1. What licensing is required to fly an amphibious Trike?
To fly a true ultralight, you do not need a license. To be legal, the ultralight must meet the criteria specified in Part 103 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. If it does not meet these criteria, you need a license to fly it.
2. What are the criteria to fly an ultralight without a license?
The main ones are: One-person only – 254 pound maximum weight, plus a special allowance for floats and safety devices. Five gallons of fuel maximum.
3 .What happens if the engine quits?
You simply glide down to a normal landing. The trike is a very good glider. You glide at half the speed of a parachute fall and you can glide down to the ground for a soft landing. We use aviation engines and engine failure is not very common. But engine power is not required for a nice soft landing.
4. Why fly a trike?
Can you imagine the sense of freedom one feels while spending the day in the air cascading over lakes, trees, and undiscovered areas from a view like you have never been able to achieve until now? Even better: an amphib. You can take off from land or water making this a versatile way to enjoy the sky.
5. What does it feel like to fly a trike?
The ultralight trike is one of the easiest ultralights to fly. Like motorcycle handlebars, you point the wing the direction you want it to go. The ultralight trike takes very little room to store. You can fly ultralight trikes year around. They are less affected by wind than other ultralights. You can set up a trike by yourself in a short amount of time.
6. What is the ceiling height?
Although you can fly over 10,000 feet, a comfortable height and enjoyable flight is 500 to 1000 feet above ground.
7. Can I train myself?
Not unless you have good luck that never fails. With proper training you replace luck with skill. You learn safety aspects and aeronautical judgement. Our trike training includes up to 20 hours of in the air training, ground school, weather forecasting, communication techniques, emergency landing, and airport traffic pattern procedures.
8. How fast can a trike travel?
There are several wings you can put on that will affect the speed of flight. Trikes can fly as fast as 100 mph and as low as 28 mph. This all depends on the type of wing and the type of trike you have. Stored on our custom trailers, they have been tested up to 90mph.
9. In what winds can an ultralight fly?
This is up to the pilot’s skills and what they can personally fly safely in. Ultralight trikes handle wind and turbulence very well.
10. How long can the ultralight trike fly on one tank of gas?
The duration of one tank of gas depends on your wing type and trike engine. Trikes usually fly 150 miles on a 5 gallon tank of gas and up to 300 miles on the 12 gallon tank. Trikes are efficient machines.
11. Are ballistic or emergency parachutes used on trikes?
Emergency parachutes are entirely up to each pilot. The safety record on ultralight trikes are outstanding. An emergency parachute is just an insurance policy that the pilot could have if he/she desires.
12. Are trikes used for search and rescue operations?
Yes, they are. They are probably the best ultralight vehicles for search because of their ability to fly low and slow and land almost anywhere like dirt roads, water, or open fields. Because they operate at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter, it is not expensive to start a search and keep it going as long as needed. Helicopter search, at $1000 per hour, is not really affordable to most communities. Trikes are a much more affordable way to find the missing hikers, search the river for paddlers, etc.
13. Will the Cygnet be available as an experimental light sport aircraft ?
Yes. Since 2009 Cygnets are available as Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA) and Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (ELSA).
14. What kind of maintenance does a trike require?
There is not much maintenance required for ultralight trikes. Required items such as spark plugs and oil changes are easy because the engine is very accessible and at a nice height to work on without removing it from the aircraft.
15. Most important, are they safe?
Flying a trike is as safe as the pilot makes it. Like driving a car, if you act crazy and take chances you increase your risk. Unlike a car, there are very few obstacles and other drivers to worry about hitting. If something happens to you flying, it was most likely absolutely preventable by action you could have taken. Training is important to gain experience and develop your judgement.
If you have any additional questions please email us or contact us at (850) 974-5483.