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NH:Press 4/09/05

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ByDanJohnson.com Launches New Features and Content;Celebrates First Anniversary Online ST. PAUL, MINN. - For pilots and newcomers interested in light-sport aircraft (LSA) and ultralight pilot reports, ByDanJohnson.com offers the Internet's largest database of pilot reports. On its first anniversary, the website added "SPLOG ByDanJohnson," a web log (or blog) of light sport aviation observations by Dan Johnson, the site's author. Additionally, nearly 200 articles have been added to the site's database in the last year. "The upgraded site has much new content. In particular, SPLOG will catch the interest of those following developments in light aviation," said Dan. A sport pilot-oriented takeoff on the popular blog concept, SPLOG is a series of photo and paragraph blurbs often giving advance information about new aircraft that Dan may subsequently cover in full-length aircraft evaluations. SPLOGs will be added weekly, or more frequently if warranted, with a complete archive of this quick-read content available at the click of a mouse. Although the items may present aircraft developments or achievements in the light sport aviation industry, Dan said the site is not a news outlet and is not intended to replace or compete with aviation magazines or news websites. SPLOG is offered for free to all ByDanJohnson.com visitors. Many other articles are also available free of charge. Since going live one year ago, ByDanJohnson.com has added nearly 200 articles including a wide range of pilot reports, plus a decade's worth of "Product Lines," the author's long-running column in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. "We now have more than 600 articles posted to the site, which includes approximately 300 full-length pilot reports, complete with photos, specs, and contact info," said Dan. Members can access more than a dozen articles for the site's $29 annual fee, and then can purchase more articles at half-price. Visitors who register (by e-mail address only) can purchase articles individually. During its first year ByDanJohnson.com also added "SpecCheck," "Pros & Cons," and "PlaneView." These three "buyer's help" components allow site members to compare aircraft "live on screen," said Dan, "That's something you can't do with printed material." SpecCheck allows you to match specs on a number of airplanes on one screen, while Pros & Cons allows comparison of many planes in nine categories of evaluation. PlaneView allows make and model viewing of all airplanes evaluated on ByDanJohnson.com. Dan contributes regularly to several recreational aviation magazines and has 300 ultralight/light-sport aircraft pilot reports published to date. He is the 1999 winner of USUA's Moody Award, was honored in 2001 by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was given a 2003 Outstanding Leadership Award from ASTM International for his work on light-sport aircraft standards. Dan also consulted on and narrated the 1998 FAA/EAA video, First Flights in Your Ultralight / Lightplane. Two books and an annual calendar have exclusively featured his flight reports.

ByDanJohnson.com Launches New Features and Content;Celebrates First Anniversary Online ST. PAUL, MINN. – For pilots and newcomers interested in light-sport aircraft (LSA) and ultralight pilot reports, ByDanJohnson.com offers the Internet’s largest database of pilot reports. On its first anniversary, the website added “SPLOG ByDanJohnson,” a web log (or blog) of light sport aviation observations by Dan Johnson, the site’s author. Additionally, nearly 200 articles have been added to the site’s database in the last year. “The upgraded site has much new content. In particular, SPLOG will catch the interest of those following developments in light aviation,” said Dan. A sport pilot-oriented takeoff on the popular blog concept, SPLOG is a series of photo and paragraph blurbs often giving advance information about new aircraft that Dan may subsequently cover in full-length aircraft evaluations. SPLOGs will be added weekly, or more frequently if warranted, with a complete archive of this quick-read content available at the click of a mouse.

NH:Press 3/28/04

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Finally! ByDanJohnson.com Goes LiveST. PAUL, MINN. - After three years of effort, Dan Johnson is pleased to announce that his Web site will go live on April 12th, 2004, the day before the season-starting Sun 'n Fun airshow opens. ByDanJohnson.com is intended to be a source for literally hundreds of pilot reports on a wide variety of light aircraft, accompanied by thousands of photos of these aircraft. Dan's work to create pilot reports dates back into the mid-1970s and covers a large fleet of ultralights and light-sport aircraft made in the USA or abroad. "This is one of those projects where if I'd known how much work it was going to be, I might never have started," admitted Johnson. "But, at airshows and at speaking engagements, pilots often ask, 'You've flown all these airplanes. Which one should I buy?' The question is difficult to answer because each person has different skills and needs, and I don't usually know the individual asking the question," Dan explained. "In addition, after writing hundreds of aircraft evaluations, it becomes challenging to contrast the latest aircraft with another flown months ago, much less offer a comparison of five different models." ByDanJohnson.com offers visitors the chance to interactively research aircraft before a purchase. The database-driven Web site contains articles complete with photos, specifications, and contact information. Special features in final development include "PlaneFinder," a question-and-answer system aiming to guide buyers to aircraft that interest them. "SpecCheck" helps visitors compare specifications of multiple aircraft without having to page back and forth through printed buyer's guides. "PlaneView" allows a pilot to pull up photos of any aircraft reported on the site. "Pros & Cons," an element of pilot reports appearing in Ultralight Flying! magazine, lets visitors contrast the positives and negatives of various aircraft in nine different categories so they can line up which meets their needs the best. "The magazines for whom I write have been very cooperative and I've made it easy for visitors to go to their Web sites as well. But of all the aircraft companies covered, none are advertisers. "I've established this as a member-supported Web site," says Johnson, who notes that members paying $29 a year get more than a dozen pilot reports free and can buy more for half price. Registered visitors can view plenty of free material and buy articles they like one at a time. After buying an article a current member can reread it anytime. Since Dan writes 40+ articles per year, the Web site will be continuously updated with new reports. Dan Johnson is a well-known aviation writer submitting monthly to Ultralight Flying!, Kitplanes, EAA Sport Pilot, GA News, and Hang Gliding & Paragliding. In 27 years he has published pilot reports on over 280 light aircraft. Johnson is the 1999 winner of USUA's Moody Award, the 2001 recipient of the Spirit of Flight Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was awarded the 2003 Outstanding Leadership Award from ASTM International. Dan narrated the 1998 FAA/EAA video, First Flights in Your Ultralight / Lightplane. Two books plus an annual calendar have exclusively featured his flight reports.

Finally! ByDanJohnson.com Goes LiveST. PAUL, MINN. – After three years of effort, Dan Johnson is pleased to announce that his Web site will go live on April 12th, 2004, the day before the season-starting Sun ‘n Fun airshow opens. ByDanJohnson.com is intended to be a source for literally hundreds of pilot reports on a wide variety of light aircraft, accompanied by thousands of photos of these aircraft. Dan’s work to create pilot reports dates back into the mid-1970s and covers a large fleet of ultralights and light-sport aircraft made in the USA or abroad. “This is one of those projects where if I’d known how much work it was going to be, I might never have started,” admitted Johnson. “But, at airshows and at speaking engagements, pilots often ask, ‘You’ve flown all these airplanes. Which one should I buy?’ The question is difficult to answer because each person has different skills and needs, and I don’t usually know the individual asking the question,” Dan explained.

T2 “Competition Class” Glider from Wills Wing

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Note the nearly full double surface wing and the dual sprog system (internal stability devices seen on angles at midspan and near the tip).

America's top hang glider manufacturer released their new T2 topless hang glider by offering demo flights to qualified pilots at Florida's Wallaby Ranch located a few miles south of the Disney complex. Just before the Sun 'n Fun airshow opens, Wills Wing traditionally hosts an event at the hang glider tow park. In one busy day during this year's festivities, four tug pilots launched 277 flights! Good soaring weather benefitted the gathering which occurred just before the U.S. Nationals started at the Quest Air tow park a few miles north of Wallaby.

America’s top hang glider manufacturer released their new T2 topless hang glider by offering demo flights to qualified pilots at Florida’s Wallaby Ranch located a few miles south of the Disney complex. Just before the Sun ‘n Fun airshow opens, Wills Wing traditionally hosts an event at the hang glider tow park. In one busy day during this year’s festivities, four tug pilots launched 277 flights! Good soaring weather benefitted the gathering which occurred just before the U.S. Nationals started at the Quest Air tow park a few miles north of Wallaby.

New “Ride” from Europe

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MD3 Rider

From the designer who brought you the popular SkyBoy comes the MD3 Rider currently being marketed by FlyItalia based near Milan, Italy. This attractive LSA-type airplane was created by Jaroslav Dostal, the man behind the Interplane SkyBoy. Jaro started with an interest in hang gliders and went all the way to FAR 23 commuter aircraft before returning to light sport designs. Look for a report in Kitplanes magazine (8/05 issue). And, I'll have more to report after attending the Aero 2005 show in Germany.

From the designer who brought you the popular SkyBoy comes the MD3 Rider currently being marketed by FlyItalia based near Milan, Italy. This attractive LSA-type airplane was created by Jaroslav Dostal, the man behind the Interplane SkyBoy. Jaro started with an interest in hang gliders and went all the way to FAR 23 commuter aircraft before returning to light sport designs. Look for a report in Kitplanes magazine (8/05 issue). And, I’ll have more to report after attending the Aero 2005 show in Germany.

Seagull Aerosports takes a new angle

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Manufactured by Seagull Aerosports, the Escape Pod is the first fully enclosed trike with retractable landing gear.

The opening left in the glider's sleek canopy will be closed with a sheet of Neoprene slit from front to rear to allow full motion of the control bar if needed.

The Escape Pod's 25-hp Cors-Air M-21Y engine is tucked neatly away, out of the airstream. Located in front of the engine is the Pod's rocket-deployed emergency parachute system.

Michael Riggs, owner of Seagull Aerosports and developer of the Escape Pod, is all smiles in his new creation.

Like most trikes, the Escape Pod can be broken down small enough for storage in your garage or in the corner of your hangar. Its light weight will allow loading to trailer or pickup.

Seagull Aerosports takes a new angle on weight-shift construction with a fully enclosed cockpit. Developer Michael Riggs might prefer I called his Escape Pod something other than Everyman's Motorglider, but if you have any interest in self-launched soaring flight, Riggs' invention is one of the most cost-efficient purchases you can make. The Escape Pod costs thousands less than ultralight motorgliders and literally hundreds of thousands less than sailplane motorgliders. Oh, and one more thing this kind of flying machine is a hoot to fly. That the Escape Pod also transports easily, can be stored in a small space and is attractively shaped are icing on the cake. Sure, it's obvious-I like the Escape Pod. But could it be for you, too? Even if this aircraft isn't your type, you might enjoy reading about how thoughtfully it was designed. Trike Motorgliders Before the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule was recently passed, trike enthusiasts had several other ways to fly such aircraft. One method, called Glider-Trike, allowed private pilots to operate a fully assembled trike ultralight as a motorglider without the restrictions associated with two-seat ultralight trainers. As with hot-air balloons, motorgliders avoid hassles with medicals as neither requires a visit to your doctor. You can still fly under Glider-Trike. Or, you can still build certain Experimental/Amateur-Built trikes that have been approved under the 51% rule. And before long, approvals will start flowing and many LSA trikes will hit the market. Before that day, however, you can fly under FAR Part 103, which did not change with the issuance of the new LSA rule. Seagull Aerosports, Riggs' company, will fully build the Escape Pod and its unpowered sibling, the Pod Racer. Since empty weight is well under Part 103's 254-pound limit, ready-to-fly construction is completely proper and gets you in the air sooner. Pod ConstructionThe fuselage, or "pod," is made from composite foam sandwich construction of PVC and graphite prepreg materials. The shape is vacuum-bag molded and oven cured for minimum weight and maximum strength. The complete lower shell and main structural bulkhead weigh only 16 pounds out of the mold, and the entire trike chassis weighs less than 80 pounds with engine and parachute. The tricycle gear is fully retractable, which is allowed under Part 103 though not for LSA. Maingear legs are made of a filament wound graphite, and the gear is retracted using racing catamaran hardware. Most trikes have a forward support tube that obstructs visibility somewhat and complicates the addition of a full enclosure on these weight-shift machines. Abandoning the forward tube, the Escape Pod uses a streamlined, tapered composite mast that has enough vertical area to provide yaw stability for high performance hang glider wings. (Modern hang glider wings attain glide ratios beyond 15:1.) The Pod has been designed for full enclosure in a molded acrylic canopy with graphite frames. For summer use or if customers prefer, a shorter summer windscreen will also be available. To further boost cleanliness-and therefore performance-the fuel tanks are mounted internally and the engine is fully enclosed, unlike most ultralight designs. But how do you fully enclose a weight-shift aircraft? While control movements on a trike are minimal in normal flight conditions, there are situations (landing approach in rough conditions, for example) when the pilot must make movements wider than the canopy. To facilitate this need, the triangular control bar passes through a Neoprene-covered slot running fore to aft in the canopy following the control bar's arc, thus accommodating a full range of motion. The Escape Pod is powered by a 25-hp Cors-Air M-21Y and Powerfin three-blade propeller. An unpowered variation, called the Pod Racer, is also available and is launched via a winch or aerotow. Seagull Aerosports expects to see Pod Racers in wide use at hang glider airparks that provide ultralights to tow hang gliders aloft just as sailplanes do. Safety First A designer and builder of hang gliders for many years, Riggs always puts safety first when it comes to his Pod designs. The bottom of the fuselage is flat so that if an outlanding is necessary and terrain does not encourage use of the gear, a belly landing can be made. In addition, the shape of the nose will prevent shoveling and possible flipover. A foam crush zone forward of and under the pilot adds another layer of protection as does a four-point seat restraint system. Not only is the engine inside the pod, but a rocket-deployed parachute is mounted on the rear of the main structural bulkhead and fires through a hatch on the side. Except for the handle on the floor between the pilot's legs (and emergency responder labels), no one will know such an emergency parachute has been installed. Either the powered Escape Pod or unpowered Pod Racer can be used with any hang glider wing that will accommodate the weight of chassis, pilot, engine, fuel and parachute system. This will not be a challenge given the wide variety of wings available for all skill levels. What's Next? When I spoke with Riggs at Oshkosh, he anticipated that the Escape Pod would fly by the fall of 2004 and planned to attend the U.S. Sport Expo in Sebring, Florida, in late October. Three Florida hang gliding airparks launch unpowered flyers aloft by ultralight tug, and Riggs thinks their customers should love the concept of the high performance Escape Pod and the unpowered Pod Racer variation. And older hang glider pilots may be a market, as they'll be able to fly in sit-down comfort. Visit Seagull Aerosports' web site to see more photos and an entire study of the project. This material wasn't posted at press time, but I've seen the development stages and think the Artist's Study series of drawings and early fabrications will be of interest to anyone who's ever built or designed an aircraft. Both Pod versions will be sold through an existing hang glider dealer network. These dealers will be able to perform initial setup, check flights and provide flight instruction as required. Pilots who already own a wing that meets the structural and size requirements may purchase the Pod without a wing. Prices are not yet finalized, but one thing looks sure: Riggs' dual-variation Pod series should amply satisfy lots of pilots interested in light aircraft or soaring flight. FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Seagull Aerosports at 952/473-1480 or visit www.fly-seagull.com.
Published in Kitplanes Magazine

Seagull Aerosports takes a new angle on weight-shift construction with a fully enclosed cockpit. Developer Michael Riggs might prefer I called his Escape Pod something other than Everyman’s Motorglider, but if you have any interest in self-launched soaring flight, Riggs’ invention is one of the most cost-efficient purchases you can make. The Escape Pod costs thousands less than ultralight motorgliders and literally hundreds of thousands less than sailplane motorgliders. Oh, and one more thing this kind of flying machine is a hoot to fly. That the Escape Pod also transports easily, can be stored in a small space and is attractively shaped are icing on the cake. Sure, it’s obvious-I like the Escape Pod. But could it be for you, too? Even if this aircraft isn’t your type, you might enjoy reading about how thoughtfully it was designed. Trike Motorgliders Before the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule was recently passed, trike enthusiasts had several other ways to fly such aircraft.

Product Lines – April 2005

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ST. PAUL, MINN. - Here's an interesting perspective on the World Meet in Hay. The missing Manfred (Ruhmer) saw the event in his own way and expressed himself clearly. He didn't go|which also means somebody else got to win after Manfred has won the last two World Meets. In the fifteen World meets that have been held since 1976, only one man has achieved more. Tomas Suchanek won the event three times running, a record. Looking at the history of hang gliding's main worldwide competition, a New Zealand pilot unknown to most Americans, Terrence Delore, won the first event. He was followed by Josef Guggenmos, the talented German wing designer ('79); by Brazilian Padro Paulo Lope ('81); by famous Australian Steve Moyes ('83); by British legend John Pendry ('85); by another Australian Rick Duncan, now a partner in AirBorne ('88); by Robert Whittall who also went on to paragliding competition fame ('89); and then three times in a row by Czech pilot Tomas Suchanek ('91, '93, and '95); by German Guido Gehrmann ('98); twice by Manfred ('99 and '03); and now by Ukrainian star, Oleg Bondarchuk ('05). About their hero, Aeros notes that Oleg has been ranked for for some time but has not won the big contest. And he did so while flying as the lone Ukrainian while other country teams worked together for victory. As you can see, an American has never won the event. So, with a chance to tie Suchanek at three victories in a row, why did Manfred stay out? It's about his principles. According to published letters, Manfred did not like the Hay location. More than just a remote place with fewer services, Hay would not offer the media attention to help hang gliding grow, wrote Ruhmer. His other reason is to protest the high-flying Austrian team not getting their own vote at FAI competition meetings. According to Manfred, Austria and Germany get one vote between them. He adds, "As weird as it may sound, the Austrian Hang Gliding Team (yes, currently the best team worldwide, almost unbeaten since 1994) is not free to express its own ideas when it comes to voting for the World Championships!" Not that Manfred's absence takes anything away from Oleg's victory but I have to admire his courage at turning down another possible victory to make his statement. Speaking of Europeans, Icaro is promoting their success at the World meet (their gliders placed second and seventh) but that's not all. Right while Angelo Crapanzano was busy preparing gliders for the Hay World Meet, he wrote Mike Riggs to express interest in Mike "ePod" (as it's becoming known|no doubt in a nod to Apple's runaway music success, the iPod). Speaking for himself and Icaro owners Gianni and Franco, he wrote, "We all like it. The finish looks perfect and the design very sleek. I'm very impressed!" Icaro currently represents the Swedish Mosquito but doesn't have much experience with trikes. "However," Angelo added, "next year are planning to enter that market, too, with a new double seater wing we are working on." (For those that don't know, Angelo is the longtime owner of Metamorphosi parachutes and is now developing new gliders for Icaro.) He punctuated his enthusiasm with, "I would love to have one for myself." As I have long promoted this development, people often ask me how the project is going. You should get it straight from the horse's mouth at Mike@fly-seagull.com but the former Mr. Seagull (hang gliders) reports he's still on track for an appearance at the Sun 'n Fun airshow later this month and then he plans a tour of the Florida flight parts where the unpowered Pod Racer could become a rental hit. (Because this column was written in February, check with Seagull for the latest.) FMI: fly-seagull.com Meanwhile, Mike isn't the only guy working on such a nanolight soaring trike. Felix Ruhle and his tandem rigid wing ATOS VX has experimented with Helmut Grossklaus and his Silent trike. Grossklaus has been developing highly faired trikes for years and my experience in flying a two place model was very interesting. That Silent Racer trike had a partial canopy (open only at the sides) and its gear retracted. But to accommodate two people in an enclosure, the trike got rather large and needed a much larger engine than a nanolight would use. However, the larger Silent Racer is only one of Helmut's designs. Another is the Silent Glider M which you can see flying under the ATOS VX wing on Helmut's website (FMI: silentfamily.com; then click Silent Family, then Glider M). When I flew with Felix last fall, he told me the combination seemed to work very well. Their experience certainly suggests that an ATOS VX on an ePod or Silent would make for a self-launched soaring machine with great potential. Talk about your high-flying gliders! They may go up noisier than any aircraft you ever heard, but they come down very quietly|or as much so as very high speeds allow. I'm referring to the follow-on to SpaceShipOne, specifically to Virgin Galactic's plan to fly tourists into space. People wonder how space tourists will be assured of safety without strict federal rules that could stifle the industry's growth. "Consensus industry standards are the answer," says Michael Kelly when speaking before the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee. Kelly compared such standards to voluntary Underwriters Laboratory approval for electronic devices but he missed the most obvious analogy|Light-Sport Aircraft and the consensus standards written by ultralight and kit builders with participation by hang gliding leaders. Government has shown they are willing to let self regulation happen. Why not in space? A group of space entrepreneurs announced recently that they are organizing a new Personal Spaceflight Federation to promote growth and safety in their new industry. The federation will work with the FAA as it develops industry standards for passenger safety and crew training. At last count, Virgin Galactic had 14,000 reservations priced at an "affordable" $200,000 a seat. FAA has already licensed four commercial launch facilities, in California, Florida, Virginia and Alaska, and several more are in the works. "In 2004, there were only 15 worldwide commercial space launches," said Gregg Maryniak of the X Prize Foundation, one of the organizers of the new Federation. Initial members of the group hoping to far surpass 15 launches a year include Burt Rutan, designer of SpaceShipOne. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. – Here’s an interesting perspective on the World Meet in Hay. The missing Manfred (Ruhmer) saw the event in his own way and expressed himself clearly. He didn’t go|which also means somebody else got to win after Manfred has won the last two World Meets. In the fifteen World meets that have been held since 1976, only one man has achieved more. Tomas Suchanek won the event three times running, a record. Looking at the history of hang gliding’s main worldwide competition, a New Zealand pilot unknown to most Americans, Terrence Delore, won the first event. He was followed by Josef Guggenmos, the talented German wing designer (’79); by Brazilian Padro Paulo Lope (’81); by famous Australian Steve Moyes (’83); by British legend John Pendry (’85); by another Australian Rick Duncan, now a partner in AirBorne (’88); by Robert Whittall who also went on to paragliding competition fame (’89); and then three times in a row by Czech pilot Tomas Suchanek (’91, ’93, and ’95); by German Guido Gehrmann (’98); twice by Manfred (’99 and ’03); and now by Ukrainian star, Oleg Bondarchuk (’05).

Product Lines – March 2005

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OSHKOSH, WISC. -- While the deep snow swirls in strong winter winds up here in the southern tundra, it's enjoyable to think about the 15th World Meet taking place in sunny, hot Australia where this time of year is "summer." The event concluded just as this column was sent to the editor, and I'm pleased to report a few highlights. Some contest enthusiasts followed this on Davis Straub's Oz Report (ozreport.com) from which I've distilled a few points of interest. The new reigning champion of flex wings is Oleg Bondarchuk of the Ukraine. Working for Aeros, he was, of course, flying an Aeros Combat L and finished with a clear lead over second place finisher Rob Reisinger of Austria flying an Icaro Zero 7, followed by fellow Austrian, Gerolf Heinrichs, flying a Moyes Lightspeed S4. Congratulations to these top three finalists in hang gliding's top worldwide competition. You may also note with interest that the top three pilots flew different brands so no company "swept" the top positions. Before I go further, let me repeat my often-stated comment when reviewing brands at contests: the results do not necessarily reflect brand purchase decisions by recreational hang glider pilots. Some pilots are sponsored and all comp pilots are motivated by different flying goals than the vast majority of fly-for-fun pilots. It should surprise no one that Moyes dominated the contest with 48% of the field. The contest was held in remote Australia where Moyes has long been the overwhelming favorite and Moyes has long been involved with competition flying. However, also-local AirBorne didn't fare as well with only 6% of the contestants flying their wings. (As a side note, AirBorne does quite well in America with their powered trike division being one of the top brands.) In second position was Aeros with a very respectable 26% of the field. I find it intriguing that a Ukrainian company can do this well on the world stage only a decade and a half after the country emerged from behind the old Iron Curtain. In America we know Aeros quite well, thanks to the efforts by GW Meadows and his US Aeros operation - now in search of a new owner - but this contest brought contestants from all over the globe and a quarter of them chose Aeros. In third place was Icaro at 15%, a drop from some earlier participation rates the Italian company enjoyed. Australia's AirBorne came in fourth with their 6% followed by Wills Wing at 3%, France's La Mouette at 2% and England's Avian with a single pilot of the 101 who finished in the points of the big world event. The top U.S. pilots included Curt Warren in 13th place flying a Moyes Lightspeed S4, Kevin Carter in 17th on a Aeros Combat L, and Dustin Martin in 19th flying a Moyes Lightspeed S4. These pilots were trailed by Tom Lanning (68th on a Lightspeed S4), Davis Straub (78th on a Lightspeed S4, not his usual rigid wing), and Dean Funk (83rd on a Lightspeed S4.5). In contest results by country, Australia came in first, though barely ahead of the Austrian team. France was third, followed by Italy (4th), the USA (5th), Germany (6th), Japan (7th), Czech Republic (8th), Spain (9th), and The Netherlands (10th). Unfortunately, the 15th World Meet, a tow-launched event, was marred by the death of Robin Strid, a Norwegian pilot, who "chose to foot launch in light cross wind conditions in spite of the pleadings from the ground crew|to use a cart," writes Straub in his Oz Report. "As he took off his left wing was dragging. Bobby Bailey, the best tow pilot in the business, moved to the right into get further into the wind, and Rob got his left wing up and flying as he lined up behind Bobby. Then Robin shifted off to the left again getting his right, upwind wing, high again. He was seen reaching for his release. I understand that Bobby also released him. He kept doing a wing over to the left and dove straight into the ground from about 50 feet. He was killed immediately." Condolences to Robin's family. Last month you got to read about Angelo d'Arrigo's flight over Mount Everest. Now you can see some exceptional video clips at the following website: http://www.mounteverest.net/story/BestofExplorersWeb2004AwardsFlightoftheEagles-AngelosstoryJan62005.shtml Even after I studied all the facts of this exceptional flight, I didn't get the flavor as well as I did when I saw the video which runs for several minutes (a high-speed connection may be required; I didn't test this at dial-up speeds). Presented are some points of view that I never expected, including on-board camera views when the towline snapped and left Angelo stranded over the most forbidding terrain imaginable. I don't know how long these stories stay posted so I'd advise you point your browser to the above address soon and have a gander. While you're browsing|You can view some spectacular Eagle flight footage with a tiny, one-ounce camera (and transmitter) mounted on the neck of the Eagle. See a series of video clips at http://media.animal.discovery.com/convergence/spyonthewild/birdtech/birdtech.html. These are really quite amazing views and a great way to kill time at work or when you can't go flying in person. Finally, the 2005 contest season in the U.S. is fast approaching. Regarding the U.S. Nationals, those events that seem annually to happen in Florida are often oversubscribed. Of the upcoming Nats at Quest Flight Park, organizer Steve Kroop writes, "We received over 90 applications on the first day of registration and, to date we have received over 120 applications, which means we have a waiting list. Of course, we will be working on securing more tugs so we can let everyone in." This event also serves as the pre-Worlds meet from which it gains additional importance. Contact Steve at Quest: 352-429-0213 or questair@mpinet.com. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

OSHKOSH, WISC. — While the deep snow swirls in strong winter winds up here in the southern tundra, it’s enjoyable to think about the 15th World Meet taking place in sunny, hot Australia where this time of year is “summer.” The event concluded just as this column was sent to the editor, and I’m pleased to report a few highlights. Some contest enthusiasts followed this on Davis Straub’s Oz Report (ozreport.com) from which I’ve distilled a few points of interest. The new reigning champion of flex wings is Oleg Bondarchuk of the Ukraine. Working for Aeros, he was, of course, flying an Aeros Combat L and finished with a clear lead over second place finisher Rob Reisinger of Austria flying an Icaro Zero 7, followed by fellow Austrian, Gerolf Heinrichs, flying a Moyes Lightspeed S4. Congratulations to these top three finalists in hang gliding’s top worldwide competition. You may also note with interest that the top three pilots flew different brands so no company “swept” the top positions.

Product Lines – February 2005

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ST. PAUL, MINN. -- As this issue went to press, the Christmas cards and calls were arriving as usual. One call was a flashback to precisely two years ago, when in this column (Feb. '03) I wrote a farewell to longtime Hang Gliding editor, Gil Dodgen. So, perhaps it was fitting that he should call recently. Gil was charged up over a big success by his employer of the last couple years. Vertigo is an aviation and defense developer and they'd just done a specialized parachute drop that hit the target perfectly. The SoCal company creates solutions and has found answers when others couldn't to create a successful enterprise. This is no surprise as Vertigo has quite a brain trust so the addition of software writer Dodgen was quite appropriate. In addition to Glen Brown, who you may not know, Vertigo's staff is "hang gliding heavy." Brown's founding partner is CEO Roy Haggard whose most notable hang gliding claim to fame was developing the UP Comet, a glider widely believed to have forever changed the design of hang gliders. Other staff members include Tom Price, former owner of ASG hang gliders and for many years an aeronautical engineer who helped raise the level of sophistication for a maturing hang gliding industry; Dave Cronk, a partner in the original Eipper-Formance hang glider company which morphed into the worldwide ultralight industry's largest-ever producer, Quicksilver; Roger McCracken, a former Wills Wing production boss; and now Gil Dodgen, 25-year editor of the magazine you are reading. To show just how HG friendly Vertigo is, Wills Wing owners Rob Kells, Steve Pearson, Mike Meier and Linda Meier were invited to the company Christmas party. And, as he has done before at WW-brand events, Gil worked a keyboard of a different sort. If you've forgotten or never knew, Dodgen is a concert pianist quite adept at entertaining through music. Product news this month is the pending sale of U.S. Aeros, the company founded in 1996 by GW Meadows and his partner Sunny Venesky. After a satisfying nine-year run, GW decided he had other ideas he wanted to pursue and running a successful import business takes so much time that he felt he couldn't do both. As they started their enterprise, a natural division of labor occurred, with Sunny handling flight testing, shipping, and receiving and GW handling everything else the business required. This method has worked for U.S. Aeros for almost a decade. In 1997 and 1998, the business "went nuts," says GW. He explained saying that it was the time of topless glider emergence. American topless glider prices were edging beyond $6,000, a price many buyers found high. When the Stealth came out and U.S. Aeros priced it at $4,800, they unleashed pent-up demand and "we sold hundreds," Meadows reported. Those still considering kingposted gliders now turned to topless and never looked back. Then came 1999 and a recession that ushered in the 2000s. As GW sees it, lots of HG pilots had just bought a topless and needed to fly it for a while to justify the investment. It wasn't until 2001 that topless sales again picked up. Now, the Aeros line is back on track with 2004 the best ever for U.S. Aeros. GW's longtime partner, Sunny, is the operator of Highland Aerosports in Ridgely, Maryland. Sunny had been partners with Chad Elkin who was tragically lost while flying a Dragonfly; his brother later stepped in to help run the hang glider training and towing business. Though GW Meadows was the out-front guy that everyone knows, Sunny has quietly done the good work and in 2004 was feted as USHGA's Instructor of the Year. The plan to sell U.S. Aeros does not include Sunny's Highland Aerosports enterprise nor GW's mail-order business, Just Fly, which will continue business as usual. In fact, that identifies one of the reasons for GW to sell. "Selling hang gliders and harnesses is a very pilot-focused effort. It takes lots of time on the phone or in person to transact a sale because customers have lots of questions," Meadows reports. It simply was not allowing him the time to stretch his creative wings...or his figurative ones. He concluded, "I'm looking forward to just being a hang glider pilot once again." And despite the hassles of conducting glider trades, he added "I'll really miss the day-to-day interactions with my fellow pilots and loyal customers." So, if you're looking for a nice import business all set up and ready to go, contact GW at 252-480-3552 or GW@JustFly.com. Though it isn't hang gliding or paragliding, it is the world's longest-ever soaring flight. Do you know the name Steve Fossett? He's a wealthy pilot with the time to pursue world records. You may have read recently that he plans to fly solo around the world nonstop in a specially built airplane by Burt Rutan, the designer of SpaceShipOne and Voyager (which also circled the world nonstop, but with two pilots on board). Here's the report from AvWeb.com, an aviation e-zine. "Chalk up another record for Steve Fossett -- compliments of one of the longest stretches of ridge-soarable geography in the world (the Andes). The world's best-known extreme aviator broke the straight-line distance record for sailplanes December 4 when he flew an ASH 25M high-performance sailplane about two-thirds the length of Argentina, a total distance of 1,358 miles." "The flight, between the Argentine cities of El Calafate and San Juan, is roughly equivalent to the distance from New York to Dallas. It took Fossett and copilot 15 hours and 42 minutes and beat the old record, set by Klaus Ohlmann on the same course, by about eight miles. Fossett said conditions were perfect for the flight, which took him over the spine of South America in the stiff winds that mark spring over the Andes." Fossett now holds world records in five categories: hot-air balloons, airships, sailboats, gliders, and jets. He planned to attempt a nonstop, 80-hour solo flight around the world in the Rutan-designed GlobalFlyer in early January, 2005 from Salina, Kansas. Outta room. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — As this issue went to press, the Christmas cards and calls were arriving as usual. One call was a flashback to precisely two years ago, when in this column (Feb. ’03) I wrote a farewell to longtime Hang Gliding editor, Gil Dodgen. So, perhaps it was fitting that he should call recently. Gil was charged up over a big success by his employer of the last couple years. Vertigo is an aviation and defense developer and they’d just done a specialized parachute drop that hit the target perfectly. The SoCal company creates solutions and has found answers when others couldn’t to create a successful enterprise. This is no surprise as Vertigo has quite a brain trust so the addition of software writer Dodgen was quite appropriate. In addition to Glen Brown, who you may not know, Vertigo’s staff is “hang gliding heavy.” Brown’s founding partner is CEO Roy Haggard whose most notable hang gliding claim to fame was developing the UP Comet, a glider widely believed to have forever changed the design of hang gliders.

Powrachte Eclectic Star

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Kansas-based Powrachute has become one of the country's largest powered producers because they keep innovating. Their latest creation is a full enclosure for their Eclectic Star model. Before that they wowed visitors to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh when they showed a powered parachute propelled by a T-58 jet engine. Talk about a crowd pleaser; no one missed hearing it. In fact, company president Eddie Johnson (no relations to yours truly) said it flies just like any powered parachute, "only louder." No exaggeration in that comment.

Kansas-based Powrachute has become one of the country’s largest powered producers because they keep innovating. Their latest creation is a full enclosure for their Eclectic Star model. Before that they wowed visitors to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh when they showed a powered parachute propelled by a T-58 jet engine. Talk about a crowd pleaser; no one missed hearing it. In fact, company president Eddie Johnson (no relations to yours truly) said it flies just like any powered parachute, “only louder.” No exaggeration in that comment.

Connie Amphib — “The Flying Float” (and it is!)

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Check out Bobbie Bailey's Connie Amphib. Many pilots are aware of aircraft referred to as flying boats. Among ultralight aircraft, the Aventura, SeaRey and Buccaneer stand out as good examples as do trikes like Polaris' Flying Inflatable Boat. The flying boat reference describes those aircraft built around a boat hull with substantially different structure than airplanes equipped with two floats. That clear definition is blurred by the introduction of a novel new ultralight from the inventive mind of Bobbie Bailey. His new Connie amphibian is neither flying boat nor a float-equipped ultralight. My BRS associate, Gregg Ellsworth, tagged it a "flying float." Works for me. Canada's Lotus Float company offers a single float setup that functions much the same way but is an add-on to a wheeled ultralight. This may make a perfectly fine floatplane, but you have to do the fitting yourself, and it simply won't be as elegant as Bailey's Connie amphib.

An Ultralight Connie

To many interested in aircraft preservation, the term Connie means the Lockheed Constellation, that once-futuristic airliner with a gently curved fuselage and triple rudders that lend a distinctive shape to the four-radial-piston-engine transport. Though I fondly recall flying in one of these as a youngster, it's hardly a topic for my "Light Stuff" column. But Connie is. Here's a lightweight machine that can qualify under Part 103 ultralight regulations and that makes it worthy of inclusion here just as it may endear the new ultralight to those who appreciate the lightest of FAA definitions. Connie is Bailey's wife, and her name now christens the latest in a line of intriguing aircraft from this Florida designer. The flying float can be a True 103 ultralight under the defining Advisory Circular 103-7, which helps FAA field personnel determine if a given aircraft fits the ultralight reg. AC 103-7 isn't itself law but it works the same by clarifying what is and what isn't a Part 103 ultralight vehicle. Under 103-7, ultralight designers may add 30 pounds for each of two floats or 30 pounds if the ultralight uses a boat hull. An additional 10 pounds are permitted for each tip sponson, so the Connie may weigh 254 pounds (base empty weight) plus 30 for the hull plus 20 for twin sponsons for a grand total of 304 pounds. The Advisory Circular also allows 24 pounds for an emergency parachute, so Bailey's flying float can tip the scales as much as 328 pounds and remain within the guidelines of FAR 103. The Connie amphibian has been BRS-equipped, but it was removed for some other work before I showed up, camera in hand. Presently in prototype form, Connie could come in under the weight limit, which means an owner can gain all the benefits of Part 103 including buying a ready-to-fly ultralight that needs no license and no medical to operate legally. In a time when many still believe (wrongly) that you can hardly find a True 103 ultralight, this should sound delightful.

Pieced Together

"Someone gave me a Cosmos trike float and I decided to build an aircraft around it," reports Bailey, who used the float as the primary structural component. Next, he added a modified version of his Tempest ultralight sailplane wing, a few pieces of strategically located tubing, and a spare Rotax 447. This is how a float became an aircraft-one that appears to interest a wide swath of the fly-for-fun crowd. With business backing from his Australian partner, longtime hang glider producer Bill Moyes, Bailey confirmed plans to put the new Connie into production following an enthusiastic response at this year's Sun 'n Fun fly-in. "People loved it!" says Moyes, a 30-year veteran of the recreational aircraft business. Connie is a true amphibian with wheels that retract. True to Bailey's minimalist reputation, the gear is raised with a simple lever that lifts the main gear aft out of the water spray and pulls the tailwheel up inside the float body. The handle is then secured under a hook; one is mounted on each side. Photos with this story don't show the sponsons that Bailey placed way out toward the wingtip of the flying float. They use a lone strut for support, but Bailey assures, "It's a nylon rod with more than enough strength to do the job." The result is a cleaner look than a series of tubes commonly used by ultralight flying boat designers.

Sea Trials

Most important among the efforts needed to bring the Connie to market are water exercises. "I've floated the amphibian," says Bailey, "but I haven't done takeoffs or landings yet." He confirmed that these trials were scheduled for early May 2001. My examination of the ultralight came in mid-April after Sun 'n Fun was over. Only a few refinements are pending for the flying float. One change will scrap the currently retractable tailwheel for a fixed one that may incorporate a water rudder to aid water taxiing. The production version will feature a molded-in seat that can get wet, and Bailey will extend the float by about 18 inches for better support in water operations. Connie isn't ready yet, but Bailey has a long history of making dreams come true. He once worked with Advanced Aviation and was instrumental in the development of the highly successful Buccaneer flying boat ultralight. Later Bailey developed an ultralight tug called the Dragonfly, which has virtually transformed modern hang gliding. In his spare time, he created the Tempest ultralight sailplane. Bailey plans to offer the Connie with two interchangeable wings. One, as shown in photos, is a cruising wing with more speed. A larger wing will use the Hershey bar shape and will optimize flights around the lake with lower cruise and stall speeds. I declined a flight until Connie is more refined. There's no point to writing about changes that are sure to come in the final version. But once it's ready, I'll be on it faster than you can say "amphibian." FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Moyes Microlights, 200 Hillcrest Dr., Auburn, CA 95603; call 530/888-8622; fax 530-888-8708; e-mail flyamoyes@aol.com. (Note: Contact information is dated and may be inaccurate. —0220)
Originally published in Kitplanes Magazine

Check out Bobbie Bailey’s Connie Amphib. Many pilots are aware of aircraft referred to as flying boats. Among ultralight aircraft, the Aventura, SeaRey and Buccaneer stand out as good examples as do trikes like Polaris’ Flying Inflatable Boat. The flying boat reference describes those aircraft built around a boat hull with substantially different structure than airplanes equipped with two floats. That clear definition is blurred by the introduction of a novel new ultralight from the inventive mind of Bobbie Bailey. His new Connie amphibian is neither flying boat nor a float-equipped ultralight. My BRS associate, Gregg Ellsworth, tagged it a “flying float.” Works for me. Canada’s Lotus Float company offers a single float setup that functions much the same way but is an add-on to a wheeled ultralight. This may make a perfectly fine floatplane, but you have to do the fitting yourself, and it simply won’t be as elegant as Bailey’s Connie amphib.

Part 103 Ultralight Trikes

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Easily the most unusual trike at AirVenture was the Escape Pod from Seagull Aerosports. The new model is also the world's first fully enclosed trike.

A study in contrast: Steve Rewolinski's custom nanotrike in front of Al Reay's highly customized Titan Tornado. Both flew in the pattern at AirVenture 2003. All the trikes in this column combined have less power than the Titan.

Approaching for landing at the Oshkosh ultralight airstrip is Steve Rewolinski's reduced-drag trike.

Part 103 ultralight trikes aim at soaring pilots. Many visitors to Oshkosh AirVenture 2003 expected the FAA to announce its new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. New Administrator Marion Blakey reported signing off on the rule on July 30, but with two other agencies in line to review it, we aren’t likely to see the final version until 2004. Visitors may not have expected to see more than a few Part 103 ultralight aircraft at AirVenture (some thought they would disappear as LSA approaches). But there were many. Next month I’ll write about two Part 103 rotary-wing aircraft, but this time, the subject is nanotrikes. Nanotrike is a term to describe extremely light wheeled structures combining powered paraglider engines and contemporary hang glider wings. The idea is to create a low-cost, self-launching ultralight motorglider. Trike Pod Minnesota-based Seagull Aerosports debuted its Escape Pod at Oshkosh. Pushed by a single-cylinder Cors-Air engine generating 25 hp, the Escape Pod weighs only 75 pounds. Including the wing and fuel, empty weight totals 160 pounds, so the Italian engine designed for powered paragliders offers sufficient thrust. The company also has an unpowered version called the Pod Racer, intended to be towed aloft. The Escape Pod offers a motorglider for the hang glider set, and it impressed visitors with its many innovative features. The full enclosure is the most obvious as this has never been done on a trike because it relies on weight shift for control. The fully faired pilot flying a modern hang glider needs only gentle finger-tip control for most operations. But on landing or in rough conditions, the pilot’s hands can move outside the enclosure for more aggressive control through lengthwise slits in a wide neoprene cover. Note the black area in the photo. The body is made of composite foam sandwich construction of PVC and graphite prepreg materials and weighs only 12 pounds out of the mold. All three wheels retract fully inside the body for lower drag. An in-flight trim system advances such developments on trikes by physically moving the pod relative to the wing. A single streamlined and tapered composite mast holds trike to wing, doing away with the forward support tube that obstructs vision on most trike ultralights. A BRS rocket-deployed parachute is housed in the same compartment as the engine, and noise is deadened for pilot comfort by an anechoic foam. Pricing has not been set, but the Escape Pod attracted liberal interest at Oshkosh, and the Pod Racer is eagerly anticipated for rent at many hang glider flight parks where ultralights tow pilots to thermals. Powerlite & SkyCycle Lookout Mountain Flight Park—one of the country’s largest hang glider flight schools—displayed two nanotrikes. The company’s own design, the SkyCycle, is a good example of an early nanotrike refined with recent touches like in-flight-accessible carry bags on either side of the seat frame. The other nanotrike is the Powerlite, imported from Australia and also sold by Washington-based U.S. Airborne. The Powerlite is another early nanotrike and it, too, has been refined from the earliest examples. Powerlite is made by Airtime Products, which makes a larger, heavier trike and a powered hang glider harness called the Explorer. Like the Pod, the Powerlite uses the Italian Cors-Air engine that found success powering those strap-on-your-back paraglider rigs. You can also select the Swedish-made Radne Rocket engine that puts out a mere 14 hp but is enough to get this extraordinarily light trike aloft. The Powerlite is a collection of a few tubes that uses a pocket on the back of the seat to contain the tiny fuel tank, but it has deluxe features including electric starting, self-charging power and an intake silencer to quiet operations, plus a carry bag capable of storing the entire trike chassis. Lookout Mountain’s SkyCycle is known in the light powered soaring trike field. The Georgia company has delivered about 100 of these rigs, mostly to hang glider pilots who already have a wing they can use. Formerly known as the Freedom Machine, the SkyCycle uses a Japanese Zenoah engine that puts out 22 hp and features in-flight restarting, a 54-inch prop, 2.5-gallon fuel tank, heat-treated chrome-moly landing gear, and 95-pound trike weight. It has been demonstrated to handle rough landings. Rewolinksi’s Rig Steve Rewolinski is one of America’s top-ranked hang glider competition pilots. In contests, pilots like Rewolinski often race 100 miles or more to a goal. They must have advanced cross-country flying skills, finely developed wings, high-tech instrumentation (varios, GPS units and radios), and a certain amount of athletic ability to put it all together. When a fellow like Rewolinski decides to build his own nanotrike, it stands to reason he would do it differently. All top competitors focus obsessively on drag reduction. They use shaped helmets, body-smoothing harnesses, gliders without upper rigging, and streamlined control bars. Rewolinksi’s still-unnamed nanotrike makes extensive use of streamlined structural tubing. He carries a hand-deployed parachute alongside his seat that presents little area to the wind, and his instrument pod is nestled between his knees. His posture in the trike seat is called suprone, meaning that he is lying down as flat as practical to further smooth his passage through the air. [Editor’s note: The Wright brothers used the same horizontal position on their first gliders and the 1903 airplane for the same reason.] His nanotrike is powered by the Simonini engine, which is yet another from Italy aimed at the powered paraglider pilot community. Pilots who wear the engine on their backs and run to take off want the lowest weight, least vibration, ease of operation, electric restart and miserly fuel use. Rewolinsky plans to contract with Wisconsin-based Skymaster Powered Parachutes to manufacture his design. Fly Freely Nanotrikes may be aimed currently at hang glider pilots, but conventional trike pilots could also find joy in shutting down the engine of a nanotrike and using thermal or ridge lift to fly almost silently. And these machines pack so small and cost little enough (around $10,000) that three-axis pilots may want to sample them. Add the benefits of no medical, no pilot license and no FAA registration and you can see why Part 103 ultralight vehicles will certainly retain a place in the aviation spectrum. TO REVIEW ALL “Light Stuff” columns that have appeared in KITPLANES®, visit www.ByDanJohnson.com, which links to the KITPLANES® web site with articles of interest.
Published in Kitplanes Magazine

Part 103 ultralight trikes aim at soaring pilots. Many visitors to Oshkosh AirVenture 2003 expected the FAA to announce its new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. New Administrator Marion Blakey reported signing off on the rule on July 30, but with two other agencies in line to review it, we aren’t likely to see the final version until 2004. Visitors may not have expected to see more than a few Part 103 ultralight aircraft at AirVenture (some thought they would disappear as LSA approaches). But there were many. Next month I’ll write about two Part 103 rotary-wing aircraft, but this time, the subject is nanotrikes. Nanotrike is a term to describe extremely light wheeled structures combining powered paraglider engines and contemporary hang glider wings. The idea is to create a low-cost, self-launching ultralight motorglider. Trike Pod Minnesota-based Seagull Aerosports debuted its Escape Pod at Oshkosh. Pushed by a single-cylinder Cors-Air engine generating 25 hp, the Escape Pod weighs only 75 pounds.

Transitioning?

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Help! I Wasn't Registered by September 1.

Timeline.

A primer for ultralight pilots transitioning themselves and their machines Ultralight pilots flying legal Part 103 single-place ultralights are not affected by the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. The rules of FAR Part 103 remain the same. Current and future ultralight pilots are free to enjoy those freedoms. If they choose to become sport pilots at a later date, any training logged as a registered ultralight pilot can be counted toward the training requirements for a sport pilot certificate. The rule pertaining to legal ultralight vehicles also do not change. The sport pilot and lightsport aircraft (SP/LSA) rule is now officially part of the American aviation culture. Some of us who fly Part 103-legal ultralights will continue to be ultralight pilots. Others who fly two-place or overweight machines must eventually transition themselves to sport pilot status and their machines to light-sport aircraft status to remain legal. With the rule now final, we'll address the requirements for those ultralight pilots and instructors wishing to transition themselves and their machines. How do we make the transition? Ultralight Pilots Ultralight pilots who were registered with an FAA-recognized ultralight registration program on or before September 1, 2004 and who transition to sport pilot status by January 31, 2007 will only have to take the knowledge (written) and practical (flight) test to become sport pilots. By recognizing properly logged ultralight hours, FAA is allowing ultralight pilots to use those accumulated hours toward the experience requirements of obtaining an FAA pilot certificate. All pilots seeking the sport pilot certificate must: Be at least 17 years old (16 for glider or balloon). Obtain a copy of their ultralight pilot records from the FAA-recognized organization with which they are registered. Hold either a third-class (or higher) medical certificate or a valid U.S. driver's license (provided the individual's last medical certificate, if one was applied for, was not denied, revoked, or suspended). Pass an FAA sport pilot knowledge test administered by an FAA testing facility. Pass an FAA sport pilot practical test, which includes an oral and flight test administered by a sport pilot examiner (SPE) or sport pilot flight instructor examiner (SFIE). Ultralight Flight Instructors Ultralight flight instructors (UFIs) who were registered with an FAA-recognized training exemption holder on or before September 1, 2004, will receive credit for properly logged instructional hours in ultralights. UFIs wishing to transition must do so no later than January 31, 2008, the date when all ultralight exemptions expire. For UFIs who transition by that date, FAA's only requirement will be for them to demonstrate that they have the knowledge and ability to exercise the privileges of a sport pilot flight instructor by taking the knowledge and practical test. Pilots wishing to be certificated as sport pilot certified flight instructors (SP-CFIs) must: Be at least 18 years old. Obtain a copy of their ultralight pilot records from the FAA-recognized organization with which they are registered. Meet minimum flight time requirements for the applicable category of LSA. Have a current and valid sport pilot certificate or higher. Pass an FAA sport pilot flight instructor knowledge test administered by an FAA testing facility. Pass an FAA sport pilot flight instructor practical test, which includes oral and flight tests administered by a SFIE. Ultralight Examiners and Designated Pilot Examiners Existing ultralight examiners may apply to become SPEs and SFIEs, and EAA encourages experienced ultralight examiners to apply. They must: Be at least 18 years old. Have at least a current and valid sport pilot flight instructor certificate. Meet minimum flight time requirements for the applicable category of LSA. Apply and be accepted to attend the FAA examiner seminar (a five-day course). Successfully complete the FAA examiner seminar. Current designated pilot examiners (DPEs) may request the authority to administer practical tests for sport pilots and sport pilot flight instructors. Ultralight Vehicles Single-place ultralights that do not meet the limits of FAR Part 103 now have the opportunity to transition to LSA status. Specifically, those aircraft will transition to the experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) category. The owner of the aircraft does not need to show that he or she has built any part of the aircraft. Rather, the aircraft must undergo a one-time inspection by a designated airworthiness representative (DAR) to verify that the aircraft is in acceptable condition for safe flight. The aircraft will be issued an N-number and an airworthiness certificate in the E-LSA category. FAA will begin accepting applications for N-numbers on October 1, 2004. To obtain an N-number, you must complete FAA Form 8050-1, which is available from your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), and FAA Form 8050-88A (an affidavit form), which will be available online at http://afs600.faa.gov. Note, however, once an aircraft owner receives the N-number from FAA, the aircraft cannot be flown until it is inspected and receives an airworthiness certificate. The first E-LSA airworthiness certificates will not be issued until January 1, 2005, so time the receipt of your N-number accordingly. It can take from 45 to 60 days to receive an N-number. Note also that you must have your N-number before the aircraft can be inspected to receive its airworthiness certificate. After that, the aircraft must undergo an annual condition inspection, which must be noted in the aircraft's logbook. The owner of the aircraft can conduct that condition inspection, if he or she has attended a 16-hour course applicable to that make/model aircraft set. The owner can do any maintenance as well. Single-place ultralight vehicles that do not meet FAR 103 must obtain an E-LSA airworthiness certificate by January 31, 2008, to continue to be flown legally by a sport pilot. Here are the easy steps to convert your ultralight to an experimental light-sport aircraft: Apply for an N-number. Prepare a weight and balance report for your aircraft. Install an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) on all two-seat airplanes (not required for powered parachutes and weight-shift aircraft); ELTs are optional on single-seaters. Prepare your ultralight for inspection. Make an appointment with an FAA Airworthiness Inspector or a DAR. Check www.eaa.org or call 888/EAAINFO (888/322-4636) to find the nearest DAR. Have your N-number and get your aircraft inspected. Two-Place Ultralight Trainers and Future Flight Instruction Aircraft currently being flown as two-place ultralight trainers can still be used for compensation and hire for the purpose of giving flight instruction until January 31, 2010, or until the aircraft is sold, whichever comes first. However, the aircraft must be certificated as E-LSAs no later than January 31, 2008. Once the aircraft receives an N-number and airworthiness certificate, it must be flown by an FAA-certificated pilot or flight instructor. Ultralight flight instructors who have not yet converted to sport pilot flight instructor status can no longer fly such N-numbered aircraft. After January 31, 2010, only aircraft certificated in the special light-sport aircraft category can be used for flight instruction. The deadline for the use of previous two-seat trainers was extended until that date to allow for the manufacture of special LSAs to be more fully developed and to allow instructors to amortize the expense of their training vehicle over a greater time period. EAA Can Help EAA has designed programs to help you easily transition from ultralight to sport pilot. EAA Aviation Information Services staff can help-e-mail info@eaa.org or call 877/359-1232.
Published in EAA Sport Pilot & Light Sport Aircraft Magazine

A primer for ultralight pilots transitioning themselves and their machines Ultralight pilots flying legal Part 103 single-place ultralights are not affected by the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule. The rules of FAR Part 103 remain the same. Current and future ultralight pilots are free to enjoy those freedoms. If they choose to become sport pilots at a later date, any training logged as a registered ultralight pilot can be counted toward the training requirements for a sport pilot certificate. The rule pertaining to legal ultralight vehicles also do not change. The sport pilot and lightsport aircraft (SP/LSA) rule is now officially part of the American aviation culture. Some of us who fly Part 103-legal ultralights will continue to be ultralight pilots. Others who fly two-place or overweight machines must eventually transition themselves to sport pilot status and their machines to light-sport aircraft status to remain legal. With the rule now final, we’ll address the requirements for those ultralight pilots and instructors wishing to transition themselves and their machines.

Product Lines – July 2004

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St. Paul, Minn. - Paraphrasing a famous speaker, "You can satisfy all of the people some of the time or all of the people some of the time, but, well| that's about it. I'm referring to my story about Raven Sky Sports - it's sale, then non-sale, and the challenge to its name. First, I got in trouble for announcing a purchase by an Oregon-based pilot. He and founder/owner Brad Kushner could never quite close an almost-done deal. The would-be buyer was at first very upset with me that I would share this news with the public without getting permission (though I received an email announcement letter along with numerous other recipients). We patched that up between us but then the sale never happened. Next, I got a very unhappy but carefully written, four-page letter from the lawyer who asked Kushner to stop using the name Raven Sky Sports. He thought I characterized him in a poor light. In fact, I know Marshall McFarlane, owner of the ultralight business named SkySports. I just didn't know the half of it and Marshall wanted me to hear the rest of the story. It turns out he's a USHGA member, an avid paragliding pilot, and occasional hang glider pilot whose business is actually quite active with hang glider or paraglider pilots. "About 20% of my revenue is from this community," he says. I'll report more on the HG and PG products SkySports offers in a subsequent issue. FMI: airstuff.com. Twenty years ago, McFarlane bought the backup parachute business from SkySports, producer of the Kestrel and other fine hang gliders of its day. Except for a short period when he sold it to another man, McFarlane's SkySports has continued selling parachutes and a wide range of other flight gear. As to the name dispute, he reports several times asking politely for Kushner to cease using the name. After requests on SkySports letterhead were ignored, he sent one from his law firm. Since he works in the area of trademarks he knew he had the right to SkySports but preferred not to resort to legal action against a fellow hang gliding enthusiast. The matter has now effectively been laid to rest as Raven ceased operations. Fortunately for midwest hang gliding fans, John Gamble sent an update. "I wanted to pass along the following| The hang gliding pilots in the area were not about to give up our love of flying so the Whitewater Hang Gliding club has been formed to replace the operation. The club has leased the airport and a hangar at the same location (Twin Oaks Airport) in Whitewater, Wisconsin and is nearly ready to begin the flying season." He reports the club is well organized, growing, and has the support of a broad membership, presided by Terry Kramer who "has the help and support of many people to keep things moving along smoothly." Tim Thompson purchased a tug and is establishing his own business offering 7-days-a-week towing to the club. Tim formerly worked for Raven and is a tug pilot at the Florida Ridge operation in the winter, a plan he'll continue. Flying was expected to be operational as you read this and they're hoping someone will offer lessons and tandem flights. The Wisconsin Hang Gliding club extends an invitation to area pilots. FMI: john gamble@cunamutual.com In mid-March Ken Brown did some proselytizing to the bunch that flies powered ultralights. He was on UltraFlight Radio - an Internet broadcast - talking about suprone flying. It was quite progressive of radio show boss Roy Beisswenger to have Ken as a guest, giving him a chance to promote hang gliding to guys used to throttles rather than varios. I applaud Ken for reaching out to other pilot groups with magic of soaring flight. But we also need to reach the general population with our message. With that in mind I recently presented an idea for a Light-Sport Aircraft Promotional Board to attendees of the ASTM meeting which deals with certification standards for aircraft above Part 103 in the aviation food chain. If you think about "Got Milk" or the "California Raisin" commercials you've seen, what you witnessed was the work of a industry group that joins competitors together to approach new markets none of the producers can afford to reach on their own. All of aviation shares one common problem: we are seeing little growth over a period of years and the current population of pilots are graying. Fortunately, we've seen enough new entrants - paragliding has helped USHGA a lot - that we've kept our numbers or grown slightly despite the loss of retiring pilots. But simply holding steady isn't much of future. You think it doesn't affect you? Well, may I observe that we once had several glider manufacturers in the USA and now we have one, basically. While Wills Wing is doing an excellent job, it is challenging to maintain development in a declining market. New enthusiasts will bring more money that can be used to create better products for current pilots. I'm hopeful that the promotional board can form, start some good marketing work, and begin solving the problem by appealing to the general public in phases. I'm also hopeful that this effort, the only one I know of, will include USHGA. Traffic on my Web site started gradually, but picked up nicely in May after I sent an email announcement to 1,700 folks who'd asked to be notified. Based on results in the first half of May, ByDanJohnson.com should exceed 150,000 hits for the month. USHGA pilots can read this column from January 2000 to the present; I plan to add the 1990s next. In this completely free area, you can search all of "Product Lines" looking for a specific reference. I'll be adding regularly to the site, so even if you've already visited once, stop back periodically to see what's new. And, of course, if you've got news| but wait! |that my trademark ender. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

St. Paul, Minn. – Paraphrasing a famous speaker, “You can satisfy all of the people some of the time or all of the people some of the time, but, well| that’s about it. I’m referring to my story about Raven Sky Sports – it’s sale, then non-sale, and the challenge to its name. First, I got in trouble for announcing a purchase by an Oregon-based pilot. He and founder/owner Brad Kushner could never quite close an almost-done deal. The would-be buyer was at first very upset with me that I would share this news with the public without getting permission (though I received an email announcement letter along with numerous other recipients). We patched that up between us but then the sale never happened. Next, I got a very unhappy but carefully written, four-page letter from the lawyer who asked Kushner to stop using the name Raven Sky Sports. He thought I characterized him in a poor light.

Product Lines – December 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

WALLABY RANCH, FL -- While northerners prepare for winter and snow, it's hot and sunny here in Florida. I'm in the state for a collection of aviation events, kicked off by a big gathering at Malcolm Jones' "Ranch." They called it the Moyes Boys Reunion. When most of us hear "reunion" we think of Class Reunions, and many groan about having to attend. Since I similar gatherings like Dockweiler and Grandfather Mountain, I was pleased to make this one. I saw old friends I hadn't seen in 20+ years. But what really moved me was meeting John Dickenson, who may have been THE man who invented the hang glider as we know it today. John taught both Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett to fly "ski kites" as they were then called. Moyes went on to become a major brand name. Bill Bennett once directed a leading company that gave Bob Wills his start in the business. Without John Dickenson, we might not have gotten modern hang gliders as soon|or maybe at all! Who knows? John tells a great tale about how he happened into this endeavor. A water ski club, of which John became a member, planned their annual event and "assigned" John the duty of building and flying a towed kite. They were thinking of a flat kite or some variation. But early in 1963, John saw photos of Francis Rogallo's work. From January when the club made their request to November when the event occurred, Dickenson developed an airframe for Rogallo's wing design and added a version of the control bar we accept as standard today. He even filed a patent for the invention way back in 1963. His total cost: $24. John added many other facts I found fascinating but which are too numerous to present here. For a more complete account of the Dickenson story go to www.bchpa.org/newsletter/may04/hghistory.htm John mentioned that the British Hang Gliding Association (BHPA now) gave him a free lifetime membership in recognition of his ground-breaking work to develop the modern hang glider. Other nations have also honored John but the U.S. -- arguably the biggest benefactor of his work -- has never formally recognized his formative work. Perhaps it's time we changed that? For a minor annual expenditure, USHGA might provide John with a complimentary membership. It seems a small gesture for a man whose work has given so many of us so much pleasure. One glaringly obvious missing element in the festivities was Bill Bennett. As reported here last month, Bill perished in a trike accident in early October. He was reportedly pursuing lessons and had taken the front seat after a few flights in the rear. Details will surely follow but hang gliding has clearly lost one its true pioneers. For pilots with some memory, "Uncle Bill," as he was affectionately known to many, was one of the first brand names they knew. Delta Wing Kites was a leader for many years and Bill's company released numerous essential products. The gliders developed rapidly in those early days and Delta Wing was right in the forefront. However, as Bill came from a tow-flying orientation, he also sold tow equipment and floats. His company was one of the first to promote "back-up parachutes," and he offered the first commercial powered back-pack power setup of which I'm aware. Beside his technical developments for hang gliding, he was also one the sport's genuine characters, always with a quick smile and a joke. Most would agree he was one of a kind! Bill, we'll miss you. Well, it was after all a Moyes reunion. Moyes USA sponsored the event in concert with Wallaby Ranch. Naturally, Ken put plenty of pilots on demo Moyes gliders. A Doodlebug flew many times and, of course, the Dragonflys did the towing -- all are Moyes (or Bailey/Moyes) products. Ken was pleased with the results as he took orders at the event and believes he'll see more in the weeks ahead. Together with Wallaby, Ken and his wife did a bang-up job with the event and all 350 or so attendees had a terrific time. Even though it was a Moyes reunion -- and perhaps as a sign of our growing maturity as an industry -- A.I.R. man Felix Ruhle showed up with four of his still-quite-new ATOS VX designs. Felix reports about 45 VXs are flying, but it was the first time I saw one live. What a beautiful construction, from its compound leading edge to its cascading spoilerons to its shapely all-carbon control bar to its high-tech leading edge junction hidden under a nose cone. VX is built big for tandem flying with a 46 foot span, 172 square feet of area, and 92 pounds of empty weight. My tandem flight with Ruhle proved to be an excellent way to check out a new wing. Felix gave tips about operation while skying out in decent thermals. When I took over the controls, I didn't squeeze as much out of it, but I did credibly well|enough so that following lunch at the Ranch, I took up Malcolm's new specially configured VX for an solo flight. In a word: impressive! Nice job, Felix and crew. The ATOS effort has been a solid one over the years. Ruhle reports selling 980 ATOSs since the first one went out the door. Given their lofty prices, this is an enviable sales record for a new kind of hang glider wing. The tandem-capable VX is priced at 12,500 euros, which at today's exchange rates is about $15,600, a rather wide gap from flex wings at something over $6,000, but this VX a different bird altogether and you have to pay for technology this high. While I enjoyed free flying the wing, I admit I looked at the VX as a soaring trike wing, given it's capacity to carry almost 500 pounds of load (Felix said A.I.R. is also pursuing use of the VX on nanotrikes). It appears as well suited for that use as it is for big pilots or tandem operations. I feel sure you'll hear more about ATOS VX in the months ahead. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

WALLABY RANCH, FL — While northerners prepare for winter and snow, it’s hot and sunny here in Florida. I’m in the state for a collection of aviation events, kicked off by a big gathering at Malcolm Jones’ “Ranch.” They called it the Moyes Boys Reunion. When most of us hear “reunion” we think of Class Reunions, and many groan about having to attend. Since I similar gatherings like Dockweiler and Grandfather Mountain, I was pleased to make this one. I saw old friends I hadn’t seen in 20+ years. But what really moved me was meeting John Dickenson, who may have been THE man who invented the hang glider as we know it today. John taught both Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett to fly “ski kites” as they were then called. Moyes went on to become a major brand name. Bill Bennett once directed a leading company that gave Bob Wills his start in the business.

Product Lines – November 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Just as the October "Product Lines" was headed to press a last-minute update was inserted into the column by USHGA's alert art director, Tim Meehan. At the end of last month's column I was writing about Alan Chuculate's paraglider aerotow trike, the SlowTow. A week after the deadline, Alan wrote, "The SlowTow project suffered a major setback on Wednesday when Floyd Fronius crashed in the trike and crushed a vertebrae and his heel. It was a classic case of a low altitude aerotow problem resulting in the towplane pilot getting pitched down and not releasing early enough. Both trike and glider were airborne at approximately 150 feet AGL." Alan reports that Floyd thought the glider had released because the towline was slack. He began to descend and turned left to reconnect and try again. "But as he turned left the towline tightened rapidly, the glider climbed dramatically, and the trike was slowed and pitched nose down." Perhaps Floyd should have released at the first sign of the problem, but it takes a short time to comprehend the situation and he didn't have those precious seconds. Neither did Floyd have time to hand deploy the reserve parachute that was part of the SlowTow's equipment list. Alan supposes, "If he had more altitude he would have fully pulled out of the dive, but instead impacted between a 45-degree and a 60-degree descent angle." The good news is that surgery on his L3 vertebrae was a complete success and he is expected to fully recover in about four months with the exception of some titanium preventing flexure between L2 and L4. Were it not for his broken heel he could be standing today, Alan says. His heel will be operated by next week and is expected to take three months to heal. The airframe appears to have sustained little damage based on a superficial inspection. About the project, Alan reports, "The SlowTow project will probably continue but possibly using a different configuration than a trike. We may abandon use of the trike because of it's inherent limitation of liftoff speed being significantly faster than stall speed." He expects Floyd will continue participation in the project after he recovers. For those who'd like to help out while Floyd is unable to operate his business, you can send donations through a fund made available at Lite Touch Films, the Website of friend and pilot Phil Russman: www.litetouchfilms.com/floydfund.html. Phone calls to Floyd at home are encouraged: 619-238-0835 or cellphone 619-283-2336. Best wishes to Floyd as he recovers. Paul Hamilton is known to many hang glider and paraglider pilots as the "video guy" who produces more DVDs than anyone I know in our favorite segment of aviation (he reports producing over 40 films!). Some years ago, he branched out into powered aviation and today, he is taking steps to be part of the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft explosion. His Hamilton Training System is catching the attention of organizations like NAFI, the National Association of Flight Instructors. NAFI held its first of several symposia to educate the general aviation community of certified flight instructors on the business potential of Sport Pilot. The premiere event took place in Sebring, Florida at the end of October when that city hosted the first-ever U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. Paul was one of the speakers. He also worked with the NAFI at the summertime airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. FMI: www.sport-pilot-training.com/hts.htm Another guy reaching out to alternative flying groups is Mr. Moyes USA, Ken Brown. Many in HG and PG seem focused so tightly on our favorite way to fly that we forget to go beyond our borders. Yet all human endeavors require growth for the health of an organization, business, or activity like soaring flight. I commend people like Paul and Kenny for marketing their goods and services to the wider group of aviators or non-pilots. To that goal, Kenny is promoting participation in the Soaring Society of America's Airsports Expo coming up in Ontario, California over February 10-12, 2005. Ken writes, "SSA is very excited about the inclusion of our Part 103 ultralights to the mix. As a supporter of the Expo I have taken on the task of building up the participation of vendors in the Part 103 end of the flight spectrum." He continues, enthusiastically, "No where on the west coast will you find more aviation enthusiasts gathered. Sailplanes, motorgliders, sport planes, hang gliders, paragliders, motor harnesses and accessories will be on display in the main hall. Manufacturers, distributors, dealers, school and flight park owners will be on hand with the latest gear and info." You can also attend lectures by experts in various soaring fields. Brown says topics will include performance flying to how to crash confidently. He advises you can go to www.SSA.org for information and the speaker schedule. Vendor info is available from Gaynell@ssa.org. If USHGA or other groups wish to meet at the event, Ken promises, "A room is being provided free of charge to our group as a result of our participation if we can pull together a cohesive group. I will be proposing to the HGMA that we hold a general meeting open to all professionals to hammer out a future marketing strategy." I applaud Kenny's efforts to push hang gliding businessmen to work harder at reaching out to other groups. FMI: flyamoyes@aol.com or 530-888-8622. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Just as the October “Product Lines” was headed to press a last-minute update was inserted into the column by USHGA’s alert art director, Tim Meehan. At the end of last month’s column I was writing about Alan Chuculate’s paraglider aerotow trike, the SlowTow. A week after the deadline, Alan wrote, “The SlowTow project suffered a major setback on Wednesday when Floyd Fronius crashed in the trike and crushed a vertebrae and his heel. It was a classic case of a low altitude aerotow problem resulting in the towplane pilot getting pitched down and not releasing early enough. Both trike and glider were airborne at approximately 150 feet AGL.” Alan reports that Floyd thought the glider had released because the towline was slack. He began to descend and turned left to reconnect and try again. “But as he turned left the towline tightened rapidly, the glider climbed dramatically, and the trike was slowed and pitched nose down.” Perhaps Floyd should have released at the first sign of the problem, but it takes a short time to comprehend the situation and he didn’t have those precious seconds.

Product Lines – October 2004

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St. Paul, Minn. -- Wills Wing has released their new Sport 2 model in the 135 square foot size. The company says, "The Sport 2 135 is a high performance glider for lighter pilots that's easy to fly and land. All of the HGMA vehicle tests are completed, and we are releasing the glider for sale at this time." The new model comes with their popular Litestream control bar and an aluminum faired base tube. WW reports that the Sport 2 can achieve a glider of about 13:1. The smaller model weighs only 54 pounds (your shoulders will love it!) and, as its mainly intended for smaller pilots, the control bar is three inches shorter than on the larger 155 model. More stats: Span is 29.3 feet (versus 31.5 on the 155), hook-in weight is 130 to 200 pounds (versus 150 to 250), and it will work best for someone with a body weight of 130 to 160 pounds (versus 150-200 for the larger model). Deliveries should be underway as you read this for a reasonable price of $4,275. Wills plans a 175 model for bigger pilots but no release date has been set. FMI: www.willswing.com The "Moyes Boys" are hosting a "Reunion and 37 Year celebration" later this month. Make your way to Wallaby Ranch during the weekend of October 23-24 to join the party. According to U.S. representative, Ken Brown, the weekend festivities will include a demo days experience with Moyes gliders and harnesses available for demo flights. Additionally, he plans to introduce the Dragonfly C model that has won German certification. You can also get in on tuning and maintenance seminars, or competition and cross-country flying clinics. Ken also notes that nearby Cypress Gardens will reopen in October. This onetime tourist resort was where many folks saw hang gliders for the first time -- and, interestingly, many of them were Moyes gliders many years ago. FMI: www.moyesamerica.com or dial 530-888-8622. What Ken may not know is that just a few days later, the Sebring (FL) U.S. Sport Aviation Expo will occur at the airport owned by the famous auto racetrack. Just down Highway 27 from Wallaby, the Sebring Expo runs October 28-31. Visitors will be able to see a wide array of light-sport aircraft that now fall under FAA's newest rule. The first-year event is the first of its kind, dedicated 100% to light sport flying machines and exhibit space was totally sold out in the summer of 2004 (though organizers may add some additional spaces). EAA will present forums of all kinds to educate visitors about the new rule and other matters and all day long, LSAs should be flying around and giving rides to those interested. To my knowledge, no hang glider or paragliding companies will be present, but I don't have the complete list of exhibitors. FMI: www.sport-aviation-expo.com Little trikes and big trikes for hang gliders pilots|Michael Riggs' Seagull Aerosports has his Escape Pod fully faired trike nearly ready for flight testing. He hopes to be ready in time to attend the Sebring Expo and, if so, would stay in Florida and make his way around to the various hang glider flight parks of the Sunshine State. The Escape Pod shown at the huge Oshkosh AirVenture airshow was a marvel of engineering achievement with its tiny paraglider engine tucked neatly away in the pod's body along with a rocket-deployed parachute system. Escape Pod is obviously the powered version but an unpowered, towable model called the Pod Racer may also be completed by this fall. For now, Seagull's Web site is up and running for you to see and read more. FMI: www.fly-seagull.com or dial 952-473-1480 From Alan Chuculate comes news of his aptly named "Slow Trike." This is a project to build a special-purpose trike suitable to aerotow paragliders. Alan has been doggedly pursuing this for months and progress is becoming visible. In mid-July he reported that Floyd Fronius completed construction of the trike. It stands taller than most trikes to accommodate a very large prop (72 in.) with generous ground clearance (18 in.). The wheel track (width) was also broadened to increase stability with the very large wing needed to fly slowly enough to safely aerotow paragliders. Testing started with taxi runs to verify the steering precision, the suspension effectiveness, and the bicycle-style front disk brake. All worked fine. Alan writes, "We then mounted the modified Condor wing on it for the first time. We had adequate prop clearance beneath the keel and the rear wires. Floyd made three flights of the SlowTow for a total of one hour of airtime in midday summer thermal turbulence with gusty winds." Alan wisely chose to wait for a mellower day so "my first flight would be fun and easy." Alan and Floyd planned to be out on the El Mirage dry lakebed in the high Mojave desert (4,000 ft MSL) for additional testing later in the summer. Alan projected, "If everything is go after some trike-only flights, we intend to make our first attempts at towing. We will probably start with a solo hang glider because neither Floyd nor I have any experience as a tug pilot. We may also try towing the Light Hawk ultralight sailplane that Danny Howell will be bringing. When it comes time for paraglider towing Floyd will be the tug pilot and I will be the paraglider pilot." This is an exciting development that could open up the flatlands to paragliding (without a back-pack engine, that is). More as Alan updates me| So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

St. Paul, Minn. — Wills Wing has released their new Sport 2 model in the 135 square foot size. The company says, “The Sport 2 135 is a high performance glider for lighter pilots that’s easy to fly and land. All of the HGMA vehicle tests are completed, and we are releasing the glider for sale at this time.” The new model comes with their popular Litestream control bar and an aluminum faired base tube. WW reports that the Sport 2 can achieve a glider of about 13:1. The smaller model weighs only 54 pounds (your shoulders will love it!) and, as its mainly intended for smaller pilots, the control bar is three inches shorter than on the larger 155 model. More stats: Span is 29.3 feet (versus 31.5 on the 155), hook-in weight is 130 to 200 pounds (versus 150 to 250), and it will work best for someone with a body weight of 130 to 160 pounds (versus 150-200 for the larger model).

Product Lines – September 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

OSHKOSH, WISC. -- Last month I was thrilled to report the Over Everest achievement of Richard Meredith-Hardy and fellow pilot Angelo d'Arrigo. Since then, I established contact with d'Arrigo for a story I prepared for Kitplanes magazine (Nov. 2004). After I investigated the project more thoroughly, I gained a clearer picture of the enormous challenges. So| As we left our heroes last month, Meredith-Hardy reported d'Arrigo was being bounced around after both aircraft flew through some high altitude turbulence. No surprise, really. In thin air at 29,035 feet the hazards are real -- even if you're standing still. According to tug pilot Meredith-Hardy, the "time of useful consciousness is less than one minute" without oxygen. Only with rigorous training over long periods have some climbers made the ascent without oxygen. The temperatures are colder than a cruel Minnesota winter with the wind howling. During their final ascent climbers take one step, rest for a full minute, then repeat| for hours. Keep that in mind when you envision Angelo towing along over some of the most forbidding terrain imaginable, wearing a large bottle of oxygen on his back and flying a glider festooned with cameras and batteries. His landing will be faster than you've ever flown your hang glider. Launching at 7:00 a.m. on May 24, 2004, d'Arrigo began a flight that would set a new precedent for hang gliding worldwide. Here's a man who has already crossed the Sahara, the Mediterranean, and Siberia with his hang glider. Now he's also flown over Everest with his hang glider. Where did YOU fly last weekend? Back to our Everest flight| Takeoff was achieved at about 45 mph after a long run, says d'Arrigo. Following their climbing cross country flight of many miles, d'Arrigo chronicled a key moment: "South of Everest and close to the peak, we ran into a gigantic area of rotor turbulence, which dragged the microlight violently downwards, projecting me upwards at the same time. This caused the towrope to break at the safety link. "We were at a height of about 9,000 meters, I was 500 meters south of Everest, about 150 meters over the peak. I released what was left of the towrope and headed for the peak, flying over it soon after. Then the situation became grave. Originally, d'Arrigo would have stayed on tow and planned a controlled release for free flight over the summit. He and Richard could have maintained visual contact with one another. However, the turbulence that upset the flight and broke the tow line weak link left the trike pilot unable to see his aerial companion. Richard writes, "I realized we had a line break. [But] with all my high-altitude gear on I didn't have much neck mobility so I couldn't look back to see [Angelo] and I didn't see anything in the mirror. By the time I had circled round [his] white [Icaro Stratos disappeared] against the vast white background of the upper Khumbu Glacier. Vanished into thin air!" Now, miles from his preferred LZ, d'Arrigo has been suddenly cut loose and had to fend for himself. Neither could he locate Richard and the Pegasus trike. His story continues: "I had identified ten possible emergency landing sites. I had marked them all on a map, with their GPS coordinates." Of these he eliminated several as unworkable and focused on an Italian research station near the base of the final Everest summit. Thanks to careful planning and nerves of steel developed in his earlier exploits, d'Arrigo was able to make his emergency landing. "When I had reached the right height, I started to prepare for the final approach. When I was just a few meters from the ground, my speed was still 100 km/h. It was important to use the wheels for landing because of the high speed caused by the altitude along with the weight of the equipment (oxygen cylinder, thermal clothing, three video cameras with recorders and batteries, two still cameras, survival materials, etc.)." Angelo's original idea was to tow aloft and then release, subsequently soaring up on the powerful ascending currents blowing up the north face of Everest. This proved impossible. Instead he chose to tow near the peak of Everest, approaching from the south, then to glide over the summit after having released the towrope. This would have better positioned him for landing and he and his tow pilot could've kept each other in sight. The whole story is available at their Web sites -- a fascinating flight and human drama. FMI: www.angelodarrigo.com or www.flymicro.com (Richard's site). CONGRATULATIONS, FELLOW PILOTS! JOB WELL DONE! I struggled to decide which story was more important. FAA's long-awaited release of Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft is significant. Yup, at a press conference on July 20th in the agency's DC headquarters, FAA was finally able to say, "It's done!" SP/LSA is much less important to soaring flight than to powered aviation. Yet it hits us big regarding towing -- for which we have a solution at hand* -- and for two-place flying. Both have a major impact on hang glider training. Whatever you think of the new regulation, Part 103 will not be altered. All single place hang gliding and paragliding will see no change so long as you mountain launch. The *solution is that tow pilots will be able to fly legal Light-Sport Aircraft tugs -- once manufacturers state that they comply with ASTM certification standards -- but they'll have to use a Private Pilot license or better. The Sport Pilot license will NOT allow towing. Yet a Private can't be paid to tow, unless FAA grants a limited payment as acceptable. The agency is pondering this and invited key USHGAers to the Oshkosh airshow to discuss it. Jane Depanfilis represented USHGA on the teleconference FAA set up for their press event. This story is just starting so stay tuned for more on the brave new world of SP/LSA. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

OSHKOSH, WISC. — Last month I was thrilled to report the Over Everest achievement of Richard Meredith-Hardy and fellow pilot Angelo d’Arrigo. Since then, I established contact with d’Arrigo for a story I prepared for Kitplanes magazine (Nov. 2004). After I investigated the project more thoroughly, I gained a clearer picture of the enormous challenges. So| As we left our heroes last month, Meredith-Hardy reported d’Arrigo was being bounced around after both aircraft flew through some high altitude turbulence. No surprise, really. In thin air at 29,035 feet the hazards are real — even if you’re standing still. According to tug pilot Meredith-Hardy, the “time of useful consciousness is less than one minute” without oxygen. Only with rigorous training over long periods have some climbers made the ascent without oxygen. The temperatures are colder than a cruel Minnesota winter with the wind howling. During their final ascent climbers take one step, rest for a full minute, then repeat| for hours.

Product Lines – August 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Wow! Feel the chill! Am I nuts, talking about chill in August? Even in my home state of Minnesota (just south of the Arctic), it's summer and steamy with mosquitoes the size of B-52s. However, the year-round conditions on top of Mount Everest never get steamy| except maybe when a powered ultralight trike puts on an airshow for hardy mountain climbers who made it to the world's highest peak. This news was first reported at the end of May by AvWeb.com, an Internet-only aviation news outlet (bold emphasis is mine). Headline: "MICROLIGHT CONQUERS EVEREST -- So, what would you do if the turbo-intercooled Rotax 914 engine powering your Pegasus Quantum trike, flying under a Pegasus XL wing, was so hard to start that it flattened two batteries before finally catching? Perhaps they were mildly hypoxic, but Angelo D'Arrigo and Richard Meredith-Hardy chose to fly that engine (typically capable of 115 hp) over the world's highest mountain -- towing a hang glider (a rigid-wing ATOS 2 from Icaro 2000) for good measure. In Tibet on Sunday [May 24, 2004], microlight pilot Meredith-Hardy hauled hang glider pilot D'Arrigo to the rarified air of Mount Everest and put on what must have appeared to be the world's highest air show for a group of climbers tackling the peak through the more conventional method -- on foot. But it's a show that almost didn't get off the ground, according to Meredith-Hardy's account of the adventure. Weather is almost always the limiting factor on Everest but on Sunday the conditions were as good as they ever get: clear skies and almost no wind. Meredith-Hardy said the engine on the aircraft always starts on the first try but it wouldn't catch on Sunday. It wasn't until repeated attempts almost killed the on-board battery that they remembered that a plastic bag had been put over the air cleaner to keep dust out. All those air-less aspirations had flooded the engine and it took a second battery to get the engine going. ...Extreme Low Temperatures And High Drama Once the Rotax was running, it pulled the two aircraft up at a rate of about 450 fpm from the 12,000-foot-high base camp. There was a lot of circling involved in getting up to the height of Everest and enjoy the minus 40-degrees Centigrade temperatures. At times, Meredith-Hardy noticed that D'Arrigo was being "bounced around" by turbulence. As they approached the peak, the tow line broke and D'Arrigo was on his own. Without the hang glider in tow, Meredith Hardy said the aircraft 'shot up' and he did three fly-bys of the peak, before an audience of about six climbers standing on the peak and four or five others inching up the final few feet. Meanwhile, D'Arrigo was on an adventure of his own. He was supposed to make it back to the base camp but instead ended up at a remote high-altitude scientific research station. He was bruised from a rough landing (those higher high-altitude groundspeeds can be rough on the legs) but was otherwise safe and awaiting a helicopter ride to the base camp as of the last Web site posting." If you want more detail, go to Meredith-Hardy's Web site at http://www.flymicro.com/everest/index.cfm A little more down to Earth, USHGA Executive Director Jayne Depanfilis reports from only a mile high (Colorado Springs) that in early June, "The USHGA's towing exemption has been renewed for two more years, through June 30, 2006." That's certainly good news even while folks like Jayne, Bill Bryden, and Mike Meier work at ASTM meetings to gain a more permanent foothold for towing of hang gliders (and perhaps eventually paragliders). In a related note, Jayne adds, "It should be noted that no towing-related fatalities were reported to USHGA during the current exemption period. Therefore, no towing related fatalities were reported to FAA. This is a good thing." Additionally, Jayne reports, "The tandem exemption expires October 31, 2004. I will be working on the request for the renewal of this exemption soon. I will need to review and document any tandem fatalities that may have occurred during the current exemption period." Thanks to Jayne for staying on top of these vital approvals from FAA. Even lower but still on top of the mountain, New Yorker Greg Black reports that he and his brother Charlie bought part of a mountain where he's had a launch for years? "It is done, signed, and now owned by the 'Blacks'," Greg reports. He elaborates, "The launch area called "The North Knob" is a 1,000 foot point that sticks out of the side of the Ellenville Mountain just a quarter mile north of the "other" Ellenville launch site The launch site area is about 10 acres and now has a 16 by 25 foot ramp facing WNW and because of the shape of the 'knob' we will soon have launches facing NNE, and going all the way around to West." Greg also owns the landing area where he has a flight park and training hill. The LZ is only seven acres but is surrounded by about 50 acres of fields. "The whole piece we bought is 88 acres with a building site that houses the trailer known locally as "the house thermal." The trailer is about 600 feet up the side of the Mountain and can be reached from the flight park by way of the rail trail that actually borders the flight park. This trailer will be used by the local hang gliding/paragliding club, called "NASA" as its club house. Dues to fly and be a member are $60 per year. Black further reports, "We now have all permits and approvals to erect our new 40 by 75 foot building with showers, toilets, and a 75 foot porch for getting out of the sun and rain. A large pond has been dug next to the new camp area as well. FMI: mtnwings@catskill.net or call (845) 647-3377. Aircotec distributor Achim Hagemann now has the XC Trainer in stock. Using the Top Navigator software (with free future updates), Achim reports, "The instrument has created quite a buzz in Europe because of its size, weight, and performance. It is the smallest and newest GPS flight instrument design on the market." An interesting and convenient feature involves a battery that can be recharged like a cell phone using current from 110-240 volts. "No extra charger is required," says Hagemann. For 2004, he says the glide calculator is new, as is final glide calculator, auto switching from map mode to thermaling mode, and adjustable vario sensitivity, metric/English measurement switch, and a special intro price of $799. Look over the English language manual at aircotec.net. FMI: aircotec@yahoo.com Interested in some other fun reading? You might enjoy a humorous -- but genuine -- comparison of an F-15D Tomcat and a Wills Wing AT 125 paraglider by Stuart Broce, who flies both. You can't get much further apart on the aviation spectrum. Go to http://www.flyaboveall.com/willswing_grumman.htm for the story. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Wow! Feel the chill! Am I nuts, talking about chill in August? Even in my home state of Minnesota (just south of the Arctic), it’s summer and steamy with mosquitoes the size of B-52s. However, the year-round conditions on top of Mount Everest never get steamy| except maybe when a powered ultralight trike puts on an airshow for hardy mountain climbers who made it to the world’s highest peak. This news was first reported at the end of May by AvWeb.com, an Internet-only aviation news outlet (bold emphasis is mine). Headline: “MICROLIGHT CONQUERS EVEREST — So, what would you do if the turbo-intercooled Rotax 914 engine powering your Pegasus Quantum trike, flying under a Pegasus XL wing, was so hard to start that it flattened two batteries before finally catching? Perhaps they were mildly hypoxic, but Angelo D’Arrigo and Richard Meredith-Hardy chose to fly that engine (typically capable of 115 hp) over the world’s highest mountain — towing a hang glider (a rigid-wing ATOS 2 from Icaro 2000) for good measure.

Product Lines – June 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

CENTRAL FLORIDA-- At the start of the big Sun 'n Fun airshow, I had the pleasure to fly John Dunham's American Tug built for him by ultralight producer, M Squared of Alabama. This design resembles the popular Quicksilver ultralights that evolved from the original hang glider of the late 1970s. Beefed up for the hard duty that is aero towing, the M Squared entry is a robust ultralight that should be capable of steady operation as a tractor of the air. American Tug is a single-place aircraft employing a 32-foot span, high-lift, slow-flying, single-surface, strut-braced wing. While Dragonfly has been the lone fixed-wing tug in the USA, flight parks and clubs now have another choice. And, importantly, the American Tug -- as opposed to the "Australian tug," John says -- costs substantially less. A basic Rotax 582-powered tug should sell for about $20,000 says John. The American Tug I flew, with a custom-configured 680 cc Rotax engine rated at 100 hp, demonstrated an acceptable climb rate while towing plus excellent low speed controllability. Stall in the American Tug is very slow, with a tow speed range of 25 to 40 mph, depending on the individual tow requirement. John is able to tow hang gliders at speeds below 30 mph or up into the 30s for blade wings, rigid wings, or ultralight sailplanes like the Steve Arndt's Magic Dragon. Though he's still refining the aircraft for production that should start in a few more weeks, John's American Tug appears ready to start duty at flight parks. Additional hardware added aft of the tail now spreads the tow forces vertically much like the Dragonfly. And, since it is a tricycle-gear aircraft, some experienced tow pilots see an advantage over the taildragger Dragonfly in the event the towed hang glider pilot rises too high on takeoff. The nosewheel on the American Tug can wheelbarrow without digging in. John was working at Wallaby Ranch after Sun 'n Fun, learning the right techniques and being receptive to feedback from pilots and other tug pilots. He also performed at Quest and planned to visit the Florida Ridge towpark in the south of the state. An experienced aviation businessman, Dunham is doing this right, in my opinion, collecting information and making changes as needed to perfectly suit the American Tug to the marketplace. It's been too long since I towed, but that changed with a nice evening flight behind the American Tug. We climbed easily at over 600 fpm, a rate John was also able to achieve with a tandem load behind. I experimented with various tow positions behind the American Tug. The new tug is not particular about position, proving the V-bridle system John and M Squared devised. Putting the tugs wings, rather than wheels, on the horizon appeared to be the optimal position for best climb and overall controllability. FMI: 987-6545-3210 (cell, while John travels). Having mentioned the Magic Dragon above, let me tell you a little more about this rare ultralight sailplane. Even with its custom-designed ballistic parachute, the Magic Dragon qualifies as a legitimate Part 103 ultralight vehicle just like any solo hang glider or paraglider. Empty weight is 179 pounds; the 155 pounds allowed under Part 103 plus a 24-pound allowance for the emergency airframe 'chute. However, Magic Dragon is in a performance class all of its own. Arndt reports glide is an impressive 27:1. Sink rate, perhaps an even more important determinant of soaring performance is a rather amazing 97 fpm calculated, though Steve says actual practice is about 115 fpm "circling sink rate." On a day when flex wings and rigids got periodically flushed by light, sporadic lift, Steve managed a 4-hour flight and traveled 30 miles north to Quest and still returned to Wallaby before evening calm shut down the thermals. Arndt has logged over 480 hours in his special Magic Dragon. Steve is aware of four or five other Carbon Dragons, but believe none of the others are currently airworthy. He'd like more pilots to tackle the few-hundred-hour build job as the design shows great promise. FMI: hanglyder@comcast.net. EAA's world-class museum in Oshkosh WI, is visited by folks all over the world (especially during AirVenture, the organization's huge airshow event. Just opened on May 15th was a new section of the museum called KidVenture (a spinoff of the AirVenture show). This gallery in the museum will have several hands-on flying simulators, including hot air balloon, helicopter, radio control model, and| surprise, a hang glider. The latter caught me off guard as I didn't think EAA had any real interest in hang gliding nor any expertise to offer. The system they are building uses three large screen TV arrayed in an arc in front of a pristine Delta Wing 6 single surface glider with a swing seat (much easier for visitors to get in and out). An inverted joystick controller about the pilot receives input from the weight shifting and reflects this on the screens. A similar system, albeit with a prone harness, was seen at the Ontario, California Air Sports Expo. The effect of flight was uncanny, at least once you started focusing on those three big TVs and not on the folks walking around. EAA's museum manager, Adam Smith, should be congratulated for making hang gliding a part of this new permanent gallery for kids interested in aviation. In closing, I am extremely happy (and relieved) to announce that my long-in-development Web site is finally live. Hang glider and paraglider pilots may be most interested in the Hang Gliding section (click the button tab). While I'm asking you to pay a small fee to read pilot reports -- to cover some of the cost of building the Web site and making it available 24x7 -- you are welcome to read previous "Product Lines" columns free of charge; even the basic free registration is not required. At launch, the site offers all columns from January, 2000 to the present (with a 90-day waiting period to assure HG&PG is never scooped by this archival Web site). Though I've made you wait far too long, I hope you'll come visit. Those interested in trikes or other powered ultralights will find many pilot reports I Published in Hang Gliding Magazineseveral magazines. Membership is only $29 -- you then get over a dozen pilot reports for free -- or you can register for free and just pay for the articles you want. Membership earns a lower price per pilot report and allows access to several other unique features of the site. Please have a look at www.ByDanJohnson.com So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to Dan@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!
Published in Hang Gliding Magazine

CENTRAL FLORIDA– At the start of the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow, I had the pleasure to fly John Dunham’s American Tug built for him by ultralight producer, M Squared of Alabama. This design resembles the popular Quicksilver ultralights that evolved from the original hang glider of the late 1970s. Beefed up for the hard duty that is aero towing, the M Squared entry is a robust ultralight that should be capable of steady operation as a tractor of the air. American Tug is a single-place aircraft employing a 32-foot span, high-lift, slow-flying, single-surface, strut-braced wing. While Dragonfly has been the lone fixed-wing tug in the USA, flight parks and clubs now have another choice. And, importantly, the American Tug — as opposed to the “Australian tug,” John says — costs substantially less. A basic Rotax 582-powered tug should sell for about $20,000 says John. The American Tug I flew, with a custom-configured 680 cc Rotax engine rated at 100 hp, demonstrated an acceptable climb rate while towing plus excellent low speed controllability.

Product Lines – May 2004

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment (Edit)

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- Time is growing short! Perhaps by the time you read this, FAA may have issued their new rule called Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA). Why should you care? Well, perhaps you don't. If you fly solo in your hang glider or paraglider and are not towed aloft by a tug of some kind, you may continue to operate under F.A.R. Part 103 as blissfully as ever. However, if you're one of the many who enjoy aerotow launches, you may be impacted by this rule. The good news is| the trio of Jayne Depanfilis, Mike Meier, and Bill Bryden have been pursuing actions on the new rule and have the matter quite well in hand. The issues of two-place flying have been addressed and face few obstacles. Aerotowing, however, is less certain. Operations such as Lookout Mountain Flight Park have been fighting local battles with adversaries who brought FAA into the picture. Solving this problem may take more time to resolve. Fortunately, at least in a somewhat longer term, good news also exists. I recently had a conversation with Bill Bryden on this subject. Bill has been front and center, with Jayne and Mike, in negotiations with key FAA people and the ASTM standards-writing process that is at the heart of the aircraft side of the new rule. (Sport Pilot refers to pilot licensing which is being handled solely by FAA. Light-Sport Aircraft certification is being handled by a group of industry leaders under FAA's watchful eye. ASTM is the organizing body helping industry create "consensus standards" for certifying aircraft of many kinds -- fixed wing aircraft, weight shift, powered parachutes, sailplane-type gliders, lighter-than-air craft, and gyroplanes.) Bryden addressed concerns that towing is in jeopardy. Facts on the matter take two directions. Effort has stalled on a plan hatched with key FAA person Sue Gardener to issue an altered exemption to allow aircraft like the Dragonfly to keep flying. USHGA's current exemption for aerotowing specifies only a Part 103 ultralight, that is, one which weighs no more than 254 pounds empty. That, regretfully, does not include the Dragonfly. However, while that effort has slipped into unknown territory, the long term view is encouraging. Though SP/LSA was originally released as an NPRM with towing specifically excluded, discussions and plenty of public comment brought about change in FAA's thinking. Therefore, ASTM groups writing standards for fixed wing aircraft and trikes added tow equipment standards. (The chair of the fixed wing group is Tom Peghiny, a longtime hang glider enthusiast whose company makes a tow-capable ultralight.) Pilots of tugs will have to show a Private License -- the Sport Pilot license does not allow towing -- but this should not sharply limit the number of powerjocks who can fly these machines. So, except for a delay during release and full implementation of the rule, aerotowing does not look threatened, though this spring and summer may have some challenges. After resigning from BRS parachutes late last year, I started doing marketing on an independent basis. My newest client is EAA -- the folks who put on that giant airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- and this may bring some benefits for the USHGA and hang gliding and paragliding. EAA, with 170,000 members and therefore some serious clout in Washington DC, might be tapped to assist USHGA with regulatory issues. In fact, USHGA's Executive Director, Jayne Depanfilis, and Regional Director, Bill Bryden, have frequent contact with this leader of recreational aviation. And now that I'm in EAA offices every other week, I may be able to further tighten that relationship. In the meantime, I've discovered other connections to hang gliding and paragliding. Paul Hamilton, the hang gliding/paragliding video production czar, has convinced the EAA to carry a selection of his tapes or DVDs. While he still offers plenty of HG or PG videos, Paul has branched out into other aircraft. After doing so he says, "It took me two years to finally get EAA to handle my products." EAA has a large merchandise operation so Paul's sales should increase. He adds, "We just released the www.sport-pilot-training.com web site to help pilots get going." But while Paul's Adventure Productions company has entered the powered aircraft arena, he remains a free flight enthusiast. Here's how he ended a recent note: "Keep up the pressure on the manufacturers for nanotrikes, and get USHGA to support soaring trikes with wheels!" Soaring will include such vehicles in the future, I think, and Paul will be ready for them, too. FMI: dial (775) 747-0175 or visit www.pilot-resources.com Speaking of towing, work continues on Alan Chuculate's Paratug, the powered aircraft he's building to aerotow paragliders. Alan wrote in mid-March to say, "We're running behind schedule as you probably guessed." Alan's essential talent, Floyd Fronius, "has been delayed fabricating our custom light trike because his music career has been blossoming with both local gigs and in the recording studio. The construction has been steady but slow and we currently project completion later this month." Despite the tunes emanating from Floyd, Chuculate expects to be flight testing in April. He promises, "I'll keep you posted on the status of our flight testing." Although Paratug progress is temporarily slowed, a revised wing has been evaluated for handing changes with a 550-pound load plus it's been used for tandem hang gliding with experienced pilots and novices. In the noisier end of Paratug's development, Alan writes, "We've abandoned the small engine approach." While testing with a loaner trike powered by a Kawasaki 340 cc, Chuculate's team found only marginal improvements when he tried different propellers. So he purchased an MZ 202 engine that puts out 60 horsepower. Floyd started building a custom trike in March to accommodate the bigger engine and prop. Alan's only real competition for the Paratug is Bobby Bailey's Biplane Dragonfly. Chuculate once hoped to meet the 254-pound weight limit to comply as an Part 103 ultralight but that idea appears to be melting away with the switch to the more powerful engine. The irony is that Paratug's delayed development may dovetail nicely with the SP/LSA rule announcement mentioned at the start of this column. If so, keeping the weight down may not be the imperative it was at earlier stages of development. So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to News@ByDanJohnson.com or CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS!
Published in EAA Today Magazine

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Time is growing short! Perhaps by the time you read this, FAA may have issued their new rule called Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA). Why should you care? Well, perhaps you don’t. If you fly solo in your hang glider or paraglider and are not towed aloft by a tug of some kind, you may continue to operate under F.A.R. Part 103 as blissfully as ever. However, if you’re one of the many who enjoy aerotow launches, you may be impacted by this rule. The good news is| the trio of Jayne Depanfilis, Mike Meier, and Bill Bryden have been pursuing actions on the new rule and have the matter quite well in hand. The issues of two-place flying have been addressed and face few obstacles. Aerotowing, however, is less certain. Operations such as Lookout Mountain Flight Park have been fighting local battles with adversaries who brought FAA into the picture.

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