Pitman Air LLC Archives - ByDanJohnson.com

Pitman Air LLC

Website: http://www.pitmanair.com/dragonfly

Phone: (530) 529-3030

Shingletown, CA 96088 - USA

Dragonfly Is Back Home in Florida — Hang Glider Tug … Working Ranch “Tractor”

By Dan Johnson || April 30, 2024 4 Comments

Throughout the '70s, hang glider designs accelerated smartly in glide performance and sink rate, stretching from slope-hugging 4:1 triangular-shaped wings to elegantly long and slender "bladewings" that could exceed a 20:1 glide yet remain foot-launchable and still be an aircraft you could carry on your shoulder (when folded down). Passionate enthusiasts thrilled to a 5X performance improvement in a decade or so.

In the beginning, most pilots launched off mountains to get enough height to catch thermals. Yet lots of America doesn't have mountainous terrain. Florida had plenty of pilots eager to fly hang gliders but to find the best soaring, they had to load up their gliders and drive 10-12 hours to the hills of Tennessee where flight park operators like me catered to them with mountain launch sites. At home they did boat towing regularly but that rarely got them high enough to catch thermals. One Florida man dreamed of a solution.

Enter Dragonfly by Bobby Bailey

Bobby Bailey was one of the hang gliding faithful in a large central Florida flying community. These gung-ho young guys in excellent physical condition used no-run starts to leap off the beach towed on a long line by a powerful ski boat. They had fun and it got them in the air, but extended duration flights were simple luck because boat towing generally didn't lift the glider high enough for those early wings to effectively work the lift.

Now well-evolved, Dragonfly flies all over the world. More than 150 have been delivered, an impressive achievement for a purpose-built aircraft.

Bobby observed the parallel development of Part 103 ultralight vehicles, growing from low-powered single seaters to more powerful two seaters. He saw that with enough thrust, he might tow a hang glider into the air much like a Piper Pawnee tows a sailplane aloft. Hang gliding pioneers like Bill Moyes tried towing behind conventional aircraft but it was scarily too fast. He barely managed to keep control of the glider flying near its never-exceed speed. Bobby knew the challenge was not to speed up the hang gliders but to slow the tow plane. He adapted a modified King Cobra* (a Quicksilver-like design of that day) with large ailerons and made other changes. It flew slowly but not enough. He realized it needed to be a clean-sheet design, made purpose-built to tow hang gliders.

Note the tail structure (tube rising vertically) built to allow a V-line bridle for towing hang gliders. This method greatly lessens the impact of the glider on the tug aircraft, a significant safely improvement along with weak links on each of the tether line.

Towing from a point under the tailplane like a Pawnee does is not optimal either. The hang glider is weight-shift controlled and needs more control flexibility than a single tow point allowed. Notice the tube extending from the rudder stabilizer. A V-line from that high point to a low point lets the hang glider rise or descend with minimal impact on the towplane. All this needs to happen at 30-35 miles per hour, even with two persons on board the towed aircraft. A Pawnee stalls at 62 miles per hour even with full flaps. That's way too fast for any hang glider. Dragonfly would eventually fill the need perfectly. Within a couple years (about 1991, I believe) Wallaby Ranch hang gliding air park operator Malcolm Jones invited me out to a open field where I watched Bobby fly an early Dragonfly.

Right then, I knew the hang gliding game had changed forever.

Hang gliding could now happen almost anywhere. In combination with the rapid performance increases, Dragonfly could efficiently haul a hang glider up to 2,500 feet — typically it takes only 5-8 minutes even if the towed glider has two persons on board. At that height a skilled pilot can catch thermals and fly for hours. Flights in unpowered hang gliders have successfully run the north-south length of Florida into Georgia, all after release at 2,500 feet from a Dragonfly. Mountain launch sites continue to have appeal but Dragonfly made everywhere a hang gliding site.

Back Home In Florida

New Bailey Moyes Dragonfly owner Randy Dorsey purchased the business from Ed Pitman's estate after he passed away (unrelated to the aircraft). Ed had broadened Dragonfly's appeal by getting approval as "farm equipment" (article link below). Over the years deliveries climbed beyond 150 aircraft, an impressive achievement thanks to Ed's efforts. From California Randy and helpers brought inventory and tooling in a school bus to set up shop at Marion County Airport, X35, in Dunnellon, Florida.

This central-northwestern area is home to fancy equestrian ranches and the spacious airport has begun to thrive from light aircraft operations. Airport manager Mike Grawe supported by industry expert Roy Beisswenger and airfield entrepreneur Troy Townsend welcomed Randy Dorsey along with another business setting up to build the former Belite Chipper 2, the latter operated by husband-and-wife team Nick and Charlotte Jones. Along with two powered parachute operations and 40 brand-new T-hangars (sorry, already fully booked), X35 looks alive and thriving. Learn more about plans for Dragonfly back home in Florida in the video below. You can also read several articles below from my earlier reporting.

ARTICLES ON DRAGONFLY: Listed oldest to newest

Is It Affordable? — In early 2024, a factory-built Dragonfly Special LSA with 100 horsepower Rotax 912ULS lists for $99,995. If you have the time, skills, and facililties to assemble an Experimental LSA version, the price with that same engine is $69,995. "The ELSA is a great deal, but so is the SLSA. For $30K more, you get a factory-built Special LSA, saving over 200 hours of build-time labor. SLSA buyers will have the ability to use their Dragonfly for hire as well as qualifying for a tax write-off," said Randy. "SLSA owners also get factory support and will have priority for factory service and annuals." Potential buyers can shave off another ten grand by choosing a Rotax 582 Dragonfly ELSA for $59,995. An Experimental Amateur-Built version can save even more but for details on any of these choices please contact…

BaileyMoyesDragonfly, company website, or
Go direct to pricing guidelines

With prices of everything you buy up 50% or more in the 2020s, those costs to own a Dragonfly may be considered reasonable (though I clearly understand everybody's budget is different). Only you can decide if one of those descriptions above is truly affordable for you. * Earlier I reported an Advanced Aviation Hi-Nuski was the proof-of-concept aircraft. I was corrected thanks to Barb and Steve Flynn, who along with several other local pilots, were involved in the development of that first tug.

Recorded in late April 2024, this Dragonfly update has the latest information about the ongoing manufacture of this popular aircraft. https://youtu.be/Xio65Ma7dNo

A Tribute to Bobby Bailey

Barely a week before I visited Dunnellon to record the video above, Bobby Bailey, 71, was killed while flying a Dragonfly. No official evaluation has been released but the loss of this talented designer is tragic and will be deeply felt in the hang gliding community.

A man of highly innovative design but very few words, many knew Bobby for years yet learned little about him. He was rarely one to talk about himself in public settings. I always figured that much of the time he was designing the next aircraft in his mind. A celebration of his life is planned for Sunday, May 26th, 2024 at 6548 Groveland Airport Rd, Groveland, FL 34736 — the airport Bobby called home for decades. Florida and southeastern U.S. pilots who knew him can gather to share personal details and tell tall stories of Bobby's numerous flying exploits. Learn more here. Bobby is survived by his wife Connie Bailey; his siblings, Marlene and Michael; his nieces, Ginger and Mira; his nephew Chick; and his close friend Logan Harris.

So Long, Bobby — Forever Soaring…

Never Forgotten

One of Bobby's other creative designs made use of a single float intended for a larger aircraft. It ended up making a beautiful shape (at least to my eyes). My old friend Gregg Ellsworth dubbed it "The Flying Float." Bobby named it after his wife.

The Flying Float — Connie by Bobby Bailey

Dragonfly was born in Florida in the early 1990s. Back-of-the-napkin sketches started in the 1980s following the dynamic 1970s when hang gliding swooped into national awareness. What one designer did with Dragonfly would become one of the most celebrated developments in hang gliding. Throughout the ’70s, hang glider designs accelerated smartly in glide performance and sink rate, stretching from slope-hugging 4:1 triangular-shaped wings to elegantly long and slender “bladewings” that could exceed a 20:1 glide yet remain foot-launchable and still be an aircraft you could carry on your shoulder (when folded down). Passionate enthusiasts thrilled to a 5X performance improvement in a decade or so. In the beginning, most pilots launched off mountains to get enough height to catch thermals. Yet lots of America doesn’t have mountainous terrain. Florida had plenty of pilots eager to fly hang gliders but to find the best soaring, they had to load up their gliders and drive 10-12 hours to the hills of Tennessee where flight park operators like me catered to them with mountain launch sites.

Working Aircraft … for the Fun of Flying

By Dan Johnson || December 1, 2014 2 Comments

Read the earlier story about gaining approval for Dragonfly.

Dragonfly can accommodate two seats when training or checking tow pilots.

A long line of Dragonflys are prepared to launch hang gliders in competition in Australia.

In two industry meetings held during 2014, Light-Sport Aircraft manufacturers, organization leaders, FAA personnel, and other interested parties reviewed a list of changes that would improve the 10-year-old SP/LSA regulation. Some items represent minor changes the agency could make fairly quickly. Others are more challenging. Number one on the list involves FAA allowing certain commercial LSA operations when flown by qualified pilots. Even if no great resistance exists — and reasons for optimism are present — this could be some time coming as regulation change is complicated in today's federal government. Another area of intense interest is electric power. While unleashing development of LSA using electric propulsion also requires regulation change, an exemption might allow technical progress before rule change could occur. Recently another group with many more years of effort already invested was able to earn such an exemption. Ed Pitman of Pitman Air recently announced Exemption 11104. The exemption covers new SLSA and ELSA kits plus transitioned ELSA Dragonfly aircraft. The exemption allows Light-Sport compensated towing of hang gliders, light sailplanes, and LSA gliders. This is a big step forward. Dragonfly tugs are operating around the world, but arrived many years ago as "ultralight" aircraft, a term with different meaning in different countries. Today in the USA, an ultralight is a single seater of minimal weight. Dragonfly couldn't fit the definition if it was to do the job properly. Yet modern hang gliders are launched in many parts of the USA and world by a fleet of Dragonfly aircraft. Even though they are often operated in remote areas well away from other air traffic, running an enterprise in a gray area of rules and regulations was not acceptable for the long run. Airparks around the USA tow hang gliders aloft and have almost no accidents so they were able to remain off the radar for years. FAA knew what was going on, but as these operations didn't interfere with the airspace system and being almost incident-free — and considering FAA's docket full of high-pressure matters like drone operations — hang glider towing was allowed to proceed. A valuable aspect of Pitman's fresh exemption is allowing "transitioned" ELSA to tow. Those are aircraft formerly known as two-seat ultralights that FAA wanted to call Light-Sport Aircraft. Transitioned aircraft had not met ASTM standards but, for a limited time, were allowed to become a kind of special ELSA, grandfathered in as part of the move to Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft. With the "E" in front, no commercial operation was possible. However, airparks that already owned many of these "ultralight" Dragonflys have to provide launch and landing zones, various kinds of support equipment, qualified pilots, plus fuel. They need to at least recover their expenses. This exemption provides a solution. Ed wrote, "During the transition period [from ultralight to ELSA], many FAA Designated Airworthiness Representatives issued ELSA airworthiness certificates that varied greatly in the language of the Operating Limitations. If the Op Limits do not contain the proper language for Aero Towing, [operators of pre-LSA Dragonflys were] out of luck." The old operating limits could not be changed after January 31, 2008 when the transition period closed. This is why the addition of transitioned Dragonflys is such a prize. FAA's guidance material now contains: (Limitation 13) "No person may operate this aircraft for compensation or hire, except this aircraft may be used for compensation or hire to conduct towing of a light-sport glider or an unpowered ultralight vehicle in accordance with 14 CFR § 91.309" (emphasis mine). An "unpowered ultralight vehicle" is a hang glider or paraglider. Ed added, "Limitation (13) applies to towing and has no expiration date." Another limitation (23) states: "No person may operate this aircraft to tow a Light-Sport glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle for compensation or hire or conduct flight training for compensation or hire in this aircraft unless within the preceding 100 hours of time in service the aircraft has been inspected by a person acceptable to the FAA" (which includes a certificated light-sport repairman with a maintenance rating or LSR-M, among others such as an A&P). I logged thousands of hours flying hang gliders, first from mountain launches and later via tow behind Dragonfly tugs. The aircraft was purpose-designed for this duty and does the job incredibly well. One operator, Wallaby Ranch in central Florida, can document tens of thousands of successful launches of hang gliders by Dragonfly with an impeccable safety record. Many other airparks also provide valuable launch services. For the modern hang gliding industry, granting of this exemption can be viewed with immense relief. If knowing the exact wording and detail is important to you, or if you need to present the official exemption to an FAA representative, download here the entire signed exemption 11104. (This link was updated 12/8/14.) The exemption was issued on November 18th, 2014,. Hearty congratulations to Ed for navigating the federal bureaucracy and kudos to FAA personnel for agreeing to the logic of this request. Moves by FAA to grant exemption relief as shown in this case offer a glimpse at the possibility for commercial operations by other LSA and possibly for electric power. Earlier this year, at the request of one FAA group, LAMA polled companies around the globe to find many other countries allow commercial operations by aircraft very similar to LSA. Operations such as pipeline patrol, crop spraying, aerial surveying, fire spotting, livestock monitoring and many other activities are permitted in at least 15 countries referenced in the survey. No one expects commercial operation of LSA soon but the possibility has entered the conversation and that could be as good for the LSA industry as Pitman's exemption is for the hang gliding community.

Dragonfly 912 Becomes Newest SLSA #132

By Dan Johnson || July 7, 2013 2 Comments

You might not be in the market for a super slow flying aircraft like Dragonfly that stalls at less than 20 mph. You might not care that Ed Pittman took the lead winning Special LSA approval on behalf of Australian businessman and hang gliding pioneer Bill Moyes and American Dragonfly designer Bobby Bailey. However, as a longtime hang gliding enthusiast, I can attest on behalf of many who enjoy soaring flight in hang gliders that Dragonfly is a critically important aircraft. The unusual aircraft was purpose designed to tow a hang glider aloft so it can be released — commonly at 2,000-2,500 feet and often right in a column of thermal lift — to allow it to achieve soaring flight without the benefit of a mountain from which to launch. One of the most successful aerotug airparks, called Wallaby Ranch, is located a few miles south of Disney World in Florida. Wallaby owns and operates four Dragonfly aircraft and numerous others are in duty elsewhere around the country and globe.

Most everyone in light aviation is now aware that FAA is out conducting audits of LSA manufacturers, with particular attention to new manufacturers or existing manufacturers offering a new model. Last year, FAA issued more guidance — in the form of the catchily-named 8130.2G Chg 1 directive — that defines more about what is a new model or manufacturer. All this was working, albeit at the rather leisurely pace of two audits a month (which would take several years to go through all 90+ manufacturers of LSA), until the federal sequestration came along. With their budget cut, FAA pulled back on all kinds of activities, most notably closing control towers (since altered by congressional action) and charging airshows like Sun 'n Fun and AirVenture to operate towers during their events. With this in mind I asked Ed if Dragonfly powered by the Rotax 912 was considered a new model. Ed replied, "Yes, they treated it as a new model." Ed previously gained approval for a Rotax 582-powered Dragonfly but these two have differently worded Airworthiness Certificates. "Once again I didn't get the 'Special Team' (of several FAA auditors from Washington DC) due to budget constraints within the FAA." Perhaps because of the special duty of this low-speed LSA, Ed concluded, "I don't think they are very worried about the Dragonfly."

"We now offer Dragonfly 582 and Dragonfly 912 in both 80 and 100 horsepower models." He added, "We found a prop that generates 525 pounds of thrust on the 100-hp 912 which should satisfy most towing needs." He noted that this powerful thrust met technical specifications issued by Rotax Aircraft Engines and finished saying, "That's not easy to do with the ASTM requirements and props out there today. These props are made specially for our operation." I know Ed for many years through our mutual hang gliding interest and find him to be a serious, thorough person. The hang gliding community should be celebrating his accomplishment at gaining acceptance by FAA. An SLSA Dragonfly is available ready-to-fly for $67,222 for a 65-hp Rotax 582 model or $81,904 with 100-hp Rotax 912. An ELSA kit version of the latter is $66,964. You may want other accessories or services so check this page for all the details and then call Ed Pittman (530-945-1860 Pacific time) for delivery info.

Long, Winding Approval Tale — SLSA #128

By Dan Johnson || October 24, 2012 Leave a Comment

A most remarkable thing happened recently. No, I don't mean the sudden resignation of EAA president Rod Hightower. I refer to a recent (September 27, 2012) approval of a brand new Special LSA. Why is that noteworthy, especially as it is #128 on our SLSA List? Everyone in the business of LSA and most other alert readers have followed the long, winding, still-evolving path of FAA approvals in the fall of 2012. Specifically, FAA has released an order that says any new model from an existing LSA supplier or any LSA from a new company must be blessed by FAA headquarters in Washington DC. The Aircraft Certification branch must be informed first and an inspection judged necessary cannot be done by a DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative... the people who have approved all other nearly 3,000 LSA in America). Under the new dictate, any new-model approval must be done by an FAA Air Safety Investigator. In short, it ain't easy.

Nonetheless, Ed Pitman of Pitman Air accomplished the daunting task. To my shocked inquiry, Ed (an old friend from my hang gliding days) wrote, "Yes, it is true, the FAA did it. Rather than send a team, [due to] 'lack of funds' they sent their top gun from the Seattle regional manufacturing office. FAA-ASI Michael Bramble is highly qualified (and pretty busy), having issued the first Boeing 787 Standard Airworthiness on September 17, 2012. Immediately afterward he went to nearly the opposite end of the aviation spectrum. Ed continued, "Then [he did] mine on Sept 27th 2012. Poor Boeing had more than 60 competed 787s waiting for that Airworthiness." Despite Bramble's obvious credential, it was still arduous gaining the new SLSA certificate in this environment. Ed went on, "He was constantly on the phone with DC and Oklahoma City. He spent several months going over my documentation against [the July 2012 FAA order called] 8130.2G CHG1 and I think he had a lot of coaching from DC." FAA may have worked hard to get this done but so did Ed.

"I worked on this for 22 months to make it happen," explained Ed. "I went to Australia [where the design is now owned] for a month in March this year to insure they had their paperwork and processes in order. I advised Bill Moyes in the beginning that because of the bilateral agreement between U.S. and Australia he could run everything from Sydney, but he chose to have me represent America for the Dragonfly." Thus, Pitman Air is the official manufacturer of the Dragonfly SLSA and ELSA Kits. Americans can still buy Experimental Amateur Built kits directly from Australia but they cannot tow hang gliders or teach in these machines. According to FAR 91.327 the SLSA models can be used for "Compensation or Hire" for both aero towing and flight training. However, Ed reports he is working to obtain a waiver from FAR 91.309 to solve remaining issues. One reason FAA is amping up their oversight of LSA producers relates to Continued Operation Safety Monitoring, government-speak for the proper follow through to make sure owners know of any problems and have a way to remedy them. Ed has been particularly diligent to this task.

Presently Pitman Air offers the 65-hp Rotax 582-powered Dragonfly but Ed reported that designer Bobby Bailey will start work in November to build the first Dragonfly 912 ULS... "so I can get that added to the list before spring." The magic of the Dragonfly is that it was specifically designed to aero tow hang gliders at the speeds hang gliders want to fly: 30-35 mph. Therefore Dragonfly was created with huge ailerons and a large tailplane that work at these speeds. It also has a special rig on the tail that permits towing of a weight shift aircraft. After tugging a one or two-person hang glider aloft, the glider pilot cuts loose the towline (which trails after the Dragonfly) and the tug pilot will dive back to the ground to get another glider. Nose down steeply, Dragonfly won't exceed about 55 mph. The purpose-built design has done workhorse tractor-like duty and some of the fleet of Dragonflys at the popular Wallaby Ranch a few miles south of Disney World reportedly have upwards of 10,000 hours on them. Congratulations to Ed for his incredible perseverance and to FAA's understanding that Dragonfly is a critical aircraft to modern aerotow-launched hang gliding.

A most remarkable thing happened recently. No, I don’t mean the sudden resignation of EAA president Rod Hightower. I refer to a recent (September 27, 2012) approval of a brand new Special LSA. Why is that noteworthy, especially as it is #128 on our SLSA List? Everyone in the business of LSA and most other alert readers have followed the long, winding, still-evolving path of FAA approvals in the fall of 2012. Specifically, FAA has released an order that says any new model from an existing LSA supplier or any LSA from a new company must be blessed by FAA headquarters in Washington DC. The Aircraft Certification branch must be informed first and an inspection judged necessary cannot be done by a DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative… the people who have approved all other nearly 3,000 LSA in America). Under the new dictate, any new-model approval must be done by an FAA Air Safety Investigator.