HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 25 January | February 2019 on the Ocean Road. I had it all worked out! Then I was posted north... and had to start all over again. I started hang gliding with an old Rogallo hang glider called a Condor, and worked my way up to a Wings K2 Kestrel, then a Wings Lynx. I even had a photo of myself in my K2 Kestrel on the wall at the Lilydale McDonalds. Today every hang glider I used to fly would be called a trainer. Back then, they were the bee’s knees – the latest technology of the day! It would be a little bit like flying a Thruster compared to a Bristell today. I ended up getting out of hang gliding when all the regulations started coming in. However, I still have the old red flight suit I used when hang gliding with all of my hang ratings still on it. Those were great times. Later on, I was able to get hold of a 172 and a 210 Cessna, then a Piper Warrior and an Aztec. By now, I had flown many different aircraft and my career in the military was beginning to wind down. It was time to look at recreational aviation again. I joined the then AUF, now Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA), and also joined the HGFA. Both Anne and I were looking for an aircraft we could fit on a trailer and tow behind our car. Again, back then, there weren’t many choices. We looked at the Skyfox, but it was a challenge to have on a trailer. We also looked at trikes. Here are some of our reasons for deciding to choose a trike: ➲➲ A trike is straightforward, with a structure easily able to be inspected during a pre-flight, and, unlike complex enclosed structures, maintainable and repairable simply by fitting replacement parts. ➲➲ A trike structure gives excellent visibility, so maintenance issues can be spotted easily and early. ➲➲ The trike has been designed as a foldable aircraft for transport, this also makes for low- cost hangarage or storage (especially if your trike has a strutted wing like a QuikR or GTR, which can be folded on the trike in a couple of minutes). ➲➲ A trike has no moving control surfaces and two- axis control, which makes it efficient, simple to use and very reliable. ➲➲ The trike has very low maintenance costs compared with fixed-wing aircraft. ➲➲ A trike, being weight-shift pitch control, enables a lift coefficient of almost 2.0, giving low stall speeds and a wide speed range without any additional complexity like flaps. ➲➲ The trike is relatively free from CG constraints. This simplifies loading considerations, as the CG of the trike only affects the suspended attitude. ➲➲ The trike fuselage has no empennage, control surfaces or doors. This means reduced cost and weight, which will allow the aircraft to carry more than its own weight in payload. ➲➲ The P&M Aviation trikes also have no possibility of spinning. ➲➲ The trike has an unparalleled pilot and passenger view, a totally immersive flying experience, a feeling of freedom like a high-performance motorbike in a 3D world. ➲➲ The trike makes a great low-vibration, unobstructed vision camera platform. ➲➲ The trike, with its direct control of the wing’s lift, makes it ideal for take-off and landing. This also gives excellent gust handling as you Early hang gliding years All photos: Peter McLean Bell 47 (top) and Peter flying the RAAF Winjeel Hanging out in the hangar