A unique player in the Trike market is GibboGear (Mark Gibson), who for many years has created a specialized niche by offering "topless" wings. In other words, wings that have no kingpost and wires to support the wing while on the ground or during negative loads. These wings are also known as "strutted" designs, because the two lower struts serve to carry both the load of the wing as well as to handle the positive and negative "G" forces while in the air.
GibboGear seems to be moving in the direction of many in the lower-price market, by specializing now on some new Part 103 legal machines and wings. This may be a good move for them as it would be otherwise hard to sell a lower priced SLSA or ELSA two-seater when one considers the high-cost of certification, and the individual ownership costs of obtaining a Sport Pilot certificate. It seems logical that many Ultralight Trike pilots may simply shift into one-place Part 103 legal machines and avoid Sport Pilot altogether.
LINK
Mark is also marketing a slick line of LSA aircraft that also utilize the "topless" wing design, called the "Manta Ray". To be quite honest, I have to check with Abid Farooqui and Mark to understand whether there is any cross-marketing going on as these machines are incredibly similar to the Apollo line being sold by TampaBay Aerosport. More info on the Manta Ray HERE
Saturday, September 08, 2007
"Topless" Trikes from GibboGear!
Awesome Side By Side Two Seat Russian Trike - The Ultralight "Cruise"
I just stumbled upon an incredible "why didn't I think of that" Trike from Russia. It is side by side seating rather than Tandem, and is available in both 582 and 912 Rotax Models. I've sent an inquiry to the company owners to verify details, but they claim that they sell it in kit form and can ship around the world. No word as to whether the machine will be ELSA or SLSA legal. Check out the slick cockpit!
Some Details from their website:
Features
- side by side seating;
- luggage racks is located in nose part and under the seats;
- front wheel spring hanger and landing gear titanic springs guarantee mild motion of a trike and non aerodrome basing;
- hydraulic brakes;
- fiberglass — epoxy cowls;
The “Cruise” is ideally suited for the:
- pilot training;
- tourism, sightseeing and recreation flights;
- air photography;
- sport flights;
It also may be used for the:
- parachute jump;
- banner towing;
Website of the Day - Northwing Trikes!
Company owner, Kamron Blevins, has been a member of the Hang Gliding Manufacturer Assoc. and has certified many hang gliders. He brings this experience of flex wing design and flight testing to North Wing. Jose & Maria (sail makers for 18 years) and Cliff (airframe department for 4 years) bring their professional skills to North Wing as well. Angela brings her customer service expertise to the front line, most likely you will speak with her when you call.
These and our other qualified associates will bring their experience in customer service and manufacturing to build you one of the best microlight, trike wing or Hang Glider in the world. Check them out if you are looking for a quality American Made Trike or Hanglider.
LINK
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Website of the Day - Raven Soaring Trikes (Trikosaurus)
Billed as "The Most Comfortable Trike You'll Ever Fly", the Raven Soaring Trike is an FAR Part 103 legal trike that is powered by a 28hp Hirth Engine. It is also an engine-less soaring trike.
It is basically the undercarriage and power unit, and can be used with a variety of wings. Fully transportable, quiet, and convenient. A nice alternative to the two-seat trainers and SLA machines more commonly in use. I can imagine that one of these machines would be incredibly relaxing to fly on an early Sunday morning with calm winds and the sun coming up in the East....
A brief description from Bob Corbo's article in Hang Glider Magazine:
Although first conceived in 1999 it wasn’t until the spring of 2000 that the first Trikosoarus™ as originally named, got airborne. What it is in one form is a rigid supine harness with a tricycle landing gear, and rigid connection to a hang glider, designed to be aero towed or roll launched. In its other form it’s the most fun powered micro light trike you could ever fly. Capable of both super slow powered flight (18 mph indicated airspeed with a 160lb pilot) and engine off soaring with electric restart. And the real neat thing about these two very different flying machines is that it only takes 10 minutes to convert from one to the other.
LINK
Thrust SSC Team - Flashback highlight on Bill Sherlock
My good friend, and former head of P&M Aviation, Bill Sherlock, was involved about ten years ago in a great project to exceed the speed of sound in a land vehicle. They succeeded. The first ever supersonic World Land Speed Record of 763.035 mph was set on 15th October 1997 by Andy Green in ThrustSSC, on the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
Bill's job was to fly the a Quantum 912 over the course during operations - looking for incursions onto the playa and giving members of the media rides. Though Bill has since moved on to other interesting endeavors, the Thrust Site is still up and running and makes a fascinating read.
LINK
Origins of the Species? or.... Who Flew Before the Wright Brothers?
An interesting article describing the cast of characters who actually did "fly" at the same time or before Orville and Wilbur, but were never given the same recognition. Check out the video then visit the article
LINK
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Got some vacation time? How about visiting some aviation museums?
Pretty cool site, and simpe to use. Just click on the location you are planning to visit to see a comprehensive list of Aviation museums. Includes details of exhibits, aircraft on display, and user reviews. Photographs on the front page would be nice, but overall a decent resource.
LINK
Air Show Collison Video
Two pilots were killed performing aerial acrobatics at an air show in Poland when their aircraft collided head-on above thousands of spectators. From Planenews.com
Not a helicopter, not a trike, it's the Airscooter II
The latest in my "Not a Trike" flying machine series... this cute little critter is like a combination of helicopter and hovercraft. It has no tail rotor, no collective control, and redundant engine and control functions. They promise a price below $50,000 as well. Sign me up!
Check out the details from their site:
By eliminating the need and complexity of swashplates, collective and cyclic control through a coaxial rotor design a number of benefits beyond conventional helicopter designs are immediately realized. First; enhanced, intuitive flight controls are achieved by simple motorcycle-style handlebars and the absence of a tail rotor. To gain altitude, simply throttle up like you would on a motorcycle, turn left or right on the handlebars for craft rotation and move the handlebar assembly as a joystick for directional control (including reverse). No pedal controls are necessary, which means someone without the use of their legs can just as easily fly the AirScooter. Handlebar controls represent the most distinguishable feature of the AirScooter. AirScooter's patented design also provides an amazing level of stability while in the air and during flight.
LINK
Monday, September 03, 2007
I simply cannot understand this Website? Canyonland Flyers LLC
Ok, so I'm about to do my "website of the day" and I find a new trike website that has very professional graphics, a logical layout, detailed information, and all the elements of a "winner!"
So, as I'm browsing the site, looking for some form of contact info... ANY form of contact info... I find the STRANGEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN ONLINE! A complete and total OXYMORON. The site has the following on their "Contact" page (click below to enlarge):
"Currently we are not taking any requests from the web. Thank you."
In other words... thanks for visiting this really great website, with tons of great info on how we can help you to train, visit us, sightsee, give us your money, etc.... but "oh, by the way" PLEASE DON'T CONTACT US IN ANY WAY!WTF?
Can someone please contact ME to explain what is going on here because this is so absurd that it is making my head hurt! Who is running Canyonland Flyers and "why" are they missing the boat in such an obvious way here?
Thank you for your patience... my rant is over now ;)
If you haven't seen this, you have not SEEN flying!
I always thought that trikes were pretty "maneuverable"... man how wrong I was! One night last week I fell asleep in front of the television. When I woke up, there was the craziest sh*t onscreen that I had ever seen!! These guys were flying a closed-course of gigantic inflatable cones with small overpowered aerobatic airplanes at speeds over 200mph! Unbelievable!!
You have GOT to check this video, it's called the "Red Bull Air Races" and they have "legs" held in different countries. This video is from Porto Gaia in Portugal.
Maybe I'm old fashioned? More Paper Airplane fun!
LINK
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Google Earth has a hidden Flight Simulator Feature!
It seems that you can actually find a pretty decent flight simulator built right into the free Google Earth! It requires a couple simple steps to find this "Easter Egg", but once you find it, a menu items appears for future use.
Full Details can be seen at Marco's Blog HERE
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Website of the Day - Microlights in India!
From a few of our new members I have discovered that there is a thriving microlight community in India. Wow, we are finding trikes all over the planet! (still waiting to hear from our friends in Russia....?) Check out our membership map, with 3400+ visitors from 55 Countries!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Website (story) of the Day - ShowTime at Sun 'N Fun!
From the LearnToFlyTrikes.com website:
A great little "I learned about flying from that" story about wet grass, brakes, and paying attention!
LINK
Do it yourself Videography Gear (mounts, brackets, and cranes)
Found this very interesting site today that gave me some inspiration for creating new trike mounts to hold my camcorders, bullet cams, and digital cameras.
Most of the equipment can be made from off-the-shelf aluminum and pvc, with minimal machining. Perhaps this might spark a bit of an idea in one of you as well?
LINK
Fear of Trike Flying? They can help!
Do you or your spouse have a "fear" of trike flying? Have you found cobwebs growing on your brand-new Quik912 because of lack of use? Well, maybe they have an answer for you HERE
From their website:
Many people develop fears as they mature and life seems more precious, while others may have experienced a bad flight. You may have a strong imagination, recently began a family, or feel a need to be in control. Young mothers often feel protective and nervous flying with their kids or babies. Regardless of how fears develop, those who suffer can experience sleepless nights, elevated anxiety, and fear of panic attacks. Friends and family often don't understand the problems caused by a fear of flying.
Concerns may include weather, turbulence, take offs, flying over water, claustrophobia, crowds, losing control (panic attacks), terrorists, hijackings, fear of falling, and fear of heights. Many times these worries are caused by a lack of understanding about what to expect during a flight. Most fearful flyers just need a little help in the form of education, reassurance, and guidance.
Wow! Trikepilot Social turns 100 (and then some...)
I must have put something into the water because you guys are amazing! We went from 70+ members to over 100 members in one day... Incredible! There's no doubt we are on to something here, as the number of visitors, contributions, photos and video postings is growing exponentially.
Look at our stats. We had been averaging between 100 to 150 visitors per day until yesterday and then the number shot up to 326!
Likewise, our monthly statistics below show that we are up to more than 3300 visitors a month with over 27,000 unique page views! Amazing.... considering that our Trikepilot.com "classic" site was averaging 1/10th those numbers. Clearly you guys are enjoying your daily visits back to the new site. I'm a proud pappa ;)
I want to thank everyone who has helped to make this social experiment a success and urge everyone to tell all their friends to climb on board. Put up a badge on your website or even use it as a signature in your emails. The more the merrier!
Cheers!
spence
Thursday, August 30, 2007
2007 Cushing Field Bivouac Fun Fly Results are In!
(Check out Dave Wallis' Photos of the event HERE)
Below are the event results – sorry for some missing last names.
Balloon Drop:
3rd Place Pete Loepert with a total of (sum of 3 drops) 47 feet from target
2nd Place Shane Duncan with a total of 41 feet
1st Place Gene Dean with a total of 34 feet
Spot Landing
3rd Place Mike Hudetz and Spencer Forman/Rob Caya (912 Quick) with a total of 200 points
2nd Place Jesse with Aqua/ Black 912 Clipper with a total of 250 points
1st Place Gene Dean and Shane Duncan with a total of 300 points
Take Off and Landing Race Against the Clock
3rd Place Jesse with Aqua/ Black 912 Clipper with 131.51 seconds
2nd Place Gene Dean with 128.35 seconds
1st Place Scott Johnson with 124.60 seconds
It should be mentioned that John Kieth, flying a 912 Quick would have won this event with 121.01 seconds, but he failed to keep all 3 wheels on the ground for at least ½ second on his first landing. “Ricochet” landings are not allowed in this event. It has to be a complete touch and go with all 3 wheels on the ground for at least ½ second.
Mike
Aerial Photography Tips and Tricks
A great tutorial summary on how to take great shots from the air
LINK
Website of the Day - Operation Migration
Operation Migration was founded in 1994 as a
non- profit charitable organization by Bill Lishman and Joe Duff. That was five years after Bill became the first human to fly with birds, and one year after the two artists, turned biologists, used ultralight aircraft to lead a small flock of Canada geese from Ontario, Canada to Virginia, USA. The unassisted return migration of these geese the following spring garnered world-wide attention that led to the making of the hit movie Fly Away Home with Columbia Pictures.
Quoted from their website:
Our Canada Geese Story
Our
entire story begins with the Canada geese. Without these majestic creatures that proved birds can learn a migration route, we wouldn't have a story.
Since childhood, co-founder Bill Lishman dreamed of flying with birds. He got closer to his dream as a grown-up, when he became an avid ultralight aviator. Then, one fateful night he and his family traveled to Toronto to see the IMAX film, "Skyward." As Lishman watched the geese in the film follow a boat, he wondered if they would also follow an airplane?
The film's animal trainer, William Carrick, had the answer Lishman wanted. With Carrick's help, Lishman began working with the geese since, as non-endangered species, they posed fewer technical and environmental risks.
And the rest, literally, was history. In 1988, Lishman lead 12 geese on local flights. Then, in 1994, he and partner Joseph
Duff helped 18 geese migrate from Ontario to Virginia.
Reaching his childhood dream gave Lishman a new focus. He and Duff formed Operation Migration for another dream: to save endangered species by introducing safe migratory routes.
LINKTrike Pilot Social made the Ning Blog today!
A very nice blog post about our site was placed today by Mackenzie at the Ning network. Check it out!
Link
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Looking for a Used Trike? Check out Barnstormers
The one and only site for used ultralights, trikes, and General Aviation aircraft.
LINK
That's Not Safe! ...
Link
My "one stop" Weather Source - Intellicast
Although everyone has their favorite free sites for weather information, I prefer Intellicast. Why? Mainly because of their high speed, high resolution moving radar images. I find that these give me the most useful info for what to expect on my trike journeys. Of course their forecasts, temperature info, and other data are there as well. You can create a favorite list for your home region or alternative, and can even view the data from a mobile browser such as your cell phone. If you're not using them already, Intellicast is worth a look.
Link
Website of the Day - All About Weight Shift Trikes
Paul and Loretta Hamilton are practically a household name in the Trike and Ultralight communities under their Adventure Productions moniker. Although they have built a mini-empire of websites and multimedia products and educational tools, I would like to suggest you pay a visit to their Trike site first... and then work your way back into the depth of their library. There is something for everyone, no matter your interest or experience level.
Link
Sunday, August 26, 2007
My New Favorite Video - Ultralight Porn!
Ok, I know there's no bare skin... but this "flashback to the 70's" style video is AWESOME! Part of me feels like a teenager again looking at the old grainy early film/video footage from my youth, and part of me is in awe at how big the balls are on these guys for their formation flying and incredible terrain mapping! I can almost hear the "Barry White" soundtrack in my head!! Put on your bell-bottom pants, dim the lights, check that the wife won't be home for a while, and take a peek at this one ;)
Video of the Day - River Flying
Not a trike, but pretty much looks like one! ;)
Nevertheless, great camera work and gorgeous scenery.
Website of the Day - Fly Northern Ireland
An extremely well-done layout, broad range of topics, and tons of images and links. Covers many of the famous trike adventurers and journeys, including the conquest of Everest and the Atlantic crossing. Spend some time, you won't be disappointed.
Link
Great Flight Planning Tools at GoFlying
A wonderful resource for anyone preparing a cross country flight. Tons of tools and planning resources allow you to finish your planning in no-time flat!
Link
Friday, August 24, 2007
Trike Videos of the Day - Twofer Friday ;)
From Florida to China!
First from Beijing we have confirmation of Trikes folks!!
Second, from my friend Alex Gore whose videos and website at WindsAndWings.com are phenomenal. I invited Alex to our new social site, but for some reason he said he was not interested in the "social thingy".... wtf? ;)
Anyway, Alex's videos are too good to pass up. Rather than lift them from his site, I'm providing the video embed to his YouTube site which I believe he created himself. Fair is fair. Maybe if you guys hassle him enough he will come on over and join us??
Trike Website of the Day - Trike Expeditions
Although I've mentioned Mike and Olivier's adventures before in my reviews of their outstanding movies, they also have a website filled with further details of their travels. Lots of maps, stories, information and photos. Top Notch all the way...
Link
Aviation Humor and Cliche's
A ton of wisdom in a very small space. Here's one from the site:
The propeller is just a
big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it
stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.
Link
How to build the best paper airplanes in the world
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Website of the day - Canadian Style!
I just discovered "Triker's Corner" written by Jeff Stewart over at the Ultralight Pilot's Association of Canada. Really well done and a terrific resource. Check it out!
Trike Flying in Cambodia..Is this Eddie Smith?
Not entirely sure, but found this on MegaUpload and it looks a lot like footage sent to me about three years ago by Eddie Smith from his wonderful Cambodia trip. I think he's now living over there full time. Anyone know?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Simply Stunning - One Six Right
If you missed the premier at Oshkosh 2006, you still can get the One Six Right DVD online or just watch the trailers. An incredible piece of moviemaking by Brian Terwilliger. The DC3 Landing sequence (shot from a helicopter) is hypnotic. A must-see for any aviation enthusiast.
Link:
LiveATC.Net Bringing you Live Air Traffic Control. Cool!
From their FAQ section:
LiveATC.net is a web site and community designed to unite pilots,student pilots, flight instructors, airband communication enthusiasts, and real and virtual air traffic controllers. Its target audience is anyone who can learn from or who just enjoys listening to live aviation communications. The community is fueled by volunteers who live within radio range of airports and who use spare radio and computer equipmentto relay airband transmissions into the LiveATC.net audio network.
LiveATC.net was founded by Dave Pascoe, a pilot and ham radio operator who has been an avid ATC listener for many years.
Link:
