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Pitman Air LLC Dragonfly 582

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.

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.