FACING THE BUYING DECISION, PART II
Last time we discussed the pilot (you!); this time we discuss the many types of aircraft choices you have. In the last installment, we’ll put these together and help you narrow your choices to a few models.
What Kind of Pilot Are You?
Let’s just say you actually know yourself. While this sounds like a comment that deserves a “Duh!” response, don’t be too quick to judge. If every pilot or buyer of aircraft knew what they needed or wanted, my job would be easier. But it isn’t so. Most pilots know something about what they want, but many don’t have enough information to make the best decision.
Some readers are “experts.” A good many ultralight or light plane enthusiasts have been around long enough and owned enough variety of ultralights to know what they like.
These veteran sport aviators represent a lot of combined experience.
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The First Two Ultralights with the New HKS Engine
It isn’t often I can do “scouting party” duty on engines. Powerplants aren’t normally my focus. They
are a necessity for flight, but they aren’t my main attraction. A great many pilots I’ve met appear to be just the reverse: They are extremely interested in engines.
I enjoyed the chance to fly behind the first European and first American installations of the new 60-hp HKS 700E 4-stroke from Japan’s HKS Company Ltd. With that in mind, this pilot’s report is rather different. We’ll look at this new engine on two different aircraft.
As all Ultralight Flying! readers know, Rotax has enjoyed great success for more than a decade as an ultralight engine supplier. After dominating the 2-stroke market, Rotax introduced the 81-hp Rotax 912 4-stroke, which has become a popular powerplant choice for sport aviation aircraft.
Is a 4-Stroke Better?
All 4-stroke engine manufacturers trumpet their advantages over 2-strokes: lower fuel consumption, quieter operation, longer time between overhaul, and reliability.
Interplane Aircraft — Skyboy UL
Easily one of the most fascinating airplanes to appear and show well as the airshows of 1999 was the east European-built Skyboy, sold in this country by Interplane. In truth it’s not only sold here by this outfit, Interplane is the name of the company building these aircraft in the Czech Republic. It may not be of American heritage but from what I could tell it quickened the heart of Yankee pilots.
Under the direction of Jaroslav Dostal, a veteran of the LET Aircraft Company which builds 19- and 40-passenger commuters, a group of talented designers created several sport aircraft of which Skyboy is one. It’s abundantly clear these men knew their job as one examines the workmanship on the fully factory-built Skyboy being marketed to American ultralight trainers. Yet the shapely exterior is not the whole story.
As you open the door of the Interplane Skyboy you see a nicely finished interior that invites your entrance.
Para-Ski International — Para-Ski
You get four vehicles in one when you choose the powered parachute called Para-Ski. The name comes from the fact that you can swap wheels for skiis. With the correct selection this will permit zooming around – without a wing – on either water or snow, giving Para-Ski year ’round thrills.
What interests pilots, of course, is the ability to install a powered parachute and go aloft. But even in this airborne environment, Para-Ski offers more versatility. You can exchange the bag wing for a rag wing and, using some changed mount hardware, the Para-Ski become a trike ultralight as well.
Para-Ski is just full of differences, for example, its use of four wheels versus the more typical tri-gear favored by most other power parachute builders. Para-Ski feels this gives the machine more stability during takeoffs and landings and sure enough, when the canopy pulls to one side, I’ve seen company pilots keep the machine tracking straight on only two wheels (a tough maneuver with a three-wheeled model).
Daiichi Kosho — Whisper GTO
With the advent of the powered paraglider, trike ultralights lost their position as the smallest of powered aircraft. Once slope-launched gliding parachutes matured, power packages were added. Add a pilot’s seat to a backpack engine and the paraglider became a powered aircraft.
One of the most widely known brands to popularize this new concept is Daiichi Kosho Co., Ltd., of Japan. Their DK Whisper series is equipped with a harness for the pilot with built-in seat and a foot bar to yield a comfortable cockpit. The throttle is a hand operated unit with a new “cruise control” feature that lets the pilot fix a power setting for cruise or long duration climbs, which frees the hands for use of a GPS or camera.
The latest version of the Whisper blends the proven harness and frame that can reduce both engine torque reaction and gyroscopic precession. Daiichi says their new harness “is so agile that steering can be controlled by shifting body weight.” This weight shift capability adds to the standard method of hand toggles (which hang near your ear) whose purpose is to reshape the trailing edge of the parachute wing.
Buckeye Industries — Brat
Not many question Buckeye’s leadership role among producers of powered parachutes. They move a lot of flying hardware. Now to expand even further, Buckeye has offered the Brat, new in a couple interesting ways.
Buckeye’s little Brat is a single place aircraft. It can be fitted with one of the company’s canopy wings but that’s no longer all. Swap a couple tubes around and in a few minutes you can fix the trike carriage to a La Mouette Topless wing. This wing is one the top wings carrying hang glider pilots to record flights and contest championships. (Tested earlier with a Cosmos trike, I found the Topless wing offered superb trike handling.)
To keep the rig simple and provide for such switchability, the Brat employs hand toggles for canopy wing steering. Their standard powered parachutes use foot pedals to do this same controlling.
Flown for its first public introduction at Oshkosh 1997, the Brat appeared to be a particularly slow flyer with light touch handling – I never saw the pilot working hard to control the Brat.
Flightstar II
The popular Flightstar is solidly an American aircraft again after an excursion with overseas ownership. Original designer, Tom Peghiny, and his partner, Sparky LaMontagne, are majority owners in the Connecticut-based ultralight manufacturer. They’ve introduced four models to the community: Flightstar Classic (277 engine), Spyder (447-powered single place), Formula (deluxe full enclosure single seater) and Flightstar (top of the line two-place aircraft).
The Flightstar line distinguishes itself by featuring well engineered designs with cleanly executed hardware on a sleek, solid design. As they pass by in an airshow demonstration, viewers are pleased by the quiet performance of the machines. Factory pilots fly their two place model with the lighter 503 engine; it’s more than enough engine though you can add the more powerful 582. They go fast as well as slow and handle well at either end of the envelope. Present models offer flaps to further extend the speed range.
Efficiency is a watchword with the Flightstars.
Hurricane Company – Hurricane II
Fun people and fun planes probably always went together, but when you run into the Hurricane staff, you’ll better understand the combination. The Southern California manufacturer and crew apparently enjoy what they’re doing. They smile a lot and want to go fly their Hurricanes at the drop of a hat. All that pleasure shows up in an airplane that’s fun to buy, build, and fly.
Flying may be the best part. The Hurricane, deriving as it does from solid predecessors like the Phantom and Avenger, has refined the special form of ultralight flying to an art form. The Hurricanes typify ultralight aircraft to many folks, both pilots and first-airshow spectators. Open but protected from the wind by a high quality fairing and screen, the Hurricane preserves that wide-open feeling that gives the comfort of an enclosed cabin.
Though the handling is snappy enough for factory pilots to put the Hurricanes through some aerobatic paces, they also fly with well behaved manners.
Tenn. Engineering & Mfg – Max-103
TEAM, builder of the MiniMax, High Max, and other -Maxes, introduced their new Max-103 at Oshkosh 1993. With flowing lines, a snappy paint job and an adorable “convertible” canopy, the Max-103 was a hit with airshow goers.
TEAM president, Scott Severin, was the motivation behind changes to old serial #2 MiniMax, completely transforming it to the beautiful plane above. In order to keep the price low and building easy, the MiniMax has always shown rather boxy lines. The ‘103 was visually striking with fiberglass cowlings, a shapely turtle deck, and sweeping red and blue accent stripes over an clean white base.
Fortunately, TEAM didn’t mess with success, leaving the fine handling and solid feel intact. The MiniMax line is known for light controls with quick-not-jumpy aileron response. Taildragger takeoffs and landings are as easy as most tri-gear designs. A wide-open MiniMax is a joy to fly; the view is tremendous.
Not only is the Max-103 a hot little plane, it carries an absurdly low price tag.
Getting Up On A Breese
A M-Squared solidifies its position in the ultralight industry, the company rounds out its line of models with a pair of single-seaters to complement two 2-seaters already completed.
Welcome to fresh Mississippi Breeses.
M-Squared was born of a collaboration of 17-year Quicksilver veteran Paul Mather, and South Mississippi Light Aircraft (SMLA) owner Ronnie Smith. Mather started and solely owns M-Squared, but the two men have established a complementary working relationship.
Ronnie Smith and his wife built their SMLA operation into a regional powerhouse, selling Quicksilvers and other models through a chain of subdealers. Smith also established the southern enterprise as one of the few official American Rotax sales and service outlets and is also a supplier of many ultralight accessory items.
Mather conceived how Smith’s presence in the business might be combined with his own depth of experience and M-Squared rose as powerfully as the early 80-hp Rotax 912-equipped aircraft he debuted in the spring of 1997.
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