Made in the USA and Yankee friendly!
Many pilots and even some experts believe trikes are a European innovation. Indeed, producers across the Atlantic took the breed to new heights, yet the fact remains that the earliest commercial producers of weight-shift trikes were here in the United States. In the early 1980s trikes were primarily an American phenomenon.
In the early days, before ultralights
had been defined, hang gliders
added power and slowly evolved to
use wheeled carriages. The first
producers included brands that
transitioned from the hang gliding
world, such as Soarmaster, Bennett
Delta Wings, and Flight Designs (no
relation to the German producer of
the CT). All of these American names,
and a good many more, are now
gone.
Today, when you hear the word
trikes, you may think of Air Creation,
Cosmos, Pegasus, AirBorne, or other
companies from Great Britain,
Europe, or Australia. Most of the
development work in trikes has
seemed to come from imported
brands.
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Europe Embraces Light-Sport Aircraft
Many excellent aircraft may be headed our way
Parlez-vous Française? Sprechen Sie Deutsche? Parlate Italiano? Fortunately, to understand European recreational aircraft you don’t need to speak French, German, or Italian. Yet the light-sport aircraft (LSA) that may interest you could come from countries where the mother tongue isn’t English.
Welcome to the globalized
world of light-sport
aircraft where the workers
who built your plane may speak
Polish, Russian, Hungarian, or
Latvian in addition to French,
German, or Italian.
Though many intriguing
ultralights come from Europe and
Americans have seen a few of these,
many are a complete surprise to
Yankee pilots. That will change.
Last year after EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2002 ended, I traveled to
Blois (pronounced Blwah), France, a
town about 200 kilometers south of
Paris. There I attended the 22nd
salon (or air show) that organizers
present at this location each year in
late summer. Let’s take a walk
around the salon at Blois.
Hawks and their History
A look at CGS Aviation and its Roots
The Hawk and Chuck. Chuck
and the CGS Hawk. They are
absolutely intertwined. While
Chuck has a wife, Pixie (aka Nancy),
and family—four sons (Chuck Jr.,
David, Ted, and Don)—he has
another family in his aircraft.
Going Way Back
Our story this month takes us back
in time. EAA recently celebrated the
induction of Michael Sacrey into the
Ultralight Hall of Fame. He was
present near the beginning of the
movement. But even before
ultralights were officially recognized
as a segment of aviation, Chuck was
doing essentially what he is doing
today—selling flying machines.
In the early days, Chuck built
hang gliders, with names like the
Swooper, Spitfire, and Falcon (models
I through VII). While hang gliding
was most popular on the West Coast
and many major hang glider
manufacturers were located there,
hang gliding was also popular along
the dunes of the Great Lakes, and
Chuck’s operation was one of the
biggest in the eastern part of the
country.
An Escapade Just for You
Engineering design is usually an evolutionary process. While occasionally a breakthrough idea comes to market, most development in aviation is a result of small steps. The Escapade is a good example.
Once Flying K Enterprises (now Sky Raider LLC) offered their Sky Raider. The single-seater had much in common with the immensely popular SkyStar Aircraft Kitfox. In fact, when SkyStar offered their Kitfox Lite single-seater, Flying K built the welded fuselage for them.
Then came the Sky Raider II with a tight back seat that could be used for an occasional ride though not instruction as no controls were installed in the rear. The new Summit offered by Just Aircraft late last year was a variation on the Sky Raider II theme.
Company leadership changes as do their designs and the path from Flying K to Just Aircraft is convoluted; other business names are involved. By example, Rocky Mountain Wings, run by former Flying K partner Stace Schrader, offers their very similar Ridge Runner.
New Kolb’s FireStar, Flyer and Sport 600
Once Kolb’s FireStar was a new design; a second-generation evolution for the company then headquartered in Pennsylvania. The first Kolb single-seaters were later joined by the TwinStar, the company’s original 2-seater, all of which preceded the FireStar series.
Under the direction of Homer Kolb and Dennis Souder, the original Kolb Company followed their success with the FireStar by creating the Mark III 2-seater, FireFly single-seater, and SlingShot tandem 2-seater. They also worked on but never released the Laser.
In 1999 Bruce Chesnut and Brian Blackwood purchased Kolb Aircraft from Dennis Souder who, along with other partners had owned the enterprise since 1994. Chesnut and Blackwood renamed the company The New Kolb Aircraft Company and moved it to new facilities at the Chesnut Knolls Aviation Foundation Airpark in London, Kentucky.
The Kentucky-based company has focused on model revisions such as the Kolbra and King Kolbra, and the Mark III Xtra. Most recently, The New Kolb Aircraft Company has entered the powered parachute market with their Flyer, and to the proposed Light-Sport Aircraft segment with the Pelican Sport 600.
Zenith’s Sport Pilot Entry
Chris Heintz’s Zodiac CH 601 XL design fits perfectly
Chris Heintz is a respected designer of light aircraft, and the
Zenith Aircraft Co., led by his sons Sebastian and Nick, is a successful
kit manufacturer with worldwide impact. The company’s
Zodiac line is a well-accepted series of aircraft with good performance
and handling. So, why did I think the Zodiacs were boring?
The answer’s simple—because they
look like little Piper Cherokees.
Now, both New Piper Aircraft and
Zenith make fine aircraft with
better-than-expected performance for
their class. But they’re just…well…conventional,
expected, familiar. They seem
to be a factory sedan at a sports car show.
A flight in the Zodiac XL with Nick
changed my view. I now have a better
understanding of the solid reputation of
this Canadian designer, this company,
and these aircraft. I greatly enjoyed the
hour Nick and I spent buzzing about the
central Florida landscape.
The Zodiac Line
Developed by Chris Heintz, the Zodiac
line today includes four different models.
Efficient Amphib Trike; The Kalypso
My computer dictionary says Calypso is “A sea nymph who delayed Odysseus on her island for 7 years.” It is also the name of one of Saturn’s moons, a flower, and a West Indian musical style. Any of these meanings infer a pleasant experience, a sensation sure to be duplicated by the ultralight amphibious Kalypso (spelled with a “K”) with its Krücker-designed floats.
I don’t know if the Kalypso is enough to keep you stuck on an island for 7 years, but I found her to be a most desirable ultralight.
Take It Home with You
Trikes are highly mobile aircraft. One reason they became so popular in Europe and even here in the roomier US of A is that they break down easily. You can carry a trike in a pickup truck – with the right hardware added to properly support chassis and wing. Or you can use a small trailer and carry the wing on your car or truck.
SportStar for American Pilots
They’re already lining up out front though the party isn’t sure to happen. I’m writing about the FAA’s Light-Sport Aircraft proposal and those aircraft that intend to cash in on the new opportunity if the proposal becomes the law of the land.
Should ultralight pilots embrace this proposal? Or is it merely another niche of aviation that won’t substantially change how many ultralight pilots operate their aircraft?
Many true-to-the-breed ultralight designs are already kit-built, N-numbered aircraft flown by pilots with an FAA certificate. Lots of others prefer the light-handed Part 103 rule.
Light-Sport Aircraft, while potentially more capable, are going to carry much higher price tags and more government involvement. However, the kit business isn’t going to disappear nor are genuine Part 103 ultralights. (The last statement is the beginning of another story but I can easily demonstrate how Part 103 aircraft will remain an important part of the market.)
Still, the Light-Sport Aircraft proposal has considerable energy and may become law during 2003.
Xair Standard and F Models
he Xair hardly looks like a Weedhopper anymore. And its French-based producer, Randkar, may no longer care to associate with the pioneering design (though they surely wouldn’t mind selling 4,000 units like the Weedhopper). Indeed, the machine is now so different, the heritage barely reveals itself.
Today, it may take a stretch of imagination to see the Weedhopper under the Xair’s fancy new coverings. To try, let your mind’s eye take away the entire cockpit assembly and the aft fairing. What you’re left with does begin to look like a Weedhopper. The swept wing with its long chord, the simple, angular tail… it’s clearly a derivative of John Chotia’s Weedhopper.*
Global Contender
Created in America, the Weedhopper migrated to Europe (where more than one company picked up on the simple ultralight). One of those companies is France’s Randkar, which produces the Xair. It is built by an Indian company, Raj Hamsa, and returned to American soil by its U.S.
Simple, But Efficient – The TC Trike
The itch returned. In truth it never left, says TC’s Trikes owner TC Blyth.
“I was a hang glider pilot 20 years ago and when the time was right, I wanted to jump back in,” says Blyth.
But instead of returning to hang gliding, trikes are the machines Blyth chose to reinvigorate his flying. A Chattanooga, Tennessee native, Blyth’s familiarity with tailless delta wings stimulated him to get involved with trikes.
After his earlier time enjoying hang gliding, family and work responsibilities “interfered” with this enjoyment for many years. Many ultralight enthusiasts can understand this situation. In the interim Blyth took up fishing, but he says, “Stumbling around among rocks in moving water had hazards, too. You can trip and fall, and drown.” While he enjoyed fishing, he figured the risks of flying weren’t overwhelming and he itched to fly again.
Blyth started by representing Sabre Aircraft and reports selling many trikes for the Southwestern company.
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