Flight Impressions — Aerochute Dual

On arrival at Mangalore airport, in central Victoria, the demonstration aircraft was made ready to fly in a matter of minutes after Steve Conte, the managing director and demonstration pilot, rolled it out of its purpose built trailer/mobile hangar and carried out a daily inspection of the machine. As part of the daily a functional power check is carried out and, as the craft does not have brakes, the nose wheel is positioned against the wheel of the transport trailer and the engine started. As the engine warms up the ignition is checked and the power slowly increased. Once complete the engine is shut down and the machine sited on the takeoff strip with the canopy laid out behind it. The canopy suspension lines are positioned on each side of the tubular propeller surround.

Once the crew members put on their four-point harnesses it is simple to turn on the ignition and start the engine using the pull start handle located at the front of the pusher engine. Power is controlled by use of a floor mounted foot throttle that can be operated by either pilot. Indeed if you drive a car this throttle will seem very natural. Power up and the canopy behind inflates and quickly rises to become a lift developing wing. Full throttle propels the craft forward and within a matter of metres the Aerochute is airborne and climbing rapidly.

Canopy control is achieved by use of two hand operated toggles. These are attached to flexible lines that control the amount of air passing through the outer cells of the ram air canopy. Pull down on one side and those cells develop less lift. The Aerochute then turns into the direction of the cells generating reduced lift. For the landing flare or to pitch nose up both toggles are pulled down. Vertical control is achieved through use of the forward thrust of the engine while directional control comes from operating the toggle controls. The craft is designed not to stall or spin and aerobatic manoeuvres are naturally prohibited. In cruise, the pilot can actually release the toggles and maintain altitude just by use of power. The Aerochute will, however, want to drift with the wind so some toggle control is necessary to maintain a heading.

The structure of the Aerochute Dual is basically a side-by-side bench seating arrangement combined with a framework that has the engine mounted in pusher configuration behind the seat. A protective framework ensures the control lines and canopy suspension lines do not get tangled with the propeller. The chassis framework has two wheels at the rear plus a non-steerable nosewheel. There is no suspension and nor is it needed as the large low-pressure tyres adequately soak up any takeoff and landing bumps. The fuel tank is mounted behind the seat, below the engine level. There is no separate baggage carrying space.

In discussing the machine Steve Conte advised that he had originally imported a few single and dual seat powered parachutes from the Uk and sold them here. Shortly after he opted to design and build the two seat craft that is now known as the Aerochute Dual. The two-seat configuration is certainly more versatile than a single seater. Dual instruction can be given and a licensed pilot can carry a passenger or perhaps even some baggage in place of the second person. In the utility role a handy payload could be carried, something that could be particularly useful in the rural environment.

Design and development of the Aerochute Dual took some 18 months of work by the Aero Design Group in Melbourne before Caa approval was received. The Austrian made Rotax engine is supplied by the Australian distributor, Bert Flood, while the special aircraft quality aluminium tubing comes from Alcan Australia. The canopy is manufactured by Paradynamics, the Melbourne based parachute supply firm. The suspension lines are made of a material called Spectra with the front lines each having a 360kg breaking strain while the rear lines have a 680kg breaking strain. Normal use will see a 5-10 year life for the canopy. As ultraviolet light can damage parachute canopies like this it is normal practice to cover up the canopy or put it in a storage bag when not in use.

More than 60 Aerochute Dual powered parachutes have been built and sold over a two year period. Steve Conte says that he wants to concentrate on manufacturing and selling the machines rather than operate a flying school. As a result he is keen to set up a franchise network of flying schools in each state that would use and sell his machines. At present he is interested in hearing from general aviation pilots who would like to set up their own powered parachute operation and so in the process be able to promote the sport.

I have to confess that I enjoyed the flight. The climbout attitude seemed less steep than appears from the ground. There is no airspeed indicator as this becomes fairly irrelevant in an aircraft that has no real stall speed and doesn’t spin. I was seated on the right side with Steve on the left. This particular machine was also fitted with the optional control columns that can be used instead of the toggle controls and as these were offset slightly to the right of the centreline I initially found them a little awkward to use coupled with use of my left foot to operate the throttle. It was apparent that the best command seat is the left seat or if flown solo one can fly with a leg each side of the control columns and operate the throttle with the right foot. There is no windscreen and while goggles were worn on my flight the airspeed is such that you could go without goggles and simply get used to the wind. Ask any motor bike rider.

The view was nothing short of fantastic! It was strangely comfortable to be sitting back and watching the landscape passing under my feet. Steve and I were both wearing boom mike headsets capped with bicycle type hard hats. The battery powered headsets operate as an intercom and made for easy communication. Due to the headset muffs the engine noise was quite acceptable and there was little vibration through the airframe. Operation of the toggle controls presented no problem; however it was noted that they have to be moved some distance to effect canopy control. The control columns are apparently geared and require less movement for the same result. These control columns were developed by two owners of Aerochutes who wanted something closer to conventional aircraft controls and following formal approval they are now available as optional equipment on the factory built machine.

After takeoff we set the craft up into cruise at around 500 feet where I then made a few toggle turns. Next we shot a couple of touch and go landings on the grass next to the runway. Reducing the power achieved a nice approach path but it was the final few feet approaching the touchdown point that had me working to try and achieve the right combination of power and canopy control. Due to the low height of the seat off the ground I was initially surprised as we sank lower and lower until the non-steerable nose wheel touched down.

The slight right crosswind made the Aerochute turn to the right. At this stage I had my feet on both throttle rests, subconsciously trying to apply my usual Ga aircraft steering technique of left rudder and toe brake. The Aerochute has neither. All that happened was that the Aerochute went faster and continued to veer right as I inadvertently applied throttle. The second landing was somewhat better. The Aerochute does not have brakes and when the throttle is cut on touchdown it quickly comes to a halt assisted, if required, by an extended foot acting as a brake on the ground. Nothing could be simpler.

With close to 1000 hours on Aerochutes, Steve Conte can talk with authority about instructing and flying the type. A typical student with no flying experience would go solo with some 3-5 hours training. An hour or two would be usual for a Ga pilot conversion. To qualify for an Ultralight pilot licence the no-experience student would fly under supervision until he has 20 hours logged. A further 10 hours would be required to obtain approval to carry passengers. The Ga pilot doing a conversion would need 10 hours to qualify for the licence and this may be reduced in the near future.

There is no such thing as a typical Aerochute pilot or owner. They range from the man on the land to professional types simply wanting to fly without all the complexity and cost of modern day Ga. All have one thing in common and that is a quickly acquired dedication to powered parachutes and more particularly the Aerochute Dual. Owners have recently formed an association and even produce their own newsletter. The Aerochute Dual is safe. It is a powered parachute and in the event of an engine failure it simply lands as safely as a parachutist. The canopy is virtually idiot proof and the engine well proven. The Aerochute will never win speed races but its slow speed adds to its appeal, safety and enjoyment. It is quiet and demands little in the form of a runway. Compared to some other types of lightweight flying machines the Aerochute has an excellent safety record.

What can you do with an Aerochute? A lot. Some of the units sold have been bought by farmers who use them for property inspection while others are just used for safe fun flying and carrying passengers. It has been reported that some have been used by prospectors getting into places that would otherwise be inaccessible to anything except a helicopter. Looking ahead one can see a military application with olive drab replacing the gloss paint. Low level surveillance and special forces application could be the order of the day. Some army personnel have already trained on Aerochutes so the future promises to be interesting. Simple training, easy maintenance, low purchase price, low running costs and ease of transport are all attractions to both an army wanting an eye in the sky as well as the weekend fun flyer.

Aerochute Industries is currently negotiating with companies in Canada, Japan, New Zealand and China for export sales. One can see a huge potential for Aerochute flights at such places as tourist centres like the Gold Coast or Queenstown in New Zealand. The current regulations however would probably need to be framed differently to allow commercial activities in these machines.

The Aerochute Dual powered parachute was never meant to win air races or fly from Melbourne to Sydney everyday. It was designed as a safe fun machine to get one or two people into the air to enjoy the simple pleasure of being airborne. And this it does at low cost and at a level of safety far greater than a fixed wing ultralight. A typical Ga pilot will have no trouble converting to an Aerochute and the complete novice will require only a little more training. For me I can only say that I thoroughly enjoyed my test flight and would like to do more and, as the Aerochute Industries brochure says, “Let the adventure begin …”