A good analogy for soaring vs. powered flying is sailing vs. power boating. When conditions are right, sailing is fun, and saves gas. But when the wind dies, no sailing. What if you put a motor on your sailboat, so you can still go places when the wind dies? That helps, but the motor on your sailboat doesn’t really make it a motorboat. I mean it is a boat, and it does have a motor, but you can’t go anywhere fast, and it is no good for wakeboarding or waterskiing. The sailboat with a motor can’t do all the things you expect a motor boat to be able to do. Likewise, even though a soaring trike does have a motor, it is not the same as a regular powered trike.
A soaring trike has ‘just enough’ motor to allow it to take off and climb. That is one of the main reasons it costs less. A soaring trike uses a motor typically about half the horsepower of a regular trike. And a soaring trike will use a wing which is good for soaring but not for going fast. Soaring wings operate in the 20 to 30 mph range, whereas a regular single seat trike will cruise between 40 and 60 mph.
These articles are from my thoughts and experiences. I welcome your thoughts and experiences.
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