Syma Forum

Naaahh... It might surprise you! You could get in to a trike for e-a-s-i-l-y under

$20K if you didn't buy all the bells and whistles. I bought a trike (rather than fixed wing

or powered parachute) because of its high glide rate and safety factors in case of engine failure.

Recreational, leisure flying, fair-weather only. Portable and easily trans-portable,

 (or if you've got the hangar space - a decent sized barn or three sided cover)

they can take off in as little as 65 yards, land on as little as a two-tracker or smooth field,

run on pump gas, and depending on wing/engine size can fly as slow as 23mph or as fast as 100mph.

The main determining factor is the weather in your area. If you've got more calm days

than windy, that's the right combination.

Training and certification are necessary, but the freedom to fly low and slow, 

a highly responsive and sure-fire weight-shift control system, and the simplicity of

Rogallo-wing 2-axis flight is unlike anything else.  Did you know the Rogallo wing was

once considered as a re-entry-system vehicle for early NASA space flight?

'Course you'd have to fly only on days avoiding those Army helicopters flying by!  YIKES!

THAT could get 'hairy"!!  And oops! those "cow-pies" could be a little messy on landings!

Several clarifications to CPD's post:

1. "fun" doesn't e-e-e-ven begin to describe it.  Flying low and slow over the terrain is incredible! While there ARE altitude minimums and maximums, and rules against flying over populated areas, there's nothing like being able to look down and loiter over an open area and "taking in" all there is to see. Many things to learn, and responsibilities to assume, when flying ultralights of any kind, only two of which are a) ALWAYS have an immediate safe landing spot in sight; and b) avoid and yield right of way to other aircraft.

2.  Trikes and auto-gyro's are two different machines.  While the trike has a wing which provides lift, it's not considered a "fixed-wing," as the wing actually changes shape during different flight manuevers. They're sometimes called the "flex-wing-flyers." There's also a book available by the same name "Trikes-The Flex Wing Flyers" that explains everything one needs to know about them. Flight control is by weight shift, the process of changing the center of gravity to alter flight, just like a hang glider, but with a carriage frame and a forward thrusting engine and prop. Numerous combinations of wings, sizes, and engines allow for slow, medium, or fast flight; using wheels, ski's, or water-landing pontoons/floats.

Auto gyro's on the other hand, obtain lift through an overhead rotor, "auto-rotating" as a result of forward motion provided by a separate forward thrusting engine and prop. Flying much faster than a trike, the auto-gyro must maintain forward motion to maintain lift.

3. And yes, sad, CPD, that "Bruce" didn't obtain permission to fly over your field, or at least attempt to establish a relationship with you about his flight over the fields.  Hopefully he wasn't injured too badly, but his act(s) didn't help the rep of ultralight flyers in general.

4. Nowhere nearly as expensive as traditional fixed wing piston aircraft (Cessna's et. al.), ultralights also include small single or 2 seat traditional 3-axis aircraft in a variety of configurations. Flying for personal enjoyment and "taking in" all our beautiful planet has to offer, is an incredible experience. It had been a dream of mine since I was a young boy, and I finally "took the plunge."