After you finish Easter Sunday dinner with the family, how about going out for a spin on your new Scorpion 3 Hoverbike? Is this merely an April fools joke?
Apparently not. Video appears to prove this machine, though with the state of the art in digital effects, anything you see can be fiction.
As many of us prepare for the start of Sun ‘n Fun 2018 in barely over one week, we hope to see numerous flying machines of interest. My visual partner, Videoman Dave and I will be onsite in Lakeland, Florida — and the following week at Aero Friedrichshafen in the south of Germany. Our mission is to collect a large batch of video that we hope will educate and entertain enthusiasts of light aviation.
I do not expect we will be covering Scorpion 3, but I have to admit I found the idea fascinating.
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Google’s Larry Page Building an Ultralight? Yes!
Mainstream media outfits exploded with news of Google’s flying car. Although such news outlets rarely seem to notice recreational aviation other than when an accident occurs, the reports I read did a respectable job of covering flying car projects we already knew about (reported here and here earlier; some projects have advanced, some have dropped out, and others have arrived).
One glance at the images tells you this is no “flying car,” as no car is involved. More accurately, Kitty Hawk’s Flyer is an ultralight vehicle in the water thrill craft or all-terrain vehicle category … making it sort of one of “ours,” if I’m permitted to stretch the possessive.
Funded by Google founder, Larry Page — an uber rich tech personality — Kitty Hawk is not simply an exploratory project. They actually plan to sell this cool little rig. Flyer is an open-seated, 220-pound empty weight octocopter with seat (saddle?) for one person.
Light-Sport, Light Kit Aircraft and Ultralights at Sun ‘n Fun 2017
The big show at Lakeland, Florida is open and happening. Today (Tuesday April 4th) is opening day; the event runs through Sunday, April 9th. Along with Videoman Dave, we’ve already starting making the rounds and we’ve found plenty to see.
As you see in the photos, Evolution Trikes made a dramatic announcement of a new weight shift trike model called Revolt. In communications, they’ve spelled it RevoLT, which you could interpret to mean Revo (their super deluxe model) Light. Yet it’s probably more correct to call it a different Revo without the fancy pants but with some cool new features.
Among them, Revolt has giant tundra tires not often seen on trikes. Paired with that long shock absorber legs worthy of a SuperSTOL or Outback Shock. Like their lower priced single seater, Rev, Revolt does away with the forward strut, sometimes called a compression strut, which leaves both occupants but particularly the front occupant or solo pilot with an enormous unobstructed view.
TL Ultralight Debuts Evolved Sting S4
Not a company to rest on their laurels, TL Ultralight — represented in America since the beginning of LSA by Sportair USA — debuted their Sting S4 at the German Aero show in April. Besides developing an all-new high-wing design (the TL-3000 Sirius …photo inset) — the S4 is the newest generation of the Czech company’s popular low wing, all-carbon-fiber Sting. Sting was the #5 SLSA ever certified and it has developed a solid U.S. following. *** TL designers know how to mold smooth lines into their designs, but they have also been dedicating hours of work to further refine one of the more evolved LSA on the market. Here’s a short list of the new developments for the Sting S4: * A stiffer-framed, better-sealed canopy improves ventilation with a vent port built right in the canopy frame; * A new instrument panel better accommodates large screen systems like Dynon’s SkyView (lower photo); * The top of the instrument panel now provides a couple handholds to assist entry/exit plus a central cavity that can hold a few small items; * Adjustable rudder pedals range 10 inches via an easy control between your lower legs (see in lower left photo in front of joystick); * Baggage capacity has been increased to 55 pounds, the compartment has been upholstered, and has a cargo net; * The entire tri-gear has been completely redesigned to provide better shock absorption and ground handling; * A new engine cowling improves cooling; * the vertical tail has been enlarged to improve stability; and, * Manual flaps have given way to easy-to-use electric flaps with the controller placed in a slightly enlarged center console.
Product Lines – April 2005
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 – April 2004
St. Paul, Minn. — You’ll probably be amazed to hear that Wallaby Ranch and Quest
have merged. Yes, unbelievably, the two rivals flight parks signed an agreement
to become as one. This stunning development comes just
after Wills Wing purchased Moyes “for a song” crooned WW president, Rob Kells.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he added. How much more shocking news can
you withstand? Well, in keeping with a few fun items elsewhere in this magazine,
the above is pure April Fools fiction. I’ll leave more inventive humor to others
and return to what this column does best.
Amid all the excitement, I completely forgot to blow my own horn| Yup, with the February
2004 issue, “Product Lines” finished 25 years of continuous publishing. In
all that time, the column never missed an issue. As I am working to post all
these columns on my long-in-development Web site, someday you’ll be able to scan
through a lot of hang gliding history presented in a familiar format.
Product Lines – April 1999
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — This edition of "Product Lines" comes to you from the combined convention of the Soaring Society of America, USHGA, US Ultralight Association, and the International Aerobatic Club. Signs showed the general public how to enter, referring to the event simply as "Air Expo 99." ••• Thanks to outstanding preparatory work by Yoo-shga Executive Director, Phil Bachman, the event generated a large amount of TV, radio and newspaper attention. At least two live broadcasts occurred from the convention floor, all three major network affiliates gave coverage, and the ABC affiliate Channel 6 repeatedly used the daily theme "Flying High Week" leading up to the convention. Radio station 98.7 gave a steady series of ads to get their place on the radio dial printed on convention badges. I’m not aware of this sort of market media saturation since all the Chattanooga TV affiliates and newspapers fawned over American Cup pilots back in the 1970s.
Product Lines – April 1998
ST. PAUL, MN — Folks, right off, I have a couple items of interest that don’t relate to hang gliding products. ••• In the December ’97 issue I wrote about industry leader, Ken Brown. The story mentioned Ken’s employer, a man named Jim Lee, who was killed in an ultralight accident. I didn’t focus on Lee as the story was about Brown. However, perhaps I should’ve spelled it out. Some readers thought I meant Jim Lee, the highly ranked hang glider pilot. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I wrote that the other Jim Lee was an ultralight developer based in the East, while hang glider Jim Lee is not involved with ultralights and lives in the west. Some pilots read the story in December and erroneously put that news together with a reported death at the World Meet in Australia in January, concluding that Jim Lee the hang glider pilot had lost his life.
Product Lines – April 1997
ST. PAUL, MINN — Back home in cold country after a couple delightful months in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. Soon the season will heat up… and so will the soaring. News surrounds that pleasant development. ••• Moyes has introduced their version of the topless phenomenon that appears to be sweeping the entire design world. The down-under company will call theirs the CSX, saying it is based on the Super Xtralight SX series. • "Due to its use of carbon fiber," Moyes says, "[it] draws upon the technological leaps and bounds made by the massively funded America’s Cup yachting industry." They explained further saying, "The CSX’s center crossbars and divesticks come courtesy of one of the foremost yacht-makers who have been utilizing composite fibers for years." • Moyes also says it is using "Sail Propensity, or SP," which they define as, "an exciting new sail twist innovation which alters the sail’s wingtip loading based on the glider’s angle of attack." • While most glider builders do all their fabrication in house, Moyes continues to outsource work like the carbon fiber parts and even sail making.
Product Lines – April 1995
ST. PAUL, MINN. — As happens every fall, you filled out Director ballots and survey forms in ’94. Office staffer, Greg Huller, laboriously went through 1,509 forms — a LOT of work, I know — compiling your responses to many questions. His review appears in the "USHGA Reports" section of this issue. However, I usually examine the numbers for product related info and this year is no exception. So, here we go… ••• The main topic of interest is glider brand market share. These days such analysis must include paragliders as well, though their brands are largely not American made. ••• In hang gliding, Wills Wing continues their dominance of the field, with 42.7%, up a skootch from 1993 (42.0%). Wills peaked in 1991 (at 43.1%) but is very solidly the number one producer. • PacAir jumped two points in the last year, up to 29.6% from 27.6% of the market.
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