The safest ultralight?
dra...@eclipse.net
Many of us are looking for ultralights. OK, here's the big question:
which ultralight is the safest and most foregiving with the best
accident record? On first thought, it would appear to be the powered
parachute, since stalls are impossible in it. But, in a way, its wing is
most susceptible to "structural failure" ie deformation by a gust of
wind. Probably a rigid wing design with large, virtually stall proof
wing would prove to be the safest. Any experienced flyers out there have
any SPECIFIC recommendations for those of us who want to fly in the
open, and not be a statistic?
Thanks!!
Andy
Mark Smith
A used Quicksilver will be the best overall bargainin the USA market. Get
some instruction and have a knowledgeable person check out any purchases.
The results will be safe and fun flying!!!
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Mark Smith tri...@comsource.net
Tri-State Kite Sales http://www.comsource.net/~trikite
1121 N. Locust St.
Mt. Vernon, IN 47620 812-838-6351
NORMAN L HEISTAND
In article <325079...@eclipse.net>, dra...@eclipse.net says...
>
>Many of us are looking for ultralights. OK, here's the big question:
>which ultralight is the safest and most foregiving with the best
>accident record? On first thought, it would appear to be the powered
>parachute, since stalls are impossible in it. But, in a way, its wing is
>most susceptible to "structural failure" ie deformation by a gust of
>wind. Probably a rigid wing design with large, virtually stall proof
>wing would prove to be the safest. Any experienced flyers out there have
>any SPECIFIC recommendations for those of us who want to fly in the
>open, and not be a statistic?
>Thanks!!
>Andy
I would prefer a Quicksilver single place with the Rotax 377. These
machines have been sold in the largest numbers of any u/l. The design
is strong and simple. The stall speed is very low (25-27mph).
Reasonable care for the machine and avoiding windy days should make
them very safe to fly. Land and take-off at 35mph, cruise at 40mph,
can be operated from grass strip as short as 400ft. A lot more
flexible flyer than a parachute. Training is available everywhere.
Trikes are very interesting also.
Norm - Phantom flyer
Dennis Narciso
In <325079...@eclipse.net> dra...@eclipse.net writes:
>
>Many of us are looking for ultralights. OK, here's the big question:
>which ultralight is the safest and most foregiving with the best
>accident record? On first thought, it would appear to be the powered
>parachute, since stalls are impossible in it. But, in a way, its wing
is
>most susceptible to "structural failure" ie deformation by a gust of
>wind. Probably a rigid wing design with large, virtually stall proof
>wing would prove to be the safest. Any experienced flyers out there
have
>any SPECIFIC recommendations for those of us who want to fly in the
>open, and not be a statistic?
>Thanks!!
>Andy
I once operated one of the largest ultralight dealerships in the world,
with customers from around the U.S., Mexico, Europe and the Middle
East. Having begun my ultralight experience as a Weedhopper
builder/dealer in 1979, I have built and/or flown the following UL's:
Weedhopper
Eagle Eagle XL
Falcon
Wizard
Quicksilver MX, MXL, MXS, MXII, MXLII, GT400
Mitchell Wing
Vector
Kasperwing
J-3 Kitten
Maxair Drifter
Among all of these, there is no question that the best engineered
equipment was by far the Quicksilver series of A/C. So much so tht by
the time I left the ultralight business world. Our product line (which
included most of the designs listed above), was simply reduced to
Quicksilver A/C. And among the Quicksilver line, the most advanced
design and engineering is easily attributed to the GT series.
The Quicksilver GT was the first ever (to this day perhaps the only,
I'm not sure) aircraft certified by the Light Aircraft Manufacturers
Acossiation (LAMA). These are standards which closely parallel
conventional FAA certification criteria, therefore, If you want an
experienced opinion on a safe and reliable machine with excellent
handling qualities, I know of no more enjoyable "out in the open"
experince you could have.
Those well maintained GT400's have also held their value astoundingly
well. I recently paid a visit to the flight park I used to operate and
found two GT400's that I had built more than tem years ago, each of
which sold for within $500 of their orginal price...awesome. I never
would have dreamed that these machines would have worn so well.
Although they were both hangared continually over the years, they were
still all orginal, including the great looking (maintained with UV
protectant) fabric!
It isn't the cheapest, fastest or most beautiful, but the engineering
and materials quality quality speaks for itself, and it's durability
has withstood the test (at least my test) of time. Best of luck in
your pursuit.
David Alford
What is a T-Bird if not a stronger and better engineered version of
Quicksilver (plus with the option of enclosure for cooler climates)?
David
Steve Wolf
> What is a T-Bird if not a stronger and better engineered version of
> Quicksilver (plus with the option of enclosure for cooler climates)?
I have a better question!
What is a T-Bird?
73,
Steve
Amateur Radio: no8m@no8m.#neoh.oh.usa.na
Internet: no...@apk.net
broomstick
In article <5390g3$i...@news.azstarnet.com> David Alford <dal...@azstarnet.com> writes:
>From: David Alford <dal...@azstarnet.com>
>Subject: Re: The safest ultralight?
>Date: 6 Oct 1996 19:15:15 GMT
>What is a T-Bird if not a stronger and better engineered version of
>Quicksilver (plus with the option of enclosure for cooler climates)?
Well, for one thing it's a taildragger, which is a little harder to handle on
the ground. Once you get the knack it's no problem, but until then there's a
definite possibility of groundlooping and other unpleasent things happening.
Most T-birds I've known have problems with landing gear alignment. Why, I
dunno, it's just an observation. Your mileage may vary.
*Maybe* it's stronger - but it's also overweight to be Part 103 legal in the
US. Maybe not a problem in other countries.
"Better engineered"? I'm not qualified to say.
========================================================================
|
>---Broomstick--- | Any Day Above Ground Is a Good Day
|
========================================================================
brum...@interaccess.com|http://users.aol.com/beesticker/broomstick.html
========================================================================
David Alford
brum...@interaccess.com (broomstick) wrote:
>
> In article <5390g3$i...@news.azstarnet.com> David Alford <dal...@azstarnet.com> writes:
> >From: David Alford <dal...@azstarnet.com>
> >Subject: Re: The safest ultralight?
> >Date: 6 Oct 1996 19:15:15 GMT
>
> >What is a T-Bird if not a stronger and better engineered version of
> >Quicksilver (plus with the option of enclosure for cooler climates)?
>
> Well, for one thing it's a taildragger, which is a little harder to handle on
> the ground. Once you get the knack it's no problem, but until then there's a
> definite possibility of groundlooping and other unpleasent things happening.
Not necessarily. You have the option of nose wheel or taildragger configuration.
There are some advantages to a taildragger such as rough field landing, although
a good nosewheeler won't have much problem except in extreme cases.
Kolb aircraft likes taildraggers, as do other highly respected manufacturers, but I repeat,
it's your choice with a T-Bird.
Hey, I don't work for them, honestly...
David
Gary Jackson
deni...@ix.netcom.com(Dennis Narciso) wrote:
A powered parachute as you call it CAN stall and in some cases may
need radical pilot input to recover it. A deflation is not a
structural failure as the wing can be reinflated fairly easily by the
pilot. It is essential that any departure from normal flight is
quickly acted upon with these paragliders/motors as a small assymetric
deflation could give rise to a spin if not correctly recovered. I
suggest you get trained to fly a paraglider first and you will be
taught all the recovery techniques and more importantly how not to let
the wing collapse in the first place.
Dave Adsit
>which ultralight is the safest and most foregiving with the best
>accident record? On first thought, it would appear to be the powered
>parachute, since stalls are impossible in it. But, in a way, its wing is
>
Powered parachutes trikes are the safest ultralight to fly. I would not
consider the wind collapsing the chute a structural failure as
compared to some inferior fixed wing craft that are ever famous for folding up.
I live in Wyoming where most would say the wind always blows. Our business
is doing great and our customers have never had a chute collapse in the wind
or any other circumstance. A wind that would collapse your chute would give
you ample warning before striking, in our region anyway. Any wind strong enough
to collapse your chute would give the majority of ultralight crafts and pilots
a run for their life. And remember with enough altitude a collapsed chute will
reinflate a folded wing won't repair itself.