French manufacturer Aquilair wants you to get in the "swing" of triking with their 2-seat trike, the Swing. The trike's sporty name identifies what the French company calls their "chariot" (chassis or carriage). The name may also derive from the company's unique fold-down system. Most trikes pivot at the base of the mast (the component connecting occupants and engine to wing) or at a mid-mast point about engine height. Aquilair pivots the mast under the front seat - or the only seat in the case of their single-place model, the Kid. Placing the pivot point this far forward allows the company to offer easier lifting of the wing into position without using weighty and costly gas struts. The result is a simpler, lighter package that accomplishes the goal of letting one person erect the trike from its transport state. The feature is driven, I was told, by the 90-pound female owner of Aquilair. Someone so slight of build could have a challenge to get a 100-pound trike wing up into position. "Swing" relates well to this action of unfolding. Since breakdown or fold-down systems help sell many aircraft, focusing on this useful feature is good marketing. Doing it differently from the others seems to be what defines Aquilair. The French do it Differently Trikes are fairly generic. They remind some observers of airliners where all makes and models tend to look very similar, differing primarily in size and interiors. Despite their overall similarity most trike manufacturers will point to their unique talents at airframe building and on sufficiently close examination, each trike will become unique. Aquilair quickly gives a different impression, if my questioning of airshow visitors was an accurate survey. The fold-down system is actually something you don't see so that isn't part of the look Aquilair conveys. More likely, what you notice is the low-slung chassis, particularly the position of the body fairing. Look at the nosewheel in the accompanying photos and you'll see it barely peeks out of the pod fairing. Another thing that's somewhat harder to identify is the control bar and pilot position. Looking at the in-flight shots, you may note the bar is lower and the front pilot sits relatively low. Some single-place trikes use this technique of low center of gravity - the Cosmos Echo and Air Création Fun Racer, for example - but Aquilair is singular in their execution. Having a low center of gravity does a couple things. For one, it eases entry and exit. Combined with the open seats - that is, no side rails of aluminum or fiberglass - getting into either seat of Aquilair's Swing model is simpler than many trikes. With the front support tube also bent at the right spot, the control bar can move forward well out of your way. Secondly, the low center makes for more secure taxiing and yields a good measure of overall ground stability. Combined with suspension on all three wheels, the Swing gives as good a ride as any trike I've flown. In other differences of Aquilair's trike, I observe for you the shape of the pod fairing. It runs all the way aft to under the engine and even has a tapered section said to enhance the aerodynamic effects while also giving some extra shielding to the prop. Aquilair's wheel pants don't follow the trend of radically upward swept shapes (Pegasus, Air Création). Manufacturing trikes since '91, Aquilair competes alongside such giants as Air Création, Cosmos and several other French brands not well known to Americans. When I attended a large ultralight show called Blois, named for its hometown in France, I found the trike business to be reasonably healthy - albeit somewhat slow like nearly every facet of aviation these days. In such a solid market a trike manufacturer needs an edge to be successful. Aquilair's ultralight looks different than the rest and operates differently as well. Why Buy Aquilair? At my request U.S. distributor Alain Cavalie listed the top reasons why he advises customers to choose his machine over other trikes. First he mentions price. For the level of quality involved, be believes you'll spend more money with other high-quality brands, "$3,000 to $4,000 more," says Cavalie. It's hard to match Air Création's quality but Aquilair gains points for its singular features. Secondly, Cavalie indicates comfort is important. As I found, Aquilair's Swing features roomy seats without limiting side structure, which makes the trike well suited to larger American bodies. The roominess is also longitudinal as the angled mast allows more space for a rear-seat occupant. On a conventionally angled mast, the person behind often touches their helmet to the mast, getting quite a buzz out of the experience. Thirdly is ease of lifting the wing into position. Since Aquilair is owned by a small French woman weighing only 90 pounds, a system was created to allow her to lift a wing weighing up to 100 pounds. The owner's brother designed the trike for her though Aquilair does not employ him today. "He did his job well," says Cavalie, adding that while the owner had the original need to be able to more easily lift the wing into position, he has come to appreciate this quality. Using a parking brake and the unique fold-down system, one person can lift the wing into position without the trike rolling backwards in the process. Anyone who has ever assembled a trike for flying understands this benefit. Fourthly, Cavalie also identifies the low center of gravity that distinguishes this 2-place trike. He says he can taxi very fast with full confidence. Cavalie also mentions the "no-maintenance suspension" on the main gear to smooth the bumps; the nosewheel uses a dual spring set-up. As I'd felt in low-slung single-place trikes like Air Création's Fun Racer, the Swing's low posture was enjoyable. It feels sportier and more stable. Finally, Cavalie is a huge promoter of the somewhat unknown (to Americans) Duc prop. Once you've seen one you'll always recognize it thanks to the winglets on the prop tips. At $650 for the complete prop, it's only of average expense, yet Cavalie claims it produces only 60 decibels of noise at 500 feet. If so, this will help neighbor relations. Cavalieralso says the Duc is more fuel efficient, as much as 20%, he claims. To Cavalie's comments, I wish to add my own observations. On my own I discovered all the reasons to buy Aquilair's Swing mentioned by Cavalie. A few more points might be made. Part of French regulations, they say, the Swing's panel had a kill switch prominently located (see photos). A large red button can easily be pushed in the event of an emergency, for example, an over-revving engine where the pilot is standing outside doing the starting. You could also reach this kill button with your foot if, for example, you were seated in the trike and it started to get away from you. The red button looked rather ominous at first but I quickly became rather fond of the idea. Aquilair's motor mount and securing points for the mast are made of welded steel, but the rest of the components are aluminum including the mast and forward keel structure. Different in Many Ways Aquilair's Swing has the most unusual pilot height adjustment I've ever seen: the entire front fork moves fore and aft. A bracket slides on runners along the forward end of the chassis keel (the lone structural component running front to rear under the seats). Moving the nosewheel, foot controls and steering linkage, the fork adjusts to three positions, which should accommodate most adult pilot heights. The Swing I flew for this pilot report had a 10-gallon fuel tank nicely faired in with fiberglass under the seat structure. Aquilair's pod fairing extends aft of the main gear, an unusual appearance among trikes. The factory says this will protect the prop and promoted a smoother departing airflow. Larger fuel tanks are available. Training control bars were fitted to the test Swing. They featured quick-release fittings enabling the operator to convert from training use to recreational flying (with an N-number and FAA pilot certificate) in a matter of minutes. In yet another unparalleled feature, the Swing had a dual-purpose, adjustable rear seat throttle, which can be used as a foot throttle for the rear seat occupant, or used as a hand throttle by a rear seat instructor. It can be flipped around to disable it if desired. Aquilair does use some ideas seen on other trikes. A brake pedal with a parking lock function is useful, especially when installing the wing atop the trike. For this purpose Aquilair's brake is adequate though it didn't exhibit great stopping power on landings. As with Air Création trikes, the pedal itself is the throttle on the right side and those pedals are shoe-shaped to support your feet very well. Aquilair, along with few other brands, use seats made of fiberglass construction with padded inserts giving each occupant his own seat structure. Since this structure is substantial, no side rails are needed and this allows the body in the seat more hip room. Aquilair's seats felt very comfortable with an outer ridge that helped secure me laterally. On the main gear legs a rubber donut is used to absorb the impact loads, but this combines with a gas strut inside. Cavalie says the suspension has "no rebound," meaning it absorbs without bouncing the trike back into the air. I never got the chance to test this but I can attest to a smooth ride even on a bumpy sand/turf taxiway. Air Manners For many years, I've been a fan of La Mouette wings and owned one on my own trike. I've known the company for more than 20 years, longer than some ultralight manufacturers (including Aquilair) have been in business. One reason for my love of La Mouette wings is that the company is primarily a producer of hang gliders. Those pilots (I'm one of them) generally demand finer handling qualities than I've found of trike pilots. At the French airshow in Blois, La Mouette owner Gérard Thevenot explained it. "Trike pilots push the throttle, climb to altitude, go in a straight line to their destination and then turn around." While a deliberately humorous simplification, it has some truth. Contrarily, a hang glider pilot turns constantly while thermalling. La Mouette trike wings don't respond as nimbly as their hang glider wings but they have as light a handling as any trike wing line. This is to say that I liked the handling of the La Mouette Ghost 16 wing on this Swing. For those who prefer wings that hold their heading better, Aquilair also offers the XP or Mild wing from Air Création. Although the Ghost 16 wing is available from La Mouette with an in-flight trimming device, it had not been added to this particular trike. If you do any amount of cross-country flying (especially that straight-line stuff Thevenot joked about), you should consider asking for the trimmer. I felt that the Swing exhibited very cooperative landing characteristics. For me flying solo, the control bar was set a little farther forward than optimal. However, the forward-positioned bar allow me to pull in and dive readily whenever I wanted to pick up speed quickly. I rather liked the compromise. I only flew this trike solo, so it's very possible the bar position does not seem as forward when two persons occupy the machine. As a rule in delta wing hang glider-type wings, handling and maximum speed performance work against one another. La Mouette, thanks to their training at the demand of thousands of hang gliding customers, has designed wings with very good performance yet without sacrificing the handling. How they do so involves tricks most engineers won't reveal. That do-it-our-way attitude shows again in Aquilair handling. Though I like the La Mouette wings, the curvy French trike situates the mass of the chassis closer to the wing than many designs. This will generally enhance handling at some sacrifice of stability. The Swing retains its good longitudinal stability and gives up little in lateral stability. As a hang glider pilot who concentrated his mass inside the control bar, I understand the importance of pendulum length under the wing. Since I prefer light, fast handling, the Swing appealed to me by being lower slung. The fastest wings generally don't offer the best handling. And wings with the better handling don't tend to go as fast. It has to do with how tautly you must stretch the wing covering and the support it takes to maintain an airfoil in a wing drawn tight. The Ghost 16 is not the fastest wing you can select. However, Cavalie told me that a different, 14.5-square-meter wing made for Aquilair by La Mouette can achieve speeds of 100 mph. I'll have to experience this to believe it but the Ghost 16 delivered speeds of 50 to 60 mph without strain. A more forward positioned control bar allows you to hold higher speed and a trim device will relieve pilot workload. Stalls with or without power and in 45° banked steep turns all behaved exceedingly well. More than two decades of experience designing and producing tailless wings has extensively developed La Mouette's expertise. Care to Swing? When taking down the trike you pivot the rear seat forward, remove two pins, and the wing can then be lowered with an obvious mechanical advantage. You control this delicate dance by holding the control bar and moving the wing where you need it. "The wing keel acts like a lever on the monopole [mast] during lifting," says Aquilair. When you rotate the seat forward - part of taking down the trike - you also gain easy access to the fuel tank, which is located squarely underneath the rear seat. The rear seat can pivot forward without disconnecting the two bolts securing the mast. This permits fueling without takedown, a necessary feature. As the Swing is clearly a well considered trike design with not one but several design qualities, I feel I can safely use the word "unique." At $18,678, Aquilair's well-equipped Swing with a 65-hp Rotax 582 and a choice of wings has a medium price. You can choose much more expensive trikes - even without going for the costly 4-stroke powerplants. Conversely, some American models are far less costly. But few are better equipped and none have the collection of unique features offered by the French builder. A few options are available if you wish. Get with Aquilair USA for details and personalize the trike as you prefer. You can also choose the Swing Basic without the pod fairing and save a few dollars. For example, a 50-hp Rotax 503-powered Swing trike can be about $13,000, so the company has a broad margin of price points for your consideration. Cavalie says Aquilair has just started flying a 4-stroke trike. This should come as no surprise since Pegasus recently reported some 70% of trike buyers are choosing the Rotax 912 for power. I don't see the value in that engine on this trike, especially at $6,000 to $7,000 more, but some will still want it and Aquilair will have it by the spring of 2003, says Cavalie. Aquilair's Swing is a trike with many choices and unique features. If you're in the market for a trike, you should think about "Swinging." French manufacturer Aquilair wants you to get in the "swing" of triking with their 2-seat trike, the Swing. The trike's sporty name identifies what the French company calls their "chariot" (chassis or carriage). The name may also derive from the company's unique fold-down system. Most trikes pivot at the base of the mast (the component connecting occupants and engine to wing) or at a mid-mast point about engine height. Aquilair pivots the mast under the front seat - or the only seat in the case of their single-place model, the Kid. Placing the pivot point this far forward allows the company to offer easier lifting of the wing into position without using weighty and costly gas struts. The result is a simpler, lighter package that accomplishes the goal of letting one person erect the trike from its transport state. The feature is driven, I was told, by the 90-pound female owner of Aquilair. Someone so slight of build could have a challenge to get a 100-pound trike wing up into position. "Swing" relates well to this action of unfolding. Since breakdown or fold-down systems help sell many aircraft, focusing on this useful feature is good marketing. Doing it differently from the others seems to be what defines Aquilair. The French do it Differently Trikes are fairly generic. They remind some observers of airliners where all makes and models tend to look very similar, differing primarily in size and interiors. Despite their overall similarity most trike manufacturers will point to their unique talents at airframe building and on sufficiently close examination, each trike will become unique. Aquilair quickly gives a different impression, if my questioning of airshow visitors was an accurate survey. The fold-down system is actually something you don't see so that isn't part of the look Aquilair conveys. More likely, what you notice is the low-slung chassis, particularly the position of the body fairing. Look at the nosewheel in the accompanying photos and you'll see it barely peeks out of the pod fairing. Another thing that's somewhat harder to identify is the control bar and pilot position. Looking at the in-flight shots, you may note the bar is lower and the front pilot sits relatively low. Some single-place trikes use this technique of low center of gravity - the Cosmos Echo and Air Création Fun Racer, for example - but Aquilair is singular in their execution. Having a low center of gravity does a couple things. For one, it eases entry and exit. Combined with the open seats - that is, no side rails of aluminum or fiberglass - getting into either seat of Aquilair's Swing model is simpler than many trikes. With the front support tube also bent at the right spot, the control bar can move forward well out of your way. Secondly, the low center makes for more secure taxiing and yields a good measure of overall ground stability. Combined with suspension on all three wheels, the Swing gives as good a ride as any trike I've flown. In other differences of Aquilair's trike, I observe for you the shape of the pod fairing. It runs all the way aft to under the engine and even has a tapered section said to enhance the aerodynamic effects while also giving some extra shielding to the prop. Aquilair's wheel pants don't follow the trend of radically upward swept shapes (Pegasus, Air Création). Manufacturing trikes since '91, Aquilair competes alongside such giants as Air Création, Cosmos and several other French brands not well known to Americans. When I attended a large ultralight show called Blois, named for its hometown in France, I found the trike business to be reasonably healthy - albeit somewhat slow like nearly every facet of aviation these days. In such a solid market a trike manufacturer needs an edge to be successful. Aquilair's ultralight looks different than the rest and operates differently as well. Why Buy Aquilair? At my request U.S. distributor Alain Cavalie listed the top reasons why he advises customers to choose his machine over other trikes. First he mentions price. For the level of quality involved, be believes you'll spend more money with other high-quality brands, "$3,000 to $4,000 more," says Cavalie. It's hard to match Air Création's quality but Aquilair gains points for its singular features. Secondly, Cavalie indicates comfort is important. As I found, Aquilair's Swing features roomy seats without limiting side structure, which makes the trike well suited to larger American bodies. The roominess is also longitudinal as the angled mast allows more space for a rear-seat occupant. On a conventionally angled mast, the person behind often touches their helmet to the mast, getting quite a buzz out of the experience. Thirdly is ease of lifting the wing into position. Since Aquilair is owned by a small French woman weighing only 90 pounds, a system was created to allow her to lift a wing weighing up to 100 pounds. The owner's brother designed the trike for her though Aquilair does not employ him today. "He did his job well," says Cavalie, adding that while the owner had the original need to be able to more easily lift the wing into position, he has come to appreciate this quality. Using a parking brake and the unique fold-down system, one person can lift the wing into position without the trike rolling backwards in the process. Anyone who has ever assembled a trike for flying understands this benefit. Fourthly, Cavalie also identifies the low center of gravity that distinguishes this 2-place trike. He says he can taxi very fast with full confidence. Cavalie also mentions the "no-maintenance suspension" on the main gear to smooth the bumps; the nosewheel uses a dual spring set-up. As I'd felt in low-slung single-place trikes like Air Création's Fun Racer, the Swing's low posture was enjoyable. It feels sportier and more stable. Finally, Cavalie is a huge promoter of the somewhat unknown (to Americans) Duc prop. Once you've seen one you'll always recognize it thanks to the winglets on the prop tips. At $650 for the complete prop, it's only of average expense, yet Cavalie claims it produces only 60 decibels of noise at 500 feet. If so, this will help neighbor relations. Cavalieralso says the Duc is more fuel efficient, as much as 20%, he claims. To Cavalie's comments, I wish to add my own observations. On my own I discovered all the reasons to buy Aquilair's Swing mentioned by Cavalie. A few more points might be made. Part of French regulations, they say, the Swing's panel had a kill switch prominently located (see photos). A large red button can easily be pushed in the event of an emergency, for example, an over-revving engine where the pilot is standing outside doing the starting. You could also reach this kill button with your foot if, for example, you were seated in the trike and it started to get away from you. The red button looked rather ominous at first but I quickly became rather fond of the idea. Aquilair's motor mount and securing points for the mast are made of welded steel, but the rest of the components are aluminum including the mast and forward keel structure. Different in Many Ways Aquilair's Swing has the most unusual pilot height adjustment I've ever seen: the entire front fork moves fore and aft. A bracket slides on runners along the forward end of the chassis keel (the lone structural component running front to rear under the seats). Moving the nosewheel, foot controls and steering linkage, the fork adjusts to three positions, which should accommodate most adult pilot heights. The Swing I flew for this pilot report had a 10-gallon fuel tank nicely faired in with fiberglass under the seat structure. Aquilair's pod fairing extends aft of the main gear, an unusual appearance among trikes. The factory says this will protect the prop and promoted a smoother departing airflow. Larger fuel tanks are available. Training control bars were fitted to the test Swing. They featured quick-release fittings enabling the operator to convert from training use to recreational flying (with an N-number and FAA pilot certificate) in a matter of minutes. In yet another unparalleled feature, the Swing had a dual-purpose, adjustable rear seat throttle, which can be used as a foot throttle for the rear seat occupant, or used as a hand throttle by a rear seat instructor. It can be flipped around to disable it if desired. Aquilair does use some ideas seen on other trikes. A brake pedal with a parking lock function is useful, especially when installing the wing atop the trike. For this purpose Aquilair's brake is adequate though it didn't exhibit great stopping power on landings. As with Air Création trikes, the pedal itself is the throttle on the right side and those pedals are shoe-shaped to support your feet very well. Aquilair, along with few other brands, use seats made of fiberglass construction with padded inserts giving each occupant his own seat structure. Since this structure is substantial, no side rails are needed and this allows the body in the seat more hip room. Aquilair's seats felt very comfortable with an outer ridge that helped secure me laterally. On the main gear legs a rubber donut is used to absorb the impact loads, but this combines with a gas strut inside. Cavalie says the suspension has "no rebound," meaning it absorbs without bouncing the trike back into the air. I never got the chance to test this but I can attest to a smooth ride even on a bumpy sand/turf taxiway. Air Manners For many years, I've been a fan of La Mouette wings and owned one on my own trike. I've known the company for more than 20 years, longer than some ultralight manufacturers (including Aquilair) have been in business. One reason for my love of La Mouette wings is that the company is primarily a producer of hang gliders. Those pilots (I'm one of them) generally demand finer handling qualities than I've found of trike pilots. At the French airshow in Blois, La Mouette owner Gérard Thevenot explained it. "Trike pilots push the throttle, climb to altitude, go in a straight line to their destination and then turn around." While a deliberately humorous simplification, it has some truth. Contrarily, a hang glider pilot turns constantly while thermalling. La Mouette trike wings don't respond as nimbly as their hang glider wings but they have as light a handling as any trike wing line. This is to say that I liked the handling of the La Mouette Ghost 16 wing on this Swing. For those who prefer wings that hold their heading better, Aquilair also offers the XP or Mild wing from Air Création. Although the Ghost 16 wing is available from La Mouette with an in-flight trimming device, it had not been added to this particular trike. If you do any amount of cross-country flying (especially that straight-line stuff Thevenot joked about), you should consider asking for the trimmer. I felt that the Swing exhibited very cooperative landing characteristics. For me flying solo, the control bar was set a little farther forward than optimal. However, the forward-positioned bar allow me to pull in and dive readily whenever I wanted to pick up speed quickly. I rather liked the compromise. I only flew this trike solo, so it's very possible the bar position does not seem as forward when two persons occupy the machine. As a rule in delta wing hang glider-type wings, handling and maximum speed performance work against one another. La Mouette, thanks to their training at the demand of thousands of hang gliding customers, has designed wings with very good performance yet without sacrificing the handling. How they do so involves tricks most engineers won't reveal. That do-it-our-way attitude shows again in Aquilair handling. Though I like the La Mouette wings, the curvy French trike situates the mass of the chassis closer to the wing than many designs. This will generally enhance handling at some sacrifice of stability. The Swing retains its good longitudinal stability and gives up little in lateral stability. As a hang glider pilot who concentrated his mass inside the control bar, I understand the importance of pendulum length under the wing. Since I prefer light, fast handling, the Swing appealed to me by being lower slung. The fastest wings generally don't offer the best handling. And wings with the better handling don't tend to go as fast. It has to do with how tautly you must stretch the wing covering and the support it takes to maintain an airfoil in a wing drawn tight. The Ghost 16 is not the fastest wing you can select. However, Cavalie told me that a different, 14.5-square-meter wing made for Aquilair by La Mouette can achieve speeds of 100 mph. I'll have to experience this to believe it but the Ghost 16 delivered speeds of 50 to 60 mph without strain. A more forward positioned control bar allows you to hold higher speed and a trim device will relieve pilot workload. Stalls with or without power and in 45° banked steep turns all behaved exceedingly well. More than two decades of experience designing and producing tailless wings has extensively developed La Mouette's expertise. Care to Swing? When taking down the trike you pivot the rear seat forward, remove two pins, and the wing can then be lowered with an obvious mechanical advantage. You control this delicate dance by holding the control bar and moving the wing where you need it. "The wing keel acts like a lever on the monopole [mast] during lifting," says Aquilair. When you rotate the seat forward - part of taking down the trike - you also gain easy access to the fuel tank, which is located squarely underneath the rear seat. The rear seat can pivot forward without disconnecting the two bolts securing the mast. This permits fueling without takedown, a necessary feature. As the Swing is clearly a well considered trike design with not one but several design qualities, I feel I can safely use the word "unique." At $18,678, Aquilair's well-equipped Swing with a 65-hp Rotax 582 and a choice of wings has a medium price. You can choose much more expensive trikes - even without going for the costly 4-stroke powerplants. Conversely, some American models are far less costly. But few are better equipped and none have the collection of unique features offered by the French builder. A few options are available if you wish. Get with Aquilair USA for details and personalize the trike as you prefer. You can also choose the Swing Basic without the pod fairing and save a few dollars. For example, a 50-hp Rotax 503-powered Swing trike can be about $13,000, so the company has a broad margin of price points for your consideration. Cavalie says Aquilair has just started flying a 4-stroke trike. This should come as no surprise since Pegasus recently reported some 70% of trike buyers are choosing the Rotax 912 for power. I don't see the value in that engine on this trike, especially at $6,000 to $7,000 more, but some will still want it and Aquilair will have it by the spring of 2003, says Cavalie. Aquilair's Swing is a trike with many choices and unique features. If you're in the market for a trike, you should think about "Swinging."