Any of you guys fkly one of these new 2 seat microlights? http://www.usairborne.com/

They appear to have a lot of useful load and power...Look like a good alternative to the typical GA aircraft and a lot of fun!!

This looks like you could really use it flying in the mountains...http://www.airborne.com.au/pages/ml_xt912_tundra.html

Trikes, or microlights as they call them in europe and africa are very cool. These guys at FreeToAdventure have all sorts of cool photos and videos of their adventures, including Flying the Falls, a HD movie.

There are some other good brand too, like Air Creation, and Northwing, which are built in WA I think.

Supposedly trikes struggle a bit in crosswinds due to only having 2 axis controls, but they can actually cruise at a pretty good clip.

I took a ride in an Air Creation one time in Santa Ynez, and it was awesome, like riding a motorcycle.

I had an Antares MA-33 with UFO wing for a few years. Lots of fun in the air. It's a very smooth intuitive way to fly. With a slow wing you'll be using very low power settings, so very quiet. The Rotax mufflers are very effective anyway. Moose typically didn't even look up when I went over. On a calm morning or evening I could put my hands in my lap and fly by just leaning my body the way I wanted to go.

yes, they are pretty limited in crosswinds. You have to just crab all the way to the runway and let it whip itself straight when the mains touch. Just like in an Ercoupe. On the other hand, you can pull the bar in to kill the lift, and angle the wing into the wind once you're down too.

Trikes also tend to have a very narrow speed range Since the weight shift control doesn't give a lot of pitch authority. You fly completely by using the throttle for altitude, and pretty much only use the pitch to keep level in turns and flare for landing. Most have a foot throttle, just like a car, in addition to a hand throttle that can be set for cruising.

Phil

Thanks guys keep the replies coming....1SeventyZ I downloaded the movie you speak of really cool!!!

Bear_builder how were these things for backcountry flying? It seems like you can get in and out of some tight spots with them. I am assuming you live somewhere in AK.

I really need to go to the airport and try one of these things out. I am wondering how they will do at high density altitudes...I live in CO so they can be very high in addition to the mountains, etc...

They look like they might be a good cheap way to fly...I have to admit this has got me excited

I can't really comment on the Density altitude part since I was typically flying at DA's of sealevel or below. But they typically have a very good power to weight ratio solo.

As for backcournty use, and I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, I don't think so. The lack of pitch control means you can't really use any kind of soft field technique. In fact, plane has to be rigged so that it's very nose down on the ground to insure that it lands mains first. The side effect of this is that you have a definite down thrust on take off. When the wing finally overcomes this, the plane "pops" off the ground, the trike immediately rotates to a nose high additude and climbs at pretty steep angle.

On top of that, you have a significant portion of the weight and aerodynamic drag up very high above a very close coupled set of wheels. So as you can imagine things get pretty interesting pretty quick when landing in gusty conditions.

But as long as you're not planning to go into soft or rough fields, and are careful not to land on narrow strips in gusty conditions it'd be just fine. I landed mine on back roads a few times without problem. Just be sure to scout them ahead of time for wires and posts. And it was a real kick on skis. But honestly, if I was to do it again I'd go with something like a CGS Hawk, Preceptor Pup or one of the Kolbs.

Phil

Kolbs are pretty cool, as are the Maxair Drifters (Talon now I think. )

I'll agree with Bear_Builder, from what I know the trikes seem to have a little more difficulty making steeper approaches. I looked at the wing specifications though for Northwing, and they have stall speeds of 28-30 mph, so I don't see why you couldn't make slower constant pitch-attitude approaches with power on.

The huge attraction to trikes IMO is the storage options. Fold up the wing, stick it in the garage or box trailer.

1SeventyZ wrote:Kolbs are pretty cool, as are the Maxair Drifters (Talon now I think. )

I'll agree with Bear_Builder, from what I know the trikes seem to have a little more difficulty making steeper approaches. I looked at the wing specifications though for Northwing, and they have stall speeds of 28-30 mph, so I don't see why you couldn't make slower constant pitch-attitude approaches with power on.

The huge attraction to trikes IMO is the storage options. Fold up the wing, stick it in the garage or box trailer.

You have to remember that in a trike, the normal mode of flight is what we would consider "behind the curve" in a 3 axis plane. But because of the flex wing design, most can't completely stall. The wing tips rotate down as the AOA increases, so they're always flying. So stalls are typically just a mushy decent. I say most because my UFO wing was one of the exceptions. It was rigid enough to actually have a very definite stall break.

The attractions of Trikes as I see it are:

Simplicity - no rudders, no control cables, about as simple an aircraft as you can get.

Low Cost - They're simple, so cheaper to manufacture and ship.

No stall - as stated above, gives them a preception of safty.

Storage - though most people I know that own them leave them fully assembled at the airport.

Flying - They're very easy and intuitive to fly, espcially if you've never flown before. It takes very little time to become proficient.

Phil

Hi Guys,
Trikes like airplanes change. Flying a trike decade old is very different than flying a newer designed trike. They can cruise around 100 mph, have top speeds of 115 mph and stalls around 40 at full gross weight with 1000 FPM climb at gross weight.
You sure can make steep approaches in a trike. I have personally made approaches to 30 degrees steep descending at 2000 FPM in complete control. It just depends on what you are talking about. You cannot paint all trikes with the same brush just like airplanes.

Crosswinds are generally no problem till 12 knots or so, after that it depends on pilot skill. I would say with proper technique 15 to 17 knot crosswinds are perfectly doable. Trikes land crabbed, they do not need to be straightened out. As the mains touch down, because they are aft of the CG, the front swings to line up with the direction of travel (down the runway). During this time, the front wheel should be kept above the ground as in any good landing with any tricycle gear aircraft.

There are videos at
http://trikeschool.wordpress.com/

Here's some backcountry stuff with trikes.

They look like fun

Yes and for backcountry flying trikes are awesome. You need to have the right high performance trike and know what you are doing. If you are an airplane pilot (who btw make the most dangerous trike students), you have to take proper training and realize that flying trikes is extremely different, perhaps even more different than an airplane pilot flying a helicopter. It takes time to develop confidence and the right skills in a trike to be able to do back-country stuff. You are not going to be doing it in 25 hours even if you have 800 hours of airplane time.
I am a bit surprised on the crosswind capability comments of some people here. Guys if you need trike lessons (advanced) let us know. The comment about the UFO wing .. well that's older than dirt. You can't talk about triking if you are relating to it that far back. Things have moved on and I mean really moved on.

I have a few hours on trikes. Sergey Zolzulya is a buddy of mine and built this Antares for us.

Caught this on the Rotax facebook page:



Those are kinda fat tires for a trike. Looks like it's an Airborne Australia model.

Not so sure I agree with the "No Stall" comment on Trikes. I was excited for a friend this summer when he upgraded from a single seat to a dual seat Trike. I seriously thought of getting one for a 'play toy' sort of thing....just something to enjoy warm summer mornings/evenings. We lost this friend this summer in a Trike accident. As far as I am concerned this is why he is no longer with us.
Sad thing is there is nothing on some of the models to protect you from planting your face in the ground when you stall and nose in. Really made me rethink my desire to get one.

Yeah: they're a kick!
I took a flight behind an experienced trike pilot here at Susanville Airport on his nicely-equipped North Wing trike.
After the flight, my first comment was: "Just how much does one o' these cost?"
I've also been towed up in hang gliders behind trikes for years. Versatile aircraft; just respect the flight envelope.

A couple videos from a friend of mine up in my stomping grounds where I grew up