![]() Taken right from WillsWing's article - today's lowest performing glider on the market (the Falcon at time the article was written) is higher performing than the highest performing glider on the market in 1980 - and they were flying 100 mile flights then. This graph below just adds the rough cost a new glider as well to throw that into the equation. Hover your mouse over any of the lines and bars in the charts for detailed values. Conversely, the red area (to the left of the intersection) indicates how much your experience & skill level needs to compensate for the reduction in passive safety. ![]() To me, the light blue area (to the right of the intersection) shows a margin of error the glider MAY help you with when, not if, you make a judgement error. I would love to make that Lookout Mountain flight someday myself.I thought it was interesting that the two lines intersect as you migrate from an H2 to an H3 glider - I think that it shows that after you move on from an H2 wing, you should be in tune with your realistic skill level. I would probably get another wing to use just for hang gliding. In the beginning, I actually did fly my Sky Cycle about 15 miles to the local hang gliding airstrip, where I took off the wing, pulled my harness out of a storage locker and aerotowed up, flying around in hang glider mode. ![]() It’s been to Sun-n-Fun several times in the past and most every year makes it up to Oshkosh. I’ve taken mine to many a fly-in, where the weather outlook was iffy, in the back of my Ranger pickup. One of the nice features of a small light trike is its portability. Your hang glider emergency chute will be too small for what is essentially a tandem sized craft. Unlike full-size trike wings, hang glider wings don’t typically have doubled up flying wires. Replacing the wires isn’t a bad idea if you don’t know their history. Have your hang glide instructor go over the wing and wires. You didn’t say how many hours it had on it. After climbing out and shutting off the motor you should enjoy a very “hang glider” like ride on that big wing.īe sure to have someone knowledgeable and experienced check out the motor. Mine will top out around 45 mph, stalls around 18 or 19. That nice big Falcon 225 should give it great climbing and soaring capabilities, but will limit your “top speed” somewhat. I’ve even packed my tent and sleeping bag inside the wing (partial double surface, you know), strapped on a small auxiliary fuel tank and gone fly-in camping a hundred miles away. I can also use its slow speed capabilities to fly it more like an ultralight – low and slow. On a really good day, I can top out, given time, but everybody and his brother will pass me by. I can often hang around in warm field thermals if I’m really on my toes. My highly loaded wing still manages a respectable 300 fpm glide and is soarable in good conditions. ![]() Yet I can spend 10 to 15 minutes climbing out at full throttle, shut off at 3000’ AGL and spend the next 20 to 30 minutes leisurely gliding about, and either land out or restart and head back up again. Originally, it climbed out at 600 fpm, but now, with well over 500 hours on the motor, only manages 300 or so. lighter than you and it still performs well, even with that smallish, beginner/intermediate wing and a very tired little Zenoah 50 (250cc, 22hp when new). I've been flying my Sky Cycle, with a Saturn 167 wing, both purchased new, for well over a decade now, and couldn't be happier. The price doesn’t sound too bad, depending of course on the condition of the trike, motor and wing. I hope this reply isn't too late for you to take advantage of the deal on that used Sky Cycle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |