Flying by Ultralight
by Cliff Thompson, Member, EAA, USPPA
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Flying by Ultralight by Cliff Thompson, Member, EAA, USPPA |
| Background | Types | Photos | Videos | Developments | Resources |
The dream of flying has often remained just that. The high cost of purchasing a typical aircraft and maintaining it at an airport hangar, coupled with a considerable investment in pilot training, filing flight plans, logging flight time and achieving pilot certification, has often proved an insurmountable barrier to entry for many. In recent decades a new class of experimental aircraft has appeared at the lower end of the aircraft spectrum, generally described as "Ultralight". Many of these aircraft have evolved into robust and reliable designs that have passed muster with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who regulate ultralight use through Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103 – Ultralight Vehicles.
Flying by ultralight is basically self-regulated and one is not required by law to be a certified pilot. Training for such ultralights as the Powerparaplider (PPG) and Trike described below is usually several hours of classes typically distributed over a week before attaining solo flight and certification (for passenger carrying a higher level of training and certification is required). Equipment costs for new gear typically weigh in ranging from the price of a motorcycle to a car, while trading in late-model used gear or working with kits can significantly reduce costs. A number of national organizations have sprung up that are especially helpful in providing fly-in events, vendor expos and resources such as organization-approved training schools and certified instructors - the United States Powered Paragliding Association (USPPA), United States Ultralight Association (USUA) and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
Recently the USPPA and EAA hosted 2 back-to-back Fly-In 2007 events in Florida, on April 12-15 the USPPA hosted the 2007 U.S. National Powered Paragliding Convention, sponsored by the EAA Ultralight Chapter 125 Power Paragators of Florida at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Clewiston, Florida, while on April 17-23 the EAA, who annually host EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” put on their other big show Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida. Both of these events offered Airfields where ultralight pilots continuously demonstrated flying their various aircraft, as well as Seminars covering every aspect of ultralight flying, and Vendor Expos providing complete resources for equipment and training. These 2 Fly-In shows offered attendees a comprehensive look at the types of ultralights. Coupled with the developments mentioned above, Fly-Ins like these continue to usher in a new era of personal, affordable flying “for the rest of us”.
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| PowerParaGlider (PPG) | PPG Trike | HangGlider Trike | HangGlider Trike Amphibious |
HangGlider Trike
Amphibious Flying Boat |
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| Ultralight | Ultralight Amphibious | Ultralight Seaplane | Ultralight Helicopter | Ultralight Helicopter Amphibious | Ultralight Jet |
PowerParaGlider (PPG):
The most portable form of flying, often described as a “foot-launched
inflatable wing” (or more colloquially the "flying chair") , the system primarily consists of a Paramotor, a
backpack-mounted small aircraft engine with a back-facing seat, and a
Parasail, a parachute of multiple layers separated by air cells
which inflate the chute in flight. Some in-line 2-seater systems are
available. The entire system can typically be stored in a large
duffel bag in the back of a car or in the two halves of a suitcase
suitable for airport check-in luggage. USPPA President Jeff Goins, (by day a 747 pilot for
Southwest Airlines), runs a comprehensive website
for all things PPG
at
FootFlyer,
which offers a popular set of
PPG Plans.
Top speed is typically 30-40 mph. Flying is generally limited to the early
morning and late afternoon until sunset, but not during the afternoon when gusty
winds and thermals are maximally active. Vendors currently popular
include Adventure,
Fly Castelluccio,
Fly Products,
Fresh Breeze and
Paratoys,
PPG Trike:
Typically a three wheeled framework that frees the PPG pilot from having
to carry the Paramotor and be attached to the Parasail - instead the
Paramotor and Parasail are attached to the back of the trike, while the
trike also supports the seating.
Passenger seating is commonly available in
both in-line and tandem side-by-side modes, and some trikes offer 4
wheels for greater stability. Trike platforms range
from bare-bones tubular frameworks offering maximum visibility, to
varying degrees of enclosed fuselage covered by fiberglass cowling.
While rigid trikes are typically carried in the backs of trucks
or towed on a trailer, some trikes of the bare-bones tubular variety are
available as collapsible trikes, (a popular system being the
Fly Products Flash Trike), so the whole system can still be carried
in the back of a car. Vendors currently popular include
American Flyer,
Buckeye,
Fly Castelluccio,
Fly Products,
Fresh Breeze,
Para-Ski International,
Paratoys,
Phoenix Powered Parachutes
and Powrachute.
HangGlider Trike:
Often
described as a “Sky Motorcycle”, utilizes a hang glider flex wing
mounted at the top of a mast on the trike. Generally best stored in a
hangar with the wing fully unfurled. Collapsible foldable wings
(which support trailer towing) are commonly available, but current
designs, for each unfurling/furling, require un-inserting/re-inserting
the spars that hold the wing’s shape, a procedure that takes even
experienced aviators typically an hour. Top speed, using the largest
engines (currently around 100 hp) is reaching 100 mph.
Vendors currently
popular include Air Création,
Airborne Australia,
Airsports USA,
Aquilair,
Aviation Products,
Cosmos (who
Phase II
was featured in the film "Fly
Away Home"), DTA,
Fly Castelluccio,
Fly Products and
P&M Aviation.
HangGlider Trike
Amphibious: Use of the hang glider wing
enables new possibilities such as water takeoff/landing, utilizing
attachable pontoon floats. The most flexible designs support leaving the
pontoons attached to enable land/water takeoff/landing as encountered;
some of these designs offer for support for raising the tires out of the
water.
Vendors currently
popular include
Airborne Australia,
Airbridge, Cosmos,
J&J Ultralights and
Krucker Manufacturing
HangGlider Trike
Amphibious Flying Boat:
Attaches a "Zodiac-like”
inflatable rubber raft to the trike to support water takeoff/landing.
Some designs offer simple wheels kits attached to the raft to support
land takeoff/landing. Vendors currently popular include
Polaris and
Wettrike.
Ultralight:
Generally
the earliest of the original designs for a personal flying machine,
frequently on display at major air museums (most commonly a design from
venerable manufacturer "Quicksilver").
Uses a fixed wing and tail rudder for the wing assembly. Some designs
offer a split-able fold-back wing for trailer-able transport. Passenger
seating is commonly available in both in-line and tandem side-by-side
modes. Top speed, using the largest engines (currently around 100 hp) is
reaching 100 mph. Often available in kit form, commonly assembled by
organization (such as EAA) members locating a local chapter and
assembling their kits together in a group supervised by an experienced
kit builder (assembly time is 40-120 hours depending on experience).
Vendors currently popular include
Earthstar,
New Kolb Aircraft,
Quicksilver and
Weedhopper,
Ultralight Amphibious:
Attachable
pontoon floats enable water takeoff/landing, utilizing . The most
flexible designs support leaving the pontoons attached to enable
land/water takeoff/landing as encountered; some of these designs offer
for support for raising the tires out of the water. Vendors
currently popular include Aero
Adventure.
Ultralight Seaplane:
Integrates
a boat hull into the design of the fuselage to support water
takeoff/landing. Designs frequently include retractable wheels for land
operation.. Vendors currently popular include
Aero Adventure
and
Airmax,
Ultralight Helicopter:
Often
available in kit form.
Top speed is typically 70-80 mph. Vendors currently
popular include Air Command,
Innovator and
Vortech.
Ultralight Helicopter
Amphibious:
Often available in kit
form with added pontoon option. Top speed is typically 70-80 mph. Vendors
currently popular include Airscooter and
Innovator.
Ultralight Jet:
Advances in jet engine design are reducing the size of
the engine to fit sturdy ultralights built from carbon fiber composite
materials. An early pioneer is Burt Rutan, (developer of the
"canard-wing” VariEze and Long-EZ composite ultralights), who outfitted
a Long-EZ with a jet engine (later evolved into SpaceShipOne, recent
X-Prize winner for first private manned spacecraft). Several small jets flew
over the ultralight airfield at Sun 'n Fun Fly-In 2007. Currently ultralight jets are
commonly created by
doing an engine conversion on a suitable composite ultralight, a popular
company offering these services being “EZ
Jet”.
Costs:
PowerParaGlider (PPG): New system
package deals which include training typically range from $6,000-10,000.
Instructor-assisted searches for recommended and reliable late-model
used equipment, often flight school training machines, can reduce costs
by 1/3, while do-it-yourself systems built from plans (such as
FootFlyer
PPG Plans) have for some
(sometimes in conjunction with used gear) dropped the price to
$3000-$4000.
PPG Trikes: Adding a new collapsible trike to
an existing PPG system typically range from $1,500-2,500, whereas rigid
trikes range from $5,000-10,000. New system
package deals which include training typically range from $12,000 for a bare-bones
tubular framework to
$25,000 or more
for variously enclosed fiberglass
cowling covered fuselage designs.
Hanglider Trikes and Ultralights (including Amphibious):
New system package deals which include training typically range from
$10,000 for a bare-bones tubular framework to $30,000 or more for
variously enclosed fiberglass cowling covered fuselage designs,
Lower cost
ultralight kits
are popular, particularly from
Quicksilver kits.
Amphibious options: Adding a
new pontoon system to an existing ultralight, typically ranges from
$2,000-8,000.
Helicopters: kits including training run from $20,000-30,000, while a
"factory built and tested" option typically runs another $5,000.
An album of nearly 100 photos of various types
of ultralights, taken at Sun 'n Fun Fly-In 2007 in the Light Plane/Ultralight,
Helicopter/Rotorcraft and Seaplane Exhibit Space vendor areas.
The collection is organized by type of ultralight, introduced by title graphic
slides.
For a given ultralight, the type, make, and/or model are generally listed in the
photo filename which is used as a caption.
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A collection of nearly a dozen video clips of
various types of ultralights performing
takeoffs, fly-bys and landings, taken at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In 2007 Light Plane/Ultralight
Airfield.
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PowerParaGlider (PPG) Amphibious:
PPG Amphibious: Suspends the Parasail parachute in inflate/deflate positions from masts on the amphibious platform, available from Rapid Launch.
Trike Transport
Towable Vehicle Trike: Rather than use a trailer to transport a trike, allows being pulled by car via a towing hook on the front of a trike like the Fresh Breeze Xcitor.
Car-Transportable Collapsible Trike: Combinations of collapsible frame and foldable wing enable some trikes to be carried in a car with the folded wing on the roof, such as the Quander Micropfeil Trike.
More Passengers
3-Seater Trike: General Aviation Design Bureau of Ukraine Maverick II T-32
Ambulance/Rescue
Ambulance Trike: The patient lies across the back of the Fly Castelluccio Diavolo P&P Ambulance.
Multi-mode vehicles
Bicycle + Trike: On the ground, the machine can be pedaled as a recumbent bicycle, or alternatively, pushed along by running the aircraft engine, which propels the vehicle as an "air car" at up to 40 mph, such is the Fresh Breeze Flyke.
All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) + Trike: On the ground, the machine's single engine powers the prop and wheels. Current designs utilize 4-wheel ATVs like the Hegger Dynamics All-Terrain Hangglider.
Training
Ultraflight "USUA and USPPA Flight School Listings": The monthly magazine offers a running section of USUA and USPPA approved schools by US State.
United States PoweredParagliding Association (USPPA): Offers an online "Search Clubs & Schools" by US State at Schools.
Aerolight: The oldest and most experienced Powered Paragliding business and training facility in the US, run by USPPA approved certified flight instructors Javier and José Casaudoumecq in Miami, Florida.
Directories
World Directory of
Leisure Aviation: A comprehensive international print listing of all
types of ultralights. For looking up information on equipment, their
website
World Internet
Directory of Leisure Aviation (WIDOLA) offers a useful
Search page.
Light Sport and Ultralight Flying: The newspaper magazine offers an annual January Buyer's Guide.
DVD / CD / Video / Magazine / Book
Adventure Productions: Offers a comprehensive catalog of overview and training materials through their AP-Store. Their popular PPG and Trike DVD titles include movie trailer mini-seminar video clips:
Powered Paragliding Risk and Reward : A DVD presenting a thorough-going look at the sport. Written by USPPA President Jeff Goins and hosted by Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk, William "To Boldly Go" Shatner, whose first PPG Solo flight occurred at age 70.
Ultraflight: The ultralight community magazine. Their online store offers a collection CDs & DVDs and Books.
Paramotoring from the Ground Up: A book offering a popular beginner-to-intermediate look at the sport.
The Powered Parachute Bible: A book providing a comprehensive and thorough-going advanced study of the sport.
Organizations
Recreation
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Deluxe Edition): An AirCreation SL450 Ultralight Trike is included in New aircraft.
R/C Parachute Power Glider: Radio Control a model PPG Trike.
Vendors
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2007
USPPA U.S. National Powered Paragliding Convention |
2007 EAA
Sun 'n Fun |
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1w =
Power Glider 2w = Southern Skies 3w = Ohio PPG 4w = Contraptioneering 5w = Adventure 6w = Macwet.com 7w = Usparagliding.com 8w = Paracruiser 9w = Paragliding Unlimited 10w = Debra Anderson 1e = Aerolight 2e = Aerolight 3e = South Florida PPG.Com 4e = USPPA.org 5e = Aerothrust 6e = Time2Fly.biz 7e = ParamotorCity 8e = Paramotorkits.com 9e = JB propellers 10e = Andy McAvin |
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