)

may no

on 9 July 1983 as “Exemption

Part 103.

movement continues here

FAA

to attract

of the manufacturers listed

longer be in business by the time this book

is re-

a young industry, moving ahead rapidly, and although has inevitably attracted some dreamers and fast-buck is

types

(in

a replay of civil aviation’s adolescence during the ’20s), there are plenty of sincere, dedicated, and very able people in this industry responsibly responding to this exciting challenge.

Bl-RD Instructor Wire-braced; tractor propeller; taildragger with steerable Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 295 lbs; Gross Weight: 707 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 162 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.36 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15.71

tail

wheel

lbs/hp

Price: $6,796

Manufacturer: Robertson Aircraft

Snohomish County Airport Everett, WA 98204 Phone: (206) 355-8702

Challenger

II

Strut-braced; pusher propeller; tri-gear with steerable nose wheel; tandem seating with dual controls.

Engine: Rotax 447; 40 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 290 lbs; Gross Weight: 790 lbs Wingspan: 31 ft 6 in; Wing Area: 173 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.57 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 19.75

lbs/hp

Price: $7,195

Manufacturer: Quad City Ultralight Aircraft 3610 Coaltown Road, Moline, IL 61265 Phone: (309) 764-3515

Chinook 2S Strut-braced; pusher propeller; taildragger with steerable tandem seating with dual controls.

Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 325 lbs; Gross Weight:

735

154

lbs

tail

wheel-

Fig. 8-19. The Condor trainer is a Quicksilver look-alike, but has dual controls and a 50-hp Kawasaki engine. (Courtesy Don Downie)

Wingspan: 37

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area: 148

4.96 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 15.31 lbs/hp

Price: $7,195

Manufacturer: Birdman Enterprises

7939 Argyll Road, Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6C 4A9 Phone: (403) 466-5370

Condor

III

+2

(Fig. 8-19)

pusher

Wire-braced;

propeller;

tricycle

nosewheel; side-by-side seating (Fig.

gear,

non-steerable

8-19).

Engine: Kawasaki; 50 hp Empty Weight: 286 lbs; Gross Weight: 654 lbs

Wingspan: 32

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing Area: 168

sq/ft

3.89 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.08 lbs/hp

Price: $7,195

Manufacturer: Condor Aircraft

14236 SW 139th St., Miami, FL 33157 Phone: (305) 238-3920

Cosmos A tricycle-geared

power unit attached

piggy-back and

craft

is

controlled

to a

hang

glider; seating

is

by weight-shift; steerable

nosewheel.

155

Engine: Fuji-Robin 440; 50 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 300 lbs; Gross Weight: 730 lbs Wingspan: 34 ft; Wing Area: 210 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

3.48 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 14.6 lbs/hp

Price: $7,708

Manufacturer: Skyline Enterprises PO. Box 4384, Salinas,

CA

93912

Phone: (408) 422-2781

Drifter

XP

Wire-braced, pusher propeller; dual controls; tandem seating; traildragger with steerable tailwheel. Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 345 lbs; Gross Weight: 790 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 152 sq/ft Wing Loading: 5.2 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.46

lbs/hp

Price: $6,995

Manufacturer: Maxair Sports 32 Water Street,

Glen Rock, PA 17327 Phone: (717) 235-2107

Dualstar Strut-braced;

tractor

propeller;

gear with steerable nosewheel; side-by-side seating; center-mount stick control with dual tricycle

rudder pedals. Engine: Kawasaki 440-V or Rotax 447; 58 or 40 hp respectively; belt drive

Empty Weight: 325 Wingspan: 30

ft,

Wing Loading: Price:

2

Gross Weight: 760 lbs Wing Area: 144 sq/ft

lbs; in;

5.28 lbs sq/ft;

NA

Power Loading: 13.10 lbs/hp

Manufacturer: Pioneer International Aircraft Pioneer Industrial Park PO. Box 631, Manchester, CT 06040 Phone: (203) 644-1581

Hawk

II

Strut-braced;

pusher

propeller;

tricycle

gear with steerable nosewheel; tandem seating with dual controls; enclosed cabin.

156

Engine: Rotax 447; 40 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 330 Wingspan: 28

ft,

Wing Loading:

lbs;

10

Gross Weight: 760 lbs

Wing

in;

Area: 135 sq/ft

5.63 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 19 lbs/hp

Price: $7,995

CGS

Manufacturer:

Aviation

1305 Lloyd Road, Wickliffe, OH 44092 Phone: (216) 943-3064

King Cobra Wire-braced; pusher propeller; tricycle landing gear with steerable

nosewheel; side-by-side seating with dual controls. Engine: Cuyuna 430; 43 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 325 Wingspan: 35

ft,

Wing Loading:

3

lbs; in;

Gross Weight: 775 lbs

Wing Area: 162

4.78 lbs

sq/ft;

sq/ft

Power Loading: 18.02 lbs/hp

Price: $6,666

Manufacturer: Advanced Aviation P.O.

Box 16716,

Orlando,

FL 32861

Phone: (305) 298-2920

Lazair

II

Strut-braced; inverted V-tail; taildragger; side-by-side seating with

dual controls; twin-engine.

Engine: two

JPX PUL

425s; 45 hp

total, direct

drive

Empty Weight: 287 lbs; Gross Weight: 725 lbs Wingspan: 38 ft; Wing Area: 151 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.8 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.11 Price:

lbs/hp

NA

Manufacturer: Ultraflight Sales P.O.

Box 15458

Rio Rancho,

NM

87174

Phone: (505) 892-2242

MX

(Quicksilver) Wire-braced; pusher propeller; II

tricycle

gear,

non-steerable

nosewheel; side-by-side seating. Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 315 lbs; Gross Weight: 700 Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft

lbs

157

Wing Loading:

Power Loading: 15.22 lbs/hp

4.38 lbs sq/ft;

Price: $6,495

Manufacturer: Eipper Aircraft

2653 1-G Ynez Road, Temecula, CA 92390 Phone: (714) 676-3228

Nova 2000 (Weedhopper) Strut-braced; tractor propeller; tricycle landing gear with steerable nosewheel; side-by-side seating with center-mounted control stick

and dual rudder pedals. Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 320 lbs; Gross Weight: 660 lbs Wingspan: 28 ft; Wing Area: 168 sq/ft Wing Loading: 3.93 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.75 lbs/hp Price: $5,995

Manufacturer: Nova-Air

PO. Box 2253, Ogden, UT 84404

Phone: (801) 621-3941

Pterodactyl Ascender

II +2

You are supposed to accent the “asc” in ascender because the “tail is in front on this machine, and then you may feel a little wicked in mixed company. This is another “trike,” a three-wheeled power unit to which is attached a rigid-wing hang glider; ’

wire-braced*

pusher propeller; side-by-side seating. Engine. Cuyuna 430; 30 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 250 lbs; Gross Weight: 700 lbs Wingspan: 33 ft; Wing Area: 173 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.05 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading:

23.33 lbs/hp

Price: $5,878

Manufacturer: Freedom Fliers

2802 Singleton, Rowlette,

St.,

TX

75088 Phone: (214) 475-8870

Rally 3

(Fig. 8-20)

Wire-braced; pusher propeller; taildragger. Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp belt drive

Empty Weight: 285 lbs; Gross Weight: 750 Wingspan: 38 ft; Wing Area: 190 sq/ft 158

lbs

Fig. 8-20.

pod

is

The

Rally 3 trainer retains Rotec’s overhead control stick. Fiberglass

optional equipment.

Wing Loading:

3.95 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15.63 lbs/hp

Price: $6,000

Manufacturer: Rotec Engineering

PO. Box 220,

TX

75116 Phone: (214) 298-2505 Duncanville,

RX-550 TWo Strut-braced;

conventional controls;

pusher propeller; tandem

seating; castering nosewheel.

Engine: Rotax 447; 45 hp with belt drive

Empty Weight: 342 lbs; Gross Weight: 764 lbs Wingspan: 35 ft; Wing Area: 170 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.49 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 16.98

lbs/hp

Price: $7,250

Manufacturer: Spectrum Aircraft

A3 9531-192 Street, Surrey, B.C.

Canada

V3T 4W2

Phone: (604) 888-2055

Shadow

II

Wire-braced; pusher propeller; non-steerable nosewheel; dual center-

mounted

control sticks.

Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 310 lbs; Gross Weight: 750 lbs

Wingspan: 32

ft;

Wing Loading:

Wing

4.68 lbs

Area: 160 sq/ft sq/ft;

Power Loading: 16.3 lbs/hp

Price: $6,000

159

Manufacturer: EverGreen UltraLites

14215

NE

193rd Place,

Woodinville,

WA

98072 Phone: (206) 487-0230

Skyraider SST Wire-braced; pusher propeller; side-by-side seating; non-steerable nosewheel.

Engine: Rotax 503; 53 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 300 lbs; Gross Weight: 720 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.5 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.58 lbs/hp Price: $7,195

Manufacturer: Worldwide Ultralite Industries

27711 Interstate 10, Katy, TX 77450 Phone: (713) 392-7000 Spitfire II Strut-braced; tractor propeller; steerable nosewheel.

Engine: Rotax 503; 53 hp with belt drive Empty Weight: 320 lbs; Gross Weight: 720 lbs Wingspan: 30 ft; Wing Area: 154 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.68 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 13.58 lbs/hp Price: $8,995

Manufacturer: Worldwide Ultralite Industries

27711 Interstate 10, Katy, TX 77450 Phone: (713) 392-7000

Super Koala Piper J-3

Cub

look-alike; strut-braced; tractor propeller; steerable

tailwheel.

Engine: Rotax 447; 48 hp with gear drive Empty Weight: 335 lbs; Gross Weight: 720 lbs Wingspan: 31 ft; Wing Area: 140 sq/ft

Wing Loading:

5.14 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 15 lbs/hp Price: $5,798 (airframe kit: $3,998)

Manufacturer: Fisher Flying Products Route 2, Box 282,

South Webster, OH 45682 Phone: (614) 778-3185

160

TU-10 Cantilever wing;

wingtip rudders; pusher propeller; sideby-side seating; steerable nosewheel. Engine: Rotax 447; 42 hp with belt drive tailless;

Empty Weight: 350 Wingspan: 37

ft,

Wing Loading:

4

Gross Weight: 750 lbs

lbs;

Wing

in;

Area: 170 sq/ft

4.40 lbs

sq/ft;

Manufacturer: Mitchell

Wing

Power Loading: 17.86 lbs/hp

Price: $10,500

11616 W. 59th St., S., Sand Springs, OK 74063 Phone: (918) 245-2571

Wind Rider Wire-braced; pusher propeller; non-steerable nosewheel; side-byside seating.

@

Engine: Kawasaki 440-V

58 hp, or Rotax 503 Empty Weight: 300 lbs; Gross Weight: 700 lbs Wingspan: 39 ft; Wing Area: 195 sq/ft

@

47 hp

.

Wing Loading:

3.59 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 12.06 lbs/hp

Price: $6,495

Manufacturer: AeroTech Dynamics

Route

1,

Lawtey,

Box

125,

FL 32058

Phone: (904) 964-6741

XC2000 Wire-braced; pusher propeller; steerable nosewheel; tandem seating.

Engine: Rotax 447; 40 hp with gear drive

Empty Weight: 295 lbs; Gross Weight: 750 lbs Wingspan: 32 ft; Wing Area: 160 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.7 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 18.75

lbs/hp

Price: $6,250

Manufacturer: Starflight Aircraft

Route

3,

Liberty,

Box

MO

197,

64066

Phone: (816) 781-2250

Wizard T-38 Wire-braced;

(Fig. 8-21)

pusher propeller; side-by-side seating; castering

nosewheel. Engine: Rotax 503; 47 hp with belt drive

161

Fig. 8-21.

The Wizard

T-38.

Empty Weight: 347 lbs; Gross Weight: 800 lbs Wingspan: 38 ft; Wing Area: 191 sq/ft Wing Loading: 4.19 lbs sq/ft; Power Loading: 17.02

lbs/hp

Price: $6,320

Manufacturer: Ultralite Soaring

2300

Stirling Road,

Fort Lauderdale,

FL 33312

Phone: (305) 962-8800

Zipper

II

Wire-braced; twin-engine; tractor propellers; side-by-side seating; steerable nosewheel.

Engine:

Two JPX PUL

Empty Weight: 270 Wingspan: 29

Wing Loading:

ft,

6

425; 44 hp

total, direct

Gross Weight: 700 lbs Wing Area: 148 sq/ft

lbs; in;

4,74 lbs

sq/ft;

Power Loading: 15.9 lbs/hp

Price: $6,700

Manufacturer: Zenair

25 King Road, Nobleton, Ontario,

Canada

LOG INO

Phone: (416) 859-4556

162

drive

Appendix A Federal Aviation Regulations: Part 103 Subpart

— Ultralight Vehicles

A— General

Sec.

103.1

Applicability.

103.3

Inspection requirements.

103.5

Waivers.

103.7

Certification

Subpart

and

registration.

B— Operating

Rules

103.9

Hazardous operations.

103.11

Daylight operations.

103.13

Operation near

103.15

Operations over congested areas.

103.17

Operations

103.19

Operations in prohibited or restricted areas.

103.21

Visual reference to the surface.

103.23

Flight visibility and cloud clearance requirements.

aircraft; right-of-way rules.

in certain airspace.

Authority: Secs 307, 313(a), 601(a), 602, and 603. Federal Aviation act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1348, 1354(a), 1421(a), 1422, sec. 8(c),

Department

of Transportation

and 1423);

Act (49 U.S.C. 1655(c)).

Subpart A-General

103.1 Applicability This part prescribes rules governing the operation of ultralight

163

vehicles in the United States. For the purposes of this part, an ultralight vehicle is a vehicle that:

used or intended

(a) Is

by a single occupant; (b) Is used or intended

air

to

to

be used for manned operation

in the

be used for recreation or sport pur-

poses only; (c)

Does not need any U.S. or foreign airworthiness

certificate;

and unpowered, weighs powered:

(d) If (e) If

Weighs

less than

155 pounds; or

than 254 pounds empty weight, excluding floats and safety devices which are intended for deployment in a poten(1)

catastrophic situation;

tially

(2)

Has

(3) Is full

less

not capable of

power (4)

a fuel capacity not exceeding 5 U.S. gallons;

more than 55 knots

calibrated airspeed at

and Has a power-off stall speed which does not exceed 24 knots in level flight;

calibrated airspeed.

103.3 Inspection requirements (a) Any person operating an ultralight shall,

vehicle under this part

upon request, allow the Administrator, or

his designee, to in-

spect the vehicle to determine the applicability of this part. (b) The pilot or operator of an ultralight vehicle must, upon request of the Administrator, furnish satisfactory evidence that the vehicle

is

subject only to the provisions of this part.

103.5 Waivers No person may conduct

operations that require a deviation from this part except under a written waiver issued by the Administrator.

103.7 Certification and registration Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to certification of aircraft or their parts or equipment, ultralight vehicles and their component parts and equipment are not required to meet the (a)

airworthiness certification standards specified for aircraft or to have certificates of airworthiness. (b)

Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to airman cer-

operators of ultralight vehicles are not required to meet any aeronautical knowledge, age, or experience requirements to tification,

operate those vehicles or to have airman or medical certificates. (c) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to registration

and marking

of aircraft, ultralight vehicles are not required to registered or to bear markings of any type.

164

be

Subpart B-Operating Rules

103.9 Hazardous Operations (a) No person may operate any

ultralight vehicle in a

manner

that creates a hazard to other persons or property (b)

No

may

person

ultralight vehicle

if

allow an object to be dropped from an such action creates a hazard to other persons

or property.

103.11 Daylight Operations (a) No person may operate an ultralight

vehicle except

between

the hours of sunrise and sunset.

Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, ultralight vehicles may be operated during the twilight periods 30 minutes (b)

before official sunrise and 30 minutes after official sunset or, in Alaska, during the period of civil twilight as defined in the Air Al-

manac

if:

The

equipped with an operating anticollision visible for at least 3 statute miles; and (1)

(2) All

vehicle

is

light

operations are conducted in uncontrolled airspace.

103.13 Operation near (a)

aircraft; right-of-way rules Each person operating an ultralight vehicle shall maintain

vigilance so as to see and avoid aircraft and shall yield the right-of-

way

to all aircraft. (b)

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle in a manner that

creates a collision hazard with respect to any aircraft. (c)

Powered

ultralights shall yield the right-of-way to

unpowered

ultralights.

103.15 Operations over congested areas No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congested area of a

city,

town, or settlement; or over any open air assembly

of persons.

103.17 Operations in certain airspace No person may operate an ultralight vehicle traffic area, control zone,

within an airport

terminal control area, or positive control

area unless that person has prior authorization from the air traffic control facility having jurisdiction over that airspace.

103.19 Operations in prohibited or restricted airspace No person may operate an ultralight vehicle in prohibited or restricted areas unless that person has permission

from the using

or controlling agency, as appropriate.

103.21 Visual reference with the surface No person may operate an ultralight vehicle except by

visual

165

reference with the surface.

and cloud clearance

103.23 Flight

visibility

quirements No person may

operate an ultralight vehicle

visibility or distance

from clouds

is less

than that

when

re-

the flight

in the following

table, as appropriate.

Minimum Flight Altitudes

1,200

ft

or less

Minimum Distance From Clouds

Flight

Visibility

above

the surface regardless of

MSL

(1)

Within controlled

altitude

500

3 statute miles

airspace

ft

below; 1,000

above; 2,000

ft

ft

horizontal

(2)

Outside controlled

airspace

1

clear of clouds

statute mile

More than 1,200 ft above the surface but less than 10,000

ft

MSL (1)

Within controlled

500

3 statute miles

airspace

ft

ft

below; 1,000

above; 2,000

ft

horizontal

(2)

Outside controlled

airspace

1

500

statute mile

ft

ft

below; 1,000

above; 2,000

ft

horizontal

More than 1,200 ft above the surface and at or above 10,000

ft

MSL

5 statute miles

1,000 ft

ft

above,

below; 1,000 1

statute

mile horizontal.

9 July 1983 the FAA issued Exemption 3783 to FAR Part 103 providing for instruction in two-place ultralights. Such instruc-

On

may be

given only by a person authorized by the Ultralight Division of either the AOPA Air Safety Foundation or the Experimental tion

Aircraft Association, in vehicles weighing no

more than 350

with a power-off stall speed no higher than 29 tions of Part 103 are exempted.

ty,

Anyone operating a two-place an authorization as provided

kts.

lbs

emp-

No other limita-

under Part 103 without exemption faces fines of up to

trainer

in this

$1,000 for each section of the regulation violated per flight. A powered two-placed trainer operated under the exemption must be placarded, “To Be Used For Instruction Only,” and one of the two occupants must be a person authorized by

166

ASF or EAA to provide

flight training

under

exemption. This person will be a certified flight instructor or a person recognized as an ultralight instructor. All flights

this

must be limited

to flight training.

Some

solo ferry

by the person holding an authorization are permitted. A student must be informed that his flight is being conducted under an exemption, and that the vehicle does not meet FAA aircraft cerflights

tification standards.

Each person allowed to give instruction under the exemption must be issued a numbered, individual authorization and a copy of the exemption, with which he or she must be familiar and which must be presented to appropriate representatives of the FAA upon request.

Individuals wishing to give or take instruction under this exemption should write to the following for more details:

AOPA

Air Safety Foundation

Ultralight Division

421 Aviation Way, Frederick, 21701

MD

EAA

Ultralight Association

Wittman

Field,

Oshkosh,

WI

54903

167

Appendix B Ultralight

Suppliers AMI

engines

AeroMotion,

Engine

And Accessories

(four-stroke)

Cuyuna engines Blue Sky Supply Co.,

Inc.

1224 W. Southpark Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901 (414) 233-0773

(305) 568-5136

Apollo Pong Dragon

Cuyuna engines

(four-

P.O.

Box

375,

Christmas,

FL 32709

stroke)

Ultralight Aviation

Apollo Research, Inc.

P.O.

1724 202nd PL S.W., Lynnwood, WA 98036

Escondido,

Box 27434,

CA

92027

(619) 741-3100

Catic engines (flat four) Seaborne Trading Co., 21 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94111

Kalamazoo Action Products P.O. box 8093, Grand Rapids, MI 49508

(415) 362-2900

(616) 452-9691

Cuyuna engines

Cuyuna parts

Cuyuna Engine P.O. Box 116,

HiPerformance Engineering

MN

Co.,

56441 (218) 546-8313 Crosby,

168

Cuyuna engines

P.O.

Box

482,

Thief River

Falls,

(218) 681-2390

MN

56701

Cuyuna parts

Global engines

Power Systems

California

790 139th Ave., #4

San Leandro,

CA

Ultravia Aero, Inc.

609

94578

(415) 357-2403

(four-cycle)

Iberville,

Repentigny, Quebec

J6A 6Y7 Canada (514) 585-6132

Cuyuna engines

&

parts

Light Flight Accessories, Ltd.

26 Maple Ave., Holcomb, NY 14469 (716) 657-6911

Hirth engine

(four-cycle)

Afortec P.O.

Box

942,

Thunderbay, Ontario

Dawn Dawn

Star

SP440

(Rotary)

P7C 4X8 Canada

Star Technologies Corp.

148 N.E. 28th St., Miami, FL 33137

JPX PUL 425

engine

Zenair, Ltd.

(305) 573-0897

25 King Rd.,

Duncan (Comanche

Nobelton, Ontario rotary)

LOG 1N0 Canada

Duncan Aviation Engines Comanche, OK 73529

Kawasaki engines

(405) 439-2473

Certified Parts Corp.

Dragon engines

1111 W. Racine (four-cycle)

First Class Aircraft, Inc.

Box 2677, Redmond, WA 98052 P.O.

(206) 882-2952

P.O.

Wing

Kites

&

Gliders

Box 483,

Van Nuys,

CA

WI

53545

(608) 752-9441

Kawasaki engines

FUJI Robin engine Delta

Janesville,

St.,

Certified Parts Corp.

150 Bannister Rd., Winnipeg, Manitoba

R2R

91408

053 Canada (204) 633-2330

(213) 787-6600

Global engines (four-cycle) Global Machine tool Corp. 140 Ashwood Rd., Hendersonville, (704) 692-2744

NC

28739

Kawasaki engines Advanced Engine Design, P.O. Box 589, Flint, MI 48501

Inc.

(313) 742-0602

169

KFM

Kawasaki engines Power Systems

California

790 139th Ave., #4

San Leandro,

CA

engines

Southeast

XCT

3320 S.M.U.

94578

Orlando,

Ct.,

FL 32817

(415) 357-2403

(305) 677-6675

Kirk X-4 engine

KFM

Kirk Engines

Task Research 848 E. Santa Maria, Santa Paula, CA 93060 (805) 525-4445

Box 864, Waukegan, IL 60085 P.O.

Lazair engines Skip Heimbecker 1204 Bridge Charlevoix,

(various)

KFM

St.,

474 Montauk Highway, Lindenhurst, NY 11757 (516) 226-3406

Brute engine

Avilight

Research Unlimited

Corp.

11660 Sheldon

Sun

Valley,

CA

St.,

engines

Ultralight Aviation

MI 49720

(616) 547-6992

Li’l

engines

Unit

D

91352

(213) 768-0750

KFM

engines

&

parts

Wicks Aircraft Supply 410 Pine, Highland, IL 62249 (618) 654-7447

KFM

engines

Komet

Flight Motors, Inc.

Orange County Airport RD 2, Box 8, Montgomery, NY 12549

Rebel TWin engine Rebel Experimental Engines PO. Box 805, Russellville,

AR

72801

(914) 457-3188

(501) 968-5444

Konig engines

Rotax engines

Konig Aircraft Engines

Leading Edge Air 331 S. 14th St., Colorado Springs,

PO. Box 832, E. Stroudsburg,

PA

18301

(717) 424-0806

(303) 632-4959

KFM

Rotax engines

engines

VEEFLUG,

Inc.

14289 Underclift NW, Anoka, 55303

MN

(612) 427-8444

170

Foils, Inc.

CO

80904

Pacific Flight Engineering

PO. Box 652, Salinas,

CA

93902 (408) 422-5226

Rotax engines Ron

Propellers

Shettler

Site 4,

Camp

Aerotec

19,

R.R. 8

Vernon, British Columbia

27785 California Ave., Hemet, CA 92343 (714) 926-2754

V1T 8L6 Canada Rotax engines

&

parts

Vancouver Ultralight 2100 23rd Ave.,

Aerial Propeller Co.

Vernon, British Columbia

Greenville,

V1T

(214) 883-2507

1J4

Canada

Rotax engines Rotax

P.O.

692,

TX

75401

&

parts Center of

Service

Ontario

Freedom Box 61,

Box

Tennessee Propellers, Rt 1, Box 282,

Normandy,

Plus, Inc.

TN

Inc.

37360

(615) 455-4516

Hepworth, Ontario

NOH

1P0 Canada

(519) 422-1285

Prince Aircraft

PO. Box 147-B,

Rotax engines

Waterville,

Tony Hyson 12985 Northland Estates, Rockton, IL 61072 Spitfire

220FA

43566

(419) 878-7258

engine

Advanced Engine Design, P.O. Box 589, Flint, MI 48501

OH

Inc.

Light Flight Accessories, Ltd

26 Maple Ave., Holcomb, NY 14469 (716) 657-6911

(313) 742-0602

Zenoah engines Certified Parts Corp.

1111 W. Racine Janesville,

WI

Propeller Engineering, Inc.

Box 1392, St.,

53545

(608) 752-9441

UT

84078 (801) 789-3699 Vernal,

Zenoah engines J-Bird

Alamo

Box 438, Kewaskum,

Rt 20, Box 208,

WI

(414) 533-4379

53040

Aero, Inc.

San Antonio,

TX

78218

(512) 651-6773

171

Engine Accessories Propeller spinners Modiflight

Ultralight

Ac-

cessories

5930 Avon Lake Rd., Spencer, OH 44275 (216) 667-2915

Tuned Exhausts Fischer Engineering, Inc.

1245 N. Lance Lane, Anaheim, CA 92086 (714) 630-4060

Propeller balance Monarch Flying Machines 850 Hog Hollow Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017 (314) 469-1033

Propeller balance Perma-Balance 223 Avery St.,

Parachutes Ballistic

Carburetors Midwest Marketing 7325 Hazeltine Blvd., Excelsior, MN 55331

TX

75208 (214) 748-6196 Dallas,

Recovery Systems

9242 Hudson Rd., Lake Elmo, 55042

MN

(612) 731-1311

(612) 830-0368 Ultralight Sport Accessories

Logan St., Lansing, MI 48910 2915

Propeller balance

S.

(517) 521-4596

Sun-Tech Innovations P.O.

Box 3182,

Tempe,

AZ

85281

Air Filters: Carburetors

Skymaster Distributors, Ltd. 3839 W. Oakton Ave., Skokie, IL 60043 (312) 679-5905

Bing Agency, USA 344 N. Encinitas, Monrovia,

CA

91016

(818) 358-0502

Second Chantz PO. Box 12671, Reno, NV 89510 (702) 329-9588

Exhaust systems Protopipe

Exhaust Systems,

Inc.

Striplin Aircraft Corp.

1165 N. Fifth

San

CA

St.,

95112 (408) 292-7866

172

Jose,

P.O.

Box 2001,

Lancaster,

CA

(805) 945-2522

93539

California

Power Systems

790 139th Ave., #4

San Leandro,

CA

(415) 357-2403

94578

Hawkinson Air Supply 519 N. Montana, Miles

City,

MT

59301

1-800-341-6919 (406) 232-0444

173

Appendix C Ultralight Dealers:

Sales, Service,

and Instruction

Alabama Recreational Aviation, Inc.

Four Seasons Aviation

(Challenger and Hiperlight)

(Falcon)

160 N. College,

708 77th Way S., Birmingham, AL 35206

Auburn, AL 36830 (205) 887-6542

Golden Wings Aircraft, (Buccaneer Amphibian)

Alabama Fun

Building 191

Flight, Inc.

(Falcon)

Brookley Airport Complex Mobile, AL 36615

David Yarborough (205) 854-3879 (Birmingham) Dr.

(205) 433-8300

Aerolite Aircraft

(Teratorn Tierra)

1306 Deans Huntsville,

Dr.,

AL

35802

(205) 881-3794

Alaska Alaska Bush Ultralights Doug and Dena Nightingale (Pterodactyl Ascender)

Rt

1,

Box 1540,

AK

99611 (907) 776-8097 Kenai,

174

Inc.

Arizona Fantasia, Inc.

U.S. Ultralight Aviation

(Hiperlight, Fisher, Wizard)

(Eipper dealer) PO. Box 30527,

2205 E. Fox, Mesa, AZ 85203 (602) 969-7174

Mercury

Phoenix,

AZ

85046

(602) 944-1655

Ultralight Aviation

Cochise Ultralights

(Eipper dealer)

(Rotec dealer)

5603

PO. Box 965, Benson, AZ 85602

S.

Tucson,

Palo Verde,

AZ

85706

(602) 628-1737

(602) 586-2920

Arkansas Flight Maintenance, Inc. (Starflight

&

Tierra)

Municipal Airport, Searcy,

AR

72143 (501) 268-6797 California

Challenger Ultralights

Aero-Flite

(Challenger)

(Eipper dealer)

1640 Maple Dr., #52 Chula Vista, CA 92011 (619) 422-3267

Oxnard Airport, Oxnard, CA 93030 (805) 984-1424

Eagle Repair Station

Ultralight Flight, Inc.

(airframe maintenance)

(Eipper dealer)

PO. Box 4702,

Liberty Field Flight Park, Petaluma, CA 94952

Canyon Lake,

CA

92830

(714) 672-2257

(707) 823-8941

Ultralight Aviation

Northern California Aerolights (Falcon, Cobra, Eagle XL)

(Pterodactyl

&

Cuyuna)

PO. Box 27434, Escondido, CA 92027

Antioch,

(619) 741-3100

(415) 757-2594

Rt.

1,

Box 1202,

CA

94509

175

N

California Ultralights

Wind

(Flightstar dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

Antioch Airport, Lone Tree Way,

94509 (415) 754-0909

Pruner Field, 2500 Rd 188, Exter, CA 93221 (209) 562-6556

UltraSport

Blue

(Eipper dealer)

(Phantom, Kitten, Rotec) PO. Box 1458,

CA

Antioch,

Whiteman Airport 12657 Osborne St., Pacoima, CA 91331 (818) 897-6190

Wires

Max

Lancaster,

Ultra-Flite

CA

93534

(805) 258-5237

Diablo Sport Aviation

Sport Chalet

(Eipper dealer)

(Lazair dealer)

Antioch Airport, Lone Tree Way,

920 Foothill Blvd., La Canada, CA 91011 (213) 790-9800

CA

94509 (415) 754-9800 Antioch,

Colorado Wings

Mitchell

of Colorado

(Mitchell dealer)

Colorado Springs,

Feathaire Aviation (Eipper, Cuyuna, Rotax)

CO

80900

(303) 635-4985

Bldg. C,

Hangar

5,

Tri-County Airport,

CO

80516 (303) 665-3822 Erie,

Leading Edge Air Foils

Four Corners Ultralights

(Eipper dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

331

PO. Box 2997, Durango, CO 81301

S.

14th

St.,

Colorado Springs, (303) 632-4959

CO

80904

(303) 259-1033

Connecticut Connecticut Flight Center, Inc.

Webster Aviation

(Flightstar dealer)

(Flightstar dealer)

Ellington Airport

Box

P.O.

Box

72,

CT

06029 (203) 875-7078 Ellington,

176

270,

West Granby,

CT

06090

(203) 658-7462 evenings

Avocet, Inc.

Airwise, Inc.

(Kasperwing & Bl-RD) 58 Old Farm Rd., Madison, CT 06443 (203) 245-4614

(Various Ultralights)

Long Ridge Rd., West Redding, CT 06896 15

(203) 938-9546; also, Stormville,

NY

Airport

(914) 221-0260

Florida Fisher Ultralights

Boynton Beach, (305) 736-2739

Main

Recreational Aviation, Inc.

FL 33435

Bethlehem, (215) 691-3070 office,

PA

(Challenger distributor)

160 N. College, Auburn, AL 36830 (205) 887-6542 or 821-1324

A.C.E. of Florida Aerolights, Inc. (J-3 Kitten dealer)

Walton Beach, FL 32548 (904) 244-1214 or 244-5347 Ft.

Bay

Ultralights

(Teratorn, Eagle, Rotec)

Box 4141, Panama City, FL 32401 P.O.

(904) 235-3253

Florida Ultra-Sports

(Eagle

&

Eipper)

Hwy

3032 N. Navarre,

87,

FL 32561

Miami

(Eipper distributor)

10710 SW 190th St., Miami, FL 33157 (305) 251-8538

Future Flights, Inc. (Eipper dealer)

10710 SW 190th St., Miami, FL 33157 (305) 251-8538 Aeroplane Store, Inc. (Phantom, Mirage, Condor)

6629 53rd Ave., E., Bradenton, FL 33508 (813) 756-7622

(904) 939-3467 Ultralight Sport Flying, Inc.

(Eipper dealer) A.U.S.

(Eagle

&

Falcon)

911 W. Pratt, Starke,

FL 32091

(904) 964-4288

RR1, Box 462, Lewis Airport Dover, FL 33527 (813) 737-2100

177

Everglades Ultralights, Inc.

Florida Aeroplane

(Kasperwing dealer) 154 Palm Tree Lane,

(Jenny)

Fort Meyers, FI 33905

Orange Park,

(813) 694-4994

(904) 282-1920

P.O.

Works

Box 1079,

FL 32067

Georgia Portercraft, Inc.

(Challenger

&

Wright’s Aviation, Inc.

Hiperlight)

(Rotec dealer)

(404) 948-7204 (Atlanta)

Wright’s Field, Rt

Savannah Ultralight

31017 (912) 962-3962

(Teratorn Tierra dealer)

Southern Air-Time,

Claxton Airport

(Buccaneer, Lazair

12426 White Bluff Rd., Savannah, GA 31406 (912) 739-4049 or 927-6890

Gwinnett County Airport,

Danville,

1,

Box

33,

GA

Lawrenceville,

GA

Inc.

&

Eipper)

30245

(404) 963-6696

Ultralight Flying Objects

(Weedhopper, Rotax) 195 N. Main St., Jasper,

GA

30143

(404) 692-5611, ext. 318

Idaho Bonneville Aviation (Pterodactyl)

Rt

1,

Inkom, ID 83245 Illinois

Midwest Microlight

Aircraft,

Inc.

2,

Ultralight Airpark

(Kitten,

(Eipper: repair

Rt

C&S

Box

&

service)

120,

Bl-RD, Fisher)

Galt Airport, 5112

Greenwood

Rd.,

Edwardsville, IL 62025

Wonder Lake, IL 60097

(618) 656-4035

(815) 648-2089

Mid-America Aircraft

Ultralights Unlimited, Inc.

(Eipper; parts, repairs)

(Flightstar, Falcon,

Mid-America Airport, Streator IL 61364 (815) 672-3300

8407 Pyott Rd., #5 Lake in the Hills, IL 60102 (815) 459-4244

178

&

Eagle)

Jeff

Weishaar

(Pterdactyl P.O.

Box

Ultralight Air

&

Eipper)

Company

(Eipper dealer)

1214

388,

S.

5th

St.,

Ashton, IL 61006

Aurora, IL 60505

(815) 453-2277

(312) 851-5597

Rainbow

(CGS

Ultralights, Inc.

Hawk,

American

Aerolights)

Lindstrom’s Lightplanes

PO. Box 273,

(Challenger

Moweaqua, IL 62550

&

Teratom)

809 Nelson Ave., Kewanee, IL 61443 (309) 853-8211

(217) 768-4442

Challenger Ultralights (Challenger)

Belvidere Airport,

Poplar Grove, IL 61055

Cloud 9 Ultralights (Phantom & Flightstar) 935 E. Tohill Rd.,

(815) 547-4400 St.

Louis Ultralights

(Phantom & Mirage) King Airport, Box 90-A, Columbia, IL 62236

Decatur, IL 62521 (217) 423-6590

(618) 281-4171

Russell Aviation, Inc.

Russ Jansen

(Bl-RD dealer) Kankakee Airport, Kankakee, IL 60901

(Eagle)

Rt

1,

61067 (815) 232-3093 Ridott, IL

(815) 932-0291

Indiana

Alpha Aircraft (Challenger,

Ultralights Unlimited

Flightstar

Shadow)

&

(Rotec dealer)

Hamilton, IN 46742

145 E. 14th Indianapolis,

St.,

(219) 488-2387

IN 46202

(317) 636-4891 or 291-6406

Indiana Ultralights, Inc.

Bannwart’s Airpark

(Hummer

&

Drifter)

Michigan City, IN 46360 (219) 872-2974

(Eagle and Sunburst)

3005

S.

50 East,

Lafayette,

IN 47905

(317) 474-8642

179

Ultraflight

Ultralights of Indiana

(Chinook, Cobra, Kasperwing, FP-101)

(Eagle

&

Mitchell Wing)

PO. Box 216, Hebron, IN 46341

6410 Cornell Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46220 (317) 259-8309

(219) 996-6473

Aerial Promotions, Inc.

G.PM.

(Eipper sales

610

S.

&

service)

(Teratorn dealer)

Beckley Station Rd.,

KY

Louisville,

Aviation, Inc.

County Airport, Sullivan, IN 47882 (812) 268-6959 Sullivan

40223

(502) 245-1327

RR 4,

Iowa

Hawkeye

Glider Sales, Inc.

The Four Winds

(Teratorn dealer)

Rt

1,

Box

(Eipper dealer)

33,

2708 Mt. Vernon Rd., SE., Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

Mt. Union, IA 52644 (319) 367-5492

(319) 363-0189; hrs 10-3.

B

Skyways Unlimited Company

J Enterprises

(Challenger dealer) P.O.

Box

Iowa

(Eipper dealer)

RR

132,

City,

IA 52244

1,

Box

151,

Melbourne, IA 50162 (515) 482-3522

(319) 351-7679

Kentucky Southern Lights Aviation,

Inc.

(Aeroplane XP, Falcon, Drifter) 2700 Freys Hill Rd., Louisville,

KY

40222

(502) 245-0779

Bluegrass Ultralights (Lazair dealer)

Rt

6,

Cadiz,

Box

257,

KY

42211 (502) 522-6294 Ultralight Unlimited

(Rotec dealer)

Kentucky Aeronautics

(CGS Hawk

dealer)

5231 Briar

Hill Rd.,

Lexington,

KY

40516 (606) 299-6188 or 259-4130

180

712 Main St., Mt. Washington, (502) 955-6952

KY

40047

Aerial Promotions, Inc. see Indiana listing

Louisiana

V&J

Kleinpeter

Fat Rat Aviation

Ultralights,

Inc.

(Starflight

&

Orleans

Baton Rouge, LA 70817 (504) 293-9832 or 293-9599

local:

&

“others”)

(Lazair distributor)

4612 Young,

5333 Elkhorn

LA

70002 (504) 888-4086 Metairie,

567-1397

American Ultralight Aviation

Ultralight Aircraft of the South

(Cobra, Huski,

Eipper)

At 1-12 & Pumpkin Center exit Near Baton Rouge & New

Cuyuna dealer) Hummingbird Field, 1410 Airline Hwy, (Eipper

&

Dr.,

Greenwell Springs, (504) 261-5066

LA

70739

Maine White Mountain Ultralights (Bl-RD dealer)

RFD

Minot Ultralights Corp.

(CGS Hawk

Maheu’s Airport, RFD 2, Mechanic Falls, ME 04256

2,

ME

Bryant Pond, (207) 665-2648

dealer)

04219

(207) 345-8441 or 783-1169

Aerborne Ultralights

UpCountry Aviation, (Phantom dealer) RFD 2, Box 515, Carmel Me 04419

(Rotec dealer) Portland: (207) 772-7443

Midcoast: (207) 354-8982

Inc.

Maryland Windstar Aviation

Aero Sport,

(Eipper dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

Baltimore area,

Raintree Airpark,

(301) 879-1995

21291 (301) 398-0234 Elkton,

Inc.

P.O.

Box 222,

MD

Paragon Aviation (Rotec dealer)

626 Rolling Dale Rd., Annapolis, 21401 (301) 261-8339

MD

181

Massachusetts

More Haven

United Flyers Ultralight

(Ritz)

(sales

Rt 57,

Box

Granville,

MA

01034 (413) 357-8752 or 357-6628

and service)

77,

Lower

West Deerfield,

Rd.,

MA

01342

(413) 773-5325

International Ultralights

(Wizard, Teratorn, Rotec)

RO. Box 346, Uxbridge,

MA

01569

(617) 278-6253

Michigan Nebulon

Ultralight, Inc.

Ultralight Sport Flying, Inc.

(Eipper dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

Oakland Pontiac Airport,

465 Dietz Rd.,

(313) 666-1990

Webberville,

MI 48892

(517) 521-4596

Air-Rahe Ultra-Port (Mitchell Wing, Rotec) 8181 Bacon Rd., Petersburg,

(Phantom

MI 49270

(313) 856-2285 729-0498

Almont

Greatlakes Skycycles, Inc.

or

&

Condor dealer)

PO. Box 98, (419)

Plainwell,

MI 49080

(616) 685-6940

Ultralight Sales

Ultralight of

SE Michigan

(Phantom)

(Hummer and

(313) 247-8668

(313) 455-0202

High Adventure Company (Tomcat)

1372 E. Kitchen Rd., Pincunning,

MI 48650

(517) 697-5183

182

Drifter)

Minnesota Ellingson Aircraft Service, Inc.

Northern Sun Ultralights (Falcon and “others”) 9450 Hudson Blvd.

(Chinook dealer) Star Rt,

Box

Warroad,

61,

MN

56763

MN

55042 (612) 738-8866 St. Paul,

(218) 386-1691

Minnesota Microlights (Bl-RD, Kasperwing, Fisher)

(Eipper dealer)

RR

No.

4,

Box

Kitty hawk North Ultralights

185,

MN

Elk River, 55330 (612) 441-2858

1

Sunny Lane,

MN

55811 (218) 729-8023 Duluth,

Ultra Flyte, Inc.

(CGS Hawk & Eipper) Rt 1, Box 550, Pine River,

MN

56474

(218) 568-4295

Mississippi Ultrasports Aviation

Company

(Lazair dealer)

PO. Box 0895, Richland

Sta.,

MS

39218 (601) 932-5715 or 845-8503

Jackson,

Missouri

Weedhopper Dealer Rt 1, Box 114,

Mizzou Aviation (Flightstar dealer)

MO

Municipal Airport, Box 846,

63940 (314) 686-3578 Fisk,

Joplin,

MO

64802

(417) 623-1331

Montana Beartooth Ultralights Billings,

Montana 59101

(406) 248-3591

183

Nebraska Basic Aircraft Corp.

Nebraska Airsports

(Starflight sales)

(Eipper dealer)

5614 “A” Ave.,

North

Omaha,

NE

68106 (402) 556-5457

Platte,

NE

69101

(308) 532-8881

Nevada Ultralight

Flying

Machines,

Four

Winds West/Ultralite

Inc.

Aviation

(Eipper dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

3100 E. Lake Mead, Suite 3, North Las Vegas, NV 89030 (702) 643-9532

7200 Hwy 50 E., Carson City, NV 89701 (702) 882-2682

New Hampshire The RW Shop (CGS Hawk dealer) Rt

13,

Brookline,

NH

03033

(603) 673-5867

New Passport to the Sky, Inc.

(Bl-RD and B2-RD) Swedesboro, NJ 08085 (609) 467-3168

Jersey South Jersey Ultralights (Hiperlight, Challenger, etc.)

631 Lakehurst Rd., Pemberton, NJ 08015 (609) 893-8322 or 893-3795

Mid-East Ultralights

Jersey Gliders

(Chinook, Flightstar, Wizard)

(Falcon and Lazair)

RD

2,

Box

Blairstown,

101, Airport Road,

NJ 07825

(201) 362-9733

184

1528 W. Garden Rd., Vineland,

NJ 08360

(609) 692-0879

New

York

Bob Keech Airport (CGS Hawk dealer) 9 Knoll wood Dr.,

Aerial Techniques

(Eipper dealer)

Rt 209,

NY

13068 (607) 347-4395 Freeville,

Ellenville,

&

Finger Lakes Airsports (“major brands of ultralights”)

service)

2440 Brickyard Rd., Canadaigua, NY 14424 (716) 394-3829

Rt 216, Stormville,

NY

12582

(914) 221-0260 938-9546

or

12428

(914) 647-3344

Stormville Ultralight Center (sales

NY

(203)

Aerosports Ultralight Park (Falcon, Eagle,

959 Oak Elmira,

&

“others”)

Athens Airport, Box 200, Athens, NY 12015

Elmira Air Sports (Pterodactyl

&

Eipper)

(518) 945-1388

St.,

NY

14901 (607) 732-1490

Beck’s Grove Airport

(Chinook dealer)

NY

13308 (315) 829-2859 or 336-0055 Blossvale,

Northeast Ultralight Corp. (Challenger) P.O.

Ultralight Aircraft of Central

Box 6275,

Albany,

NY

NY

12205 (518) 462-6809

(Eagle, Kasperwing, Teratorn)

183 Wygant Rd.,

Horseheads,

Ahern Aviation (CGS Hawk, Kitten

NY

14845

(607) 739-0178

&

Teratorn)

The Aeroplane Company

Box

(Bl-RD dealer)

514,

Forest Hills,

NY

11375

56

(212) 263-2084

S.

Applegate Rd.,

NY

14850 (607) 272-8436 Ithaca,

Mountain Wings,

Inc.

(Phantom, Mirage, Kasperwing)

Kerhonkson,

NY

&

12446

(914) 626-5555

185

North Carolina Ultra Flight Corp.

North Atlantic Ultralights (Flightstar & Bl-RD) P.O. Box 369, Edenton Airport, Edenton, NC 27932 (919) 482-8435

(Buccaneer, Coyote, Rally)

Rt

3,

Box

Dallas,

34,

NC

28034

(704) 922-8301

Sail

and Soar,

Inc.

(Falcon dealer)

2823

Hwy

66

Kernersville,

Flite

(Spitfire, Flightstar,

So.,

NC

Center

27284

P.O.

Box

Cobra)

268,

Stedman, NC 28391 (919) 484-7763

(919) 869-1553

Light Flight Visions, Inc.

(Hawk, Condor & Hornet) 3661 Pleasant Rd., Ft. Mill,

SC;

Atlantic Aero

(CGS Hawk

office:

Grensboro,

dealer)

NC

27419

3332 Rozzells Ferry Rd., Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 394-9057

(919) 668-0411

Anson County J-3 Kitten

Ultralight Flying Equipment,

Sales,

Inc.

Inc

(Kitten and Global engines)

(Pterodactyl)

Hwy

P.O.

74 East, Wadesboro, NC 28170 (704) 694-5053

Kitty

Box

339,

Huntersville,

NC

28078

(704) 875-9486

Hawk

Kites

(ultralight instruction)

Box 387, Nags Head, NC 27959 P.O.

(919) 441-4124

Ohio Kuck’s Kits (Chinook dealer)

(Pterodactyl

1212 Frahm Pike,

7459 Fenton Rd.,

Celina,

OH

45822

(419) 586-7671

186

Wings An Things,

Bloomfield,

&

Wizard)

OH

(216) 889-2337

Inc.

N.,

44450

Aeroflite

KC

(Challenger, Wizard, Rotec)

(Eipper dealer)

9201 Seward Rd.,

13820 Union Ave., NE, Alliance, OH 44601

OH

45014 (513) 874-6000 Fairfield,

Ultralights, Inc.

(216) 821-4331

Buckeye

Zimmerman

Aviation

(Falcon dealer)

(Rotec dealer)

Delaware Municipal Airport, Delaware, OH 43015 (614) 363-3592 or 881-5090

OH

45822 (419) 268-2565 Celina,

Ultralights, Inc.

Oklahoma Skybird Sales,

Inc.

Skyking Aviation,

(Tierra dealer)

(Flightstar dealer)

OK

Weatherford,

Inc.

73096

Chandler Airport,

(405) 772-5100

Chandler,

OK

74834

(405) 258-1167

Kingrey Ultralight Aircraft (Eipper dealer) P.O.

Box

Poteau,

895,

OK

74953 (918) 647-4226

Pennsylvania

ATC

Enterprises

(Bl-RD dealer) Gettysburg,

The

Flight Site, Inc.

(Challenger

PA

SE

&

Kolb)

Pennsylvania

(717) 334-6797 or 334-2794

(717) 273-0411

Championship

Tower City Barnstormers

Flight, Inc.

(Falcon, Drifter,

Central

Manor

Lancaster,

Hummer)

Airport

PA 17600

(J-3 Kitten dealer) P.O.

Box

Tower

42,

City,

PA 17980

(717) 285-5978

(717) 647-9505

The

Lakeside Flying

Aerolite Corp.

(Rotec dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

924 Windsor

486 Elephant Rd., RR 2, Perkasie, PA 18944 (215) 368-7709 or 795-2642

Reading,

St.,

PA 19604

(215) 372-6237 or 678-0246

187

Keystone Sport Aviation (Hornet, Teratorn)

Hole In the Sky, Inc. (sales and service)

Quakertown Airport, Quakertown, PA 18951

Box

(215) 643-1014

(215) 395-8492

Lakeview Ultralights

Freedom Flyer

(Flightstar dealer)

(Eipper dealer)

RD

Rt

368,

PA

Fogelsville,

18051

Box 104, Manheim, PA 17545

Claysburg,

(717) 665-6059

(814) 239-5783

Neiman

Valley Forge Ultralites, Inc.

6,

Aviation

1,

PA 16625

(Flightstar dealer)

(Pterodactyl, Kolb, Cascade)

Sunset

P.O.

Strip,

Sunset Rd.,

Schwenksville,

PA 19473

(215) 362-8242

Box

593,

PA 19442

Kimberton,

(215) 935-7440

South Carolina Carolina Ultralights (Flightstar, Spitfire,

106 Brockington, Timmonsville,

Caroline Ultralights, Inc.

Wizard)

St.,

SC 29161

(Phantom P.O.

&

Eipper)

Box 5036,

Columbia,

SC 29250

(803) 346-7717

(803) 254-6367 or 438-9523

Quality Ultralights

Aero Sport (Phantom)

(Phantom, Rotec)

B King Ave., Florence, SC 29501

810

P.O.

Box

Elgin,

332,

SC 29045

(803) 332-0173 or 662-2126

(803) 438-2919

Flight World

Crop Care (Phantom)

(Phantom & Eipper) 122 Cannon St., Greer, SC 29651 (803) 879-3596

188

Clio

P.O.

Clio,

Box

422,

SC 29525

(803) 586-9225

Tennesee Ultra-Flite Aero, Inc.

Blue Sky Enterprises

(Challenger dealer)

(Weedhopper & Nova Air) Rt 8, Murray Lane, Brentwood, TN 37027

104

S. Dr.,

Signal Mountain,

TN

37377

(615) 886-1277

(615) 373-9508

East Tennesee Quicksilver (Eipper dealer)

First-Flight Aerolights

Rt

2,

Box

(Falcon)

President’s

4,

Oliver Springs,

TN

Island

Regional

Ultraport

37840

Memphis,

(615) 435-2250

TN

38100

(901) 775-1055

Memphis Air Sports

Mountain Empire Aero Sports

(Phantom, Ascender,

(CGS Hawk

Flightstar)

Johnson City Airport, Rt

382 Washington,

Box

Memphis,

TN

&

Wizard) 9,

410,

Johnson City, TN 37601 (615) 929-2538

38105

(901) 526-0790

Design Ultralights,

Inc.

(Eagle dealer)

4621 Chalmers Nashville,

TN

Dr.,

37215

(615) 298-2371

Texas Lone Star

Ultralights, Inc.

Ultralight Airsports

(Eipper sales)

(CGS Hawk, Hummer, Eipper)

Hartlee Field,

9029 Conger,

Denton,

TX

76201 (817) 566-8421

Phillip

Houston,

TX

77075

(713) 944-8291

Martin

Texas Ultra-Flite

(Eipper sales)

(Condor, Skyraider, Swallow)

RR

25314 Zube Rd, NW., Houston, TX 77447 (713) 373-3095

2,

Box

140,

Iowa Park, TX 76367 (817) 855-8793

.

189

AviaSud

Ultralights, Inc.

Blue

(Chinook, Kitten, Sirocco) P.O.

Box

Box 33625,

89,

P.O.

TX

San Antonio,

TX

78265

(512) 651-5412

W Ranch

Flying

Ultra-Flite

(Phantom, Kitten, Rotec)

77417 (409) 387-2226 Beasley,

Max

New Dawn

(Jenny)

Aviation, Inc.

(Teratorn dealer)

RO. Box 784, Glen Rose, TX 76043 (817) 897-4272

(806) 894-5140

Pleasure Flight, Inc.

Aero-Flight Ultralights

(Eagle P.O.

&

P.O.

Falcon dealer)

TX

P.O.

Box

Texas Lite-Flight,

Spitfire)

Inc.

(Condor, Falcon, Spitfire)

157,

27715 Katy Freeway, Katy, TX 77450

TX

75630 (214) 755-2219

Avinger,

79336

(713) 391-4169

A-Plus Ultralights

&

TX

(Bl-RD dealer) 4321 Hwy 6, N., Houston, TX 77084

79760 (915) 334-6026

(Condor

415,

Levelland,

Box 7828,

Odessa,

Box

(713) 392-9000

Lite Flite-Ultraport,

Alamo

Aerolights

Lite Flite-Ultraport, Austin

(Mitchell Wing, Eagle, Eipper)

Lite-Flite-Ultraport,

Rt 20, Box 208,

Christi

San Antonio,

TX

78218

Lite-Flite-Ultraport,

(512) 651-6773

(713) 392-9000

Utah Gandalf Aviation

Wasatch Wings

(Phantom & Fisher) 1887 S. 1800 West, Skypark Airport

(Eipper dealer)

Woods

Cross,

UT

(801) 295-3049

190

Houston

84116

700 E. 12300 Draper,

UT

S.,

84020

(801) 571-4044

Corpus

Waco

Vermont Northern Ultralights (Snoop and KUB)

RR

402,

Waterville,

VT

05492

(802) 644-5467

Virginia

Worldwide

Ultralite, Inc.

Aero Craft Ultralights

(Flightstar

&

(Rotec dealer)

Rt

2,

Spitfire)

Box 7400,

Fredericksburg,

Rt

VA 22405

Box

3,

448,

VA

Abingdon,

24210

(703) 775-7439

(703) 228-7357 or 628-9920

Sportair, Inc.

Atlantic Ultralights

(Lazair dealer)

(Falcon, Eagle, Flightstar)

Fairfax,

VA 22030

RR

(703) 631-1537

1,

Box

499,

VA 23430

Smithfield,

(804) 255-2386 facility #2: P.O.

Box

599,

Dahlgren,

VA 22485

(703) 663-3494

Washington Aerosport Northwest

(Bl-RD & Kasperwing) 55 mi E of Issaquah off (509) 656-2467

1-90

Wisconsin Zanklites (Teratorn

Sauk

&

Challenger)

Black River Falls, (715) 284-2400

WI

54615

Prairie Ultralight, Inc.

(Challenger dealer)

1213 Water

Sauk

City,

St.,

WI

53583

(608) 643-4685

191

Competition Sports (Eagle & Falcon dealer)

(Challenger

5729 W. North Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53208 (414) 444-8181

8260 N. 38th, Milwaukee, WI 53209 (414) 355-5387 or 354-1038

Big Timber Lite-Flight

Homer’s Flying Service

(Teratorn

Rt

4,

Box

Mosinee,

&

Quik-Aire, Inc.

Eipper)

Eipper)

(Eipper sales)

Grant County Airport,

460,

WI

54455 (715) 384-5073

Platteville,

WI

(608) 348-3580

Dairyland Ultralights

(Bl-RD dealer) 2508 Church St., Stevens Point, (715) 341-0900

192

&

WI

54481

53818

Index A Adkins, Hal, 95

Advanced Aviation, 126, 157 Aerodyne Systems, 126 Aerolight Flight Development, 127 Aeronca C-2, vi

Aeronca C-2/C-3 series, Aeroplane XP, 148

vii

Aerostat, 127 AeroTech Dynamics, 127, 161 Aerotique Aviation, 128 Aerotique Parasol, 128 Airborne Wing Design, 127 air charts, 41

Air

Commerce

Act of 1926, Aircore Industries, 127 aircraft axes, 118 air mass temperatures, 76 Airplane Factory, 129

vi

Challenger, final assembly, 104 Challenger, first flights, 105 Challenger, flight test, 107-109 Challenger, fuselage, 100 Challenger, fuselage covering, 103 Challenger, interior, 102 Challenger, one-place versus twoplace, 110 Challenger, performance, 113 Challenger, report card for, 110-113 Challenger, single-place, 109 Challenger, specifications, 113 Challenger, wings, 99

Challenger II, 154 Chicken Hawk, 129 Chinook, 130 Chinook 2S, 154 Citabria, 18

air

pressure, 62 airspace, controlled, 45

Cloud Dancer Aeroplane Works, 132 clouds, 65 clouds, altocumulus, 66 clouds, altostratus, 68

Airway Aircraft, 129 Alexander FlyAbout, vi altimeters, 79 American Aircraft, 128

clouds, clouds, clouds, clouds,

Airport Traffic Area,

42

American Association ecutives,

of Airport Ex-

vi

aneroid barometer, 78 angle of attack, 117

Ascender Ascender

II, II

+

141 ,

141

cirrocumulus, 70

69 68 cumulonimbus, 66 clouds, cumulus, 66 cirrostratus,

cirrus,

clouds, fractocumulus, 70 clouds, nimbostratus, 66 clouds, stratocumulus, 66 clouds, stratus, 66

Cobra, 126

Atlantis Aviation, 129

Communications

Avenger, 127

condensation, 81

AviaSud

Ultralights,

128

Aviation Marketing International, 129 axis, lateral, 118 axis, longitudinal, 118 axis, vertical, 118

Condor Condor Condor

Specialists, 91

155 133 III + 2, 155 Continental A-40 engine, 37 Continental Control Area, 48 Aircraft, 132, III,

control pressures, 18

B

Control Zone, 46

B1-RD, 142

B1-RD

B&B B&G

Instructor,

Aircraft, Aircraft,

154

130 130

Barnstormer, 151 Bearcat, 148

Cosmos, 155 Coyote, 141 cross-country, 49 Curtiss-Wright Junior, Cycloplane, vi

Birdman Enterprises, 130 Bogardus, George,

Boomerang,

viii

151

Bradford, Michael, 11 breezes, land and sea, 80 Buccaneer, 137 Buhl Bull Pup, vii

D DeltaDyne Manufacturing, 134 Delta Technology, 133 drag, induced, 117 drag, parasitic, 117 Drifter XP,

156

Dualstar, 156

C Cadet, Jr., 127 carburetor ice, 74

Cascade

130 CGS Aviation, 132, 157 CGS Hawk-B, 132 Challenger, 91, 141 Challenger, assembling and flying, 95-114 Challenger, construction manuals, 97 Challenger, covering the tail, 98 Challenger, engine, 101 Ultralites,

vii

E Eaglet,

vi

Eastern Ultralights, 134 Eipper Aircraft, 135 Eipper Quicksilver MX II, 3

Engen, Donald 86

engines, engines, engines, engines,

D., 21

four-cycle, 31

Otto cycle, 30 two-cycle, 26, 31

EverGreen

UltraLites, 135, 160

Excelsior, 143

Experimental Aeroplane Works, 135

193

Experimental Aircraft Association, viii

F

FAA General

Aviation District Of-

fices, xi

Falcon, 128

Federal

Aviation (FAA), 20

Administration

Federal Aviation Regulations, 57 Federal Aviation Regulations: Part 103, 163-167 Fisher Flying Products, 160 Fledgling, 140 Flightstar, 140 fog, 81

Fokker Eindecker Ford, Henry,

forecast

Ultralight,

129

vi

60

FP-101, 135

FP-202 Koala, 136

Wing A-10 Silver Wing B-10, 129 Mohawk, 151

Mummed,

64

MX

Harvey,

vi

(Quicksilver), 157

II

76

N

G

National Air Races, vi National Business Aircraft Associa-

Glider Rider, 11, 84 Goldwing, 136, 151 Goulet, Dave, 95 Great Depression, vi

Greenwood

tion, vi

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 60

136

Aircraft,

H Hamilton, Chuck, 95 Hawk II. 156 Heath, Ed, vi

Heath Parasols,

vii

HighCraft Corporation, 137 Hiperlight, 144 Honcho II, 133 Hornet, 145 Hovey Delta Bird, 134 Hovey Delta Hawk, 134 Hummer, 138 Huski, 126

National Transpodation Safety Board, 21 Nomad II, 133 Nodhrop, John K. "Jack”, vi Nodhstar Ultralights, 139 Nodhstar Viking, 139 Nova-Air, 158 Nova 2000 (Weedhopper), 158

O optional equipment, 87-91 Otto, Nicholas, 30

P parallels of latitude,

Paup I

J

K

King Cobra, 157 Kolb Company, 137 Kolb Flyer, 137 Kolb Ultra-Star, 137

Piper Skycycle,

Powered

vi

Aircraft,

140

viii

pitch, 119 Pixler, Bob, 109 Poberezny, Paul,

viii

Ultralights

Manufacturers

Association, x pressure systems, col, 79 pressure systems, high, 79 pressure systems, low, 79

pressure systems, ridge, 79 pressure systems, trough, 79

Prime Meridian, 53 propeller basics, 34 Pterodactyl Ascender

Light Flyer, 141

Airplane Company, 137 Lloyds of London, 25 load factors, 119 Lockheed, Alan, vi Little

Lockheed, Malcolm,

137

Pioneer International 156 Piper Cub, 37

Kasperwing 180-B, 131 Kasperwing 180-BX, 131

L E.M. "Matty”, lapse rate, 77 Lazair, 149 Lazair II, 157 Lear. Bill. 29

53

139

Pegasus Supra, 148 Pegasus II, 148 Phantom, 149 Pintail,

Jenny, 132

Laird,

Aircraft,

P-Craft, 139

International Ultralight, 137 isobars, 70

11

+ 2, 158

Pterodactyl Ltd., 140 Ptiger, 141

Ptraveler, 140

vi

Q

Lockheed Little Dipper, viii Lone Ranger Silver Cloud, 146 longitude, east, 53

Quicksilver

longitude, west, 53

Quicksilver,

194

Eagle. 129

Mitchell

moisture, 81 Mono-Fly, 147

158

occluded, 71

front,

fronts, frost,

Fliers,

Mitchell B-10, 151 Mitchell Wing, 161 Mitchell

reliability,

Freedom

M Magnetic North, 53 Martin, Phillip, 2 Martin, Royce, 2 Maverick, 138 Maverick Manufacturing, 138 Maxair Drifter, 138 Maxair Sports, 138, 156 Meadowlark C, 138 Meadowlark Ultralight, 138 Meyers, Charlie, vi Midwest Microlites, 139 millibars, 70 Mirage Aircraft, 139 Mirage II, 139

Quad City Ultralight Aircraft, Quad City Ultralights, 95 MX, 135 MXL, 135

141,

154

R

TU-10, 161 turbulence, 72 two-seaters, 153 TX-1000, 145

Rally 2B, 143 Rally

3,

158

Rally Sport, 143

Ranger

Aviation, 142

Tyrebiter's ride, 11-13

Rans, 141

Rearwin

Junior,

vii

U

Ritz, Gerald, 21

UFM

Ritz Aircraft, 142 Ritz Standard

Model A, 142

Ultravia Aero, 148 Ultraflight Sales, 149,

Robertson Aircraft, 142, 154 Roberts Sport Aircraft, 142

ultralight dealers: sales, service,

and

instruction, 174-189

Rotax engine, 5 Rotec Engineering, 143, 159 RX-550 Two, 159

engine suppliers and accessories, 168-173

ultralight

149 aerodynamics, 115-125

Ultralight Flight, ultralights,

S

ultralights, airspace, 37-59

Croix Ultralights, 143 Sand Piper 83B, 130 Sceptre, 142 Sectional charts, 41 Shadow, 135 Shadow II, 159 St.

ultralights, ultralights,

ultralights,

operating costs, 22 93-94

ultralights, single-place, ultralights,

126

special considerations,

20-36 ultralights, transition to, 1-19

Ultralight Soaring, 150, ultralight structures,

162

20

151

S/S, 151

V

Skyraider SST, 160 Sky Walker, 146 Snoop, 134 Sorrell Aircraft, 144

Vector, 126

Visual Flight Rules (VFR), 41

VOR

Fokker

XIII,

D-VII,

W wake turbulence,

Sparrow G, 130

Use

52

stations,

SE5a

“replicas”,. 146

Spectrum

58 maintenance, 93-94 mechanical questions, 26

ultralights, rentals,

Sidewinder, 137 Silver Cloud, 142 Sirocco, 128 Skyline Enterprises, 156 Sky Pup, 144, 151

Sky Raider, Sky Raider

buying, 83-94

ultralights,

ultralights, future regulation,

shoemaker's dream, 14-17

Special

157 126-162

ultralight buyer’s guide,

119

Spad

148

Ultra Classics, 148

RK-1, 135

roll,

of Kentucky,

Airspace, 48

159 152 Spitfire II, 160 Sport Flight Engineering, 144 Squadron Aviation, 146 SR-1 Enterprises, 144 stall factors, 122 Starfire, 145 Aircraft,

Spitfire,

74

water vapor, 123 weather, 60-82

Weather Channel, 61 weather map, 70

Weedhopper of Utah, 150 Wichita Valley Airport, 9 Wicks Aircraft Supply, 136, 150 wing, 115 wind, 38 wind gradient, 72

Starflight Aircraft, 161

Wind

Starflight Manufacturing, 145

wind

Sterner Aircraft, 146 Straley, J.B., 109 Stripline Aircraft, 146 sublimation, 82 Sun Aerospace, 146 Sun-Fun, 129 Sun Ray, 146 supercooling, 82 Super Honcho, 133 Super Koala, 160 Super Pelican, 149

Witch, 136

Rider, 128, 161 vector,

55

Wizard J-2, 150 Wizard J-3, 150 Wizard T-38, 161 Woodhopper, 151 Worldwide Ultralite, 151 Worldwide Ultralite Industries, 160 Wren, 152 Wren Aviation, 152 Wright, Orville, 35

X

T Taylor Cub,

Teman

XC2000,

vi

Aircraft, 147

Y

Teratorn Aircraft, 147 Teratorn TA, 147

yaw, 119

Terminal Control Area, 47 TFM, Inc., 147 T-hangar, 24

patterns,

Transition Area, Tristar,

39 46

145

Edited by Steven H.

Z Zenair, 162

Zenair Atlanta, 152 Zenair Ltd., 152 Zenair Seattle, 152 zero porosity, 98 Zimmerlein, Leonard, 104 Zipper, 152 Zipper II, 162

thermal currents, 63 Tomcat Tourer, 139 Trade-APIane, 87 traffic

161

Mesner

195

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Ultralight Flying for the Private Pilot Joe Christy

Discover how you can

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you’re a lightplane pilot or aspiring pilot who’s been grounded by the high costs of buying, operating, and maintaining a conventional lightplane, this book opens the sky! It’s a realistic and practical look at how flying today’s ultralight craft can be a rewarding and affordable alternative to flying conventional lightplanes. You’ll discover, for instance, that many of today’s ultralights are amazingly similar to such conventional craft as the Aeronca C-3 or the Curtiss-Wright Junior only lighter. You’ll find out that a top-quality ultralight can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of a conventional plane that maintenance and operating costs are sharply lower that hangar or tie-down fees can be completely eliminated because you can house your ultralight in the family garage or carport that you can even eliminate the cost of getting and maintaining a pilot’s license. Here is a practical assessment of ultralight equipment stand If

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