Ultralight News

Did Sixty Minutes report this, No, of course not, after all, it may have got in the way of a great story!

This particular accident was thoroughly investigated by the US National Transportation & Safety Board and completely exonerated the aircraft manufacturer and the industry at large. Regrettably, most ultralight crashes are due entirely to human error. Only a little common sense, training and the ability of previously experienced pilots to re-learning to fly ultralights will ultimately reduce today’s accident rate.

Readers who know of friends and relatives who saw this ‘sensational’ report may like to redress the situation by telling them of the omitted facts. Ultralights are inherently safe, certainly, some designs are better than others but a well-maintained ultralight, flown by a mature and trained aviator with a clear respect for weather and terrain will ultimately match a safety level comparable to that of any other branch of recreational flying. It all comes down to attitude and common sense.

ROCKET FIRING ULTRALIGHT

The French Baroudeur ultralight has successfully fired tube-launched 89mm unguided rockets at a target and hit it. Considering the forward momentum of an ultralight and the not inconsiderable recoil effect of rockets of this calibre then this feat is not a small accomplishment. The Barodeur carried six such rockets in triple-packs of three mounted on

underwing pylons. From a 1500 ft altitude, the rockets impacted the target area some 800m away. Zenith Aviation, manufacturers of the Baroudeur

hope to be able to market the concept of equipping ultralights with small fire-and-forget type missiles in the anti-armour role.

SUPA PUP AGAIN IMPRESSES

Sport Aircraft of Adelaide certainly know how to yank my heartstrings! Three Mangalores now have all seen slightly different variations on the original Piper Cub-like Supa Pup design, each has been an eye opener even for the most ‘bigoted’ GA driver. 1985 was no different except that the Supa Pup Sport which was displayed this year was by far the best of the three variants produced to date. This beautiful aircraft captured lost memories that many veteran aviators had almost thought they had lost. Looking like a baby Pitts, only sleeker and less intimidating to the ab initio, the Supa Pup Sport boasts a cruise speed in the region of 70kts for an endurance of just over 4 hours. Fitted with basic instrumentation 11 would provide a comfortable, safe and practical cross-country form of transportation for much of Australia. Power is supplied by either a 42hp Rotax 2 stroke or a 35hp GMT twin-cylinder 4 stroke. Having the option of heavier and less powerful but overall more reliable 4-stroke is a sensible step forward in a form of aviation where the 2 strokers are still not as reliable as their brochures allude.

The fuselage is made of all steel tubing of aircraft standard while wings and fuselage are Dacron covered. Instrumentation includes ASI, teacho, CHT, EGT and oil pressure/temp gauges. Takeoff run is stated as 150ft, rate of climb 1,000fpm and landing run is 250ft, stall is 30kts, VNE is 86kts while naturally, the aircraft conforms with full ANO 95. 25 directives.

The status of the project is that flight testing is basically now finished though Sport Aircraft themselves require now to attract a financial backer, or partner, to invest the necessary funds to place production on a full-time basis. Negotiations are presently taking place that will hopefully eventually see Supa Pups being turned out like the Cubs of old.

WWI REPLICAS CREATE MUCH INTEREST

Two aircraft that created a lot of interest at Mangalore were the Squadron Aviation SE. 5 and Cloud Dancer Jenny replicas. Both aircraft fully assembled cost around $13,000 and offer excellent value for the pilot who wants something a little different. Certainly, a retired Boeing driver could really get a great deal of satisfaction out of owning one of these excellently detailed replicas. Squadron Aviation also produces replicas of the Spad and Fokker D. VII fighters.

Despite their great looks the aircraft performs just like any other similarly powered ultralight and can be used even in the agricultural role. An interesting sidelight though might also be their potential as advertising mediums. Parked in the front of car lots, hanging in a hotel bar, etc in addition to being flown at smaller air shows and (with DofA approval) at local fairs and shows, etc. At a third the cost of a ‘real’ replica, they both represent excellent value and will no doubt be one of the growth areas of ultralight marketing in the years ahead.

POPULAR SAPPHIRE TO BE MARKETED BY FREEDOM AEROLITES

Scott Winton and Don Bowd of Freedom Aerolites in Victoria have teamed to produce the popular Winton Sapphire ultralight. Powered by a Rotax 447 engine, the Sapphire has always been a popular aircraft with experienced pilots. While not endorsed for aerobatics, and certainly not recommended by this journal, the Sapphire is proof load tested to BG positive and 4G negative, its excellent maneuverability almost make it capable of square turns!

HOW ABOUT A CHEVY IN YOUR ULTRALIGHT?

Aero Motion of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has developed a twin cylinder four stroke motor that develops 52 bhp for an all-up weight of just under 45 kg. The new engine is a flat-two and uses Chevrolet car parts from a standard Chevy VB. Designated the AeroMotion Twin, the engine comes complete with dual slick aircraft magnetos and operates quite happily on regular mogas. Aero Motion sees the new engine as a replacement for the heavier VW unit in both ultralight and ARV aircraft. Aero Motion can be contacted at 1224W Southpark Avenue, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 54901, USA.

MANGALORE ULTRALIGHT AIR RACE A SUCCESS

A feature of this year’s Mangalore Air Show was the SAAA-sponsored ultralight race. Staging from Shepparton to Mangalore, a field of 15 ultralights flew a course of around 40 km with progressive departures so that the event did not deteriorate into a speed duel between the different types. This was exactly what the organisers were trying to avoid, a feat they accomplished successfully by incorporating a number of fuel consumption and time restriction goals on each aircraft to ensure it kept to the rules.

Of the 15 starters only one aircraft, Dave Belton in his Thruster, did not make it. Dave wisely elected to perform a precautionary landing in a field when his engine began to overheat, a wise move that may have saved an embarrassing forced landing in front of the Mangalore crowd. The ultimate winner was Robin Birchall in a Mitchell P3B, Max Peters in a Quicksilver MXL was second while Bill Knight, who had flown down from Queensland in his VW-powered Sportsman was third.