Except without the instrument panel. Sometimes I wonder why I've bothered with anything bigger. I found this video randomly, but it's fun.

http://youtu.be/95647Ofbbyg

I've never flown anything like this but it looks like a lot of fun! I'm curious how it handles if the fan quits? Looks like it might be a handful? Do you still fly them?

CW

It does look like a lot of fun! I have no interest in weight-shift ultralights, but as long as they have a tail, I'm interested. I'm also not a big fan of two stroke engines on flight vehicles. Never had experience with one that wasn't a fickle beast that might let you down on a moments notice.



That would suck.

I still enjoy flying an ultralight from time to time, I just pull the doors off the S-7S (3 minutes at most) and keep the speed down in the 40's to maybe 50 at most. It scratches that itch when I feel the need, but I like the bang for the buck of using the same aircraft to fly 6+ hr legs at 90 mph with all my camping gear and the Montague bike! I doubt I will ever move up to a bigger plane then I now have, it splits the difference between grass roots low and slow and real airplane utility pretty well. In other words, I'd never go back to those days, but can when I want to, pretty much, but really like having cabin heat and all the other perks of a small airplane! For you real experienced big plane pilots....you should really find a competent 2 seater instructor and go up and play in one (a UL), you will have a blast.

+1 for cabin heat. I loved flying my powered parachute, but having an enclosed cabin and cabin heat makes it fun year-round. But on the perfect summer evening, open cockpits can not be beat.

Quicksilver of some sort. Hard to tell without viewing the rest of the machine. The design has evolved from weight shift, to 3 axis with weird rudder coupled to stick, to a more conventional 3 axis with actual ailerons instead of spoilers and the controls doing all the normal things. I've only flown the latter.

The Rotax 503 and 582 I've flown behind were flawless, but were stringently maintained. Very very lightweight.

Weight shift, 2 stroke….

Some of the best airplanes I have ever flown are 2 stroke weight shift. I have hundreds of hours in weight shift 2 stroke aircraft. Some are great, some are not so great. Ultralights are a blast!

G44

Nice.

Not the one I learned in, but here's my first plane. While flying this I also got my Private Pilot Certificate in a Citabria 7GCBC. Need to dig up a picture of that one.

Ah yes, Anteres, great trike! I had one as well as a few Air Creations.

Kurt

I have never ben a great fan of 2 stroke either, but im now flying about 500 hours a year mustering cattle with a 2 stroke on the back and havn't had any major issues. I have had 2 failures, both on the 582. one was the farmer who owned the aircraft regularly used the same jerry cans for diesel, and little bits of it had got into the tank of the plane over the years. when i was coming back in from a muster, and was low on fuel it sucked up a slug of diesel. the other was a radiator hose on came off. so I wouldn't say either of those issues are really anything you could blame the engines being 2 stroke on. the biggest issues I have had mustering have actually been with 4 stroke jabiru engines. those things are the anti christ!

The little two strokes are kind of finicky, especially about mixture. But treat them right and there's not much to go wrong. I've had far more problems with old continentals than with my little Rotax.

Bear_Builder wrote:The little two strokes are kind of finicky, especially about mixture. But treat them right and there's not much to go wrong. I've had far more problems with old continentals than with my little Rotax.

With the inflight mixture and IFA prop it made EGT management a snap. I have 900 hrs behind a couple 582s in kitfox and avids and love em. Tons of fun and the only issue I had was trying to rebuild with an ebay piston kit that had shit rings in it that collapsed in 3 hrs. Rings were like butter after 3 hrs run time. Stock piston and rings and I had another 300+ hrs out of it. Had a cooling issue in my avid and got the engine a bit warm and had to tear it down, but that was pretty much my fault.

I make trips back and forth across the inlet a few times a week when I am not on the slope and don't think twice about it.

Love the power to weight of the 2 strokes!

Other good thing about the 2 strokes is if something does go wrong, nine times out of ten you can get them going again in the field within the hour and be heading on your merry way.

I personally think the 503 particularly is one of the best engines ever made. This said its what keeps me in the air on my own bird so i may be a bit bias!

I got a lot of caustic remarks on the old Matronics email list when I was building my kitfox and putting a 503 on it. Experimental amateur built and the 503 Rotax is what made flying affordable for me.

I took my primary training and got a private pilot certificate in a Cherokee but learned to fly in this.