Ultralight trike
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_1.jpg/250px-%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_1.jpg)
An ultralight trike or paratrike is a type of powered
Trikes
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/EarlySpratt6.jpg/220px-EarlySpratt6.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Richard_Miller.jpeg/220px-Richard_Miller.jpeg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/MilesFagerlie_early_hg_photo.jpg/220px-MilesFagerlie_early_hg_photo.jpg)
The history of the trike is traced back to the invention of
Some modern Rogallo flexible-winged aircraft
A crucial development toward the trike was introduction of several mechanical innovations developed by the
Publicity from the
An influence through John Dickenson's duplication of his device,[10][11] who named his flexible-wing ski-kite the Ski Wing.[12] Dickenson fashioned a water ski kite airframe to fit on a Rogallo airfoil[11][13][14][15] where the pilot sat on a swinging seat while the control frame and wire bracing distributed the load to the wing as well as gave a frame freedom to be pushed/pulled for weight-shift control.[16] Dickenson's Ski Wing turned out to be stable and controllable under tow,[17] unlike the flat manned kites used at water ski shows. The Ski Wing kite was first kited in public at the Grafton Jacaranda Festival in September 1963 by Rod Fuller while towed behind a motorboat. Australian manufacturers like Bill Bennett[18] and Bill Moyes,[19][20] actively developed and marketed Dickenson's innovations[21] to the world, which significantly fueled the hang glider revolution.
Although by the early 1970s many rigid wings were developed, none sold well, while dozens of flexible-wing hang glider companies were springing up worldwide, building variants of Dickenson's Ski Wing. In 1972, Popular Mechanics and Popular Science magazines published articles on hang gliding which further increased its popularity,[22] as the Sky Raiders hang gliding movie released in 1975.[23]
Francis Rogallo, Barry Palmer, John Dickenson, and others never made any money out of their innovations.[11][24] Profit to manufacturers of hang gliders and Rogallo-winged hang gliders came once organized and insured sporting events grew in popularity. Dickenson's adaptation and innovations eventually produced a foldable hang glider that dramatically reduced difficulty in control, storage, transport, assembly and repair. In addition, the flexible wing lends itself to design changes for possible improvements.
The crucial developments put together by the
First trikes
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/XV-8A_Fleep_Prototype_-_GPN-2000-001271.jpg/220px-XV-8A_Fleep_Prototype_-_GPN-2000-001271.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/PierreAubert.jpg/220px-PierreAubert.jpg)
In 1961, Engineer Thomas Purcell built a towable Rogallo-wing glider with an aluminum frame, wheels, a seat and basic control rods; soon he replaced the wheels for floats and motorized the aircraft.[26] In 1964, Swiss inventor Pierre Aubert saw a photo of NASA's Fleep and completed construction of a similar trike. As with the Fleep, his Rogallo wing was fixed and did not allow for pendulum weight-shift control.[27]
In March 1967, aeronautical engineer
The second Palmer trike, Skyhook (FAA registration N4411), in spite of its early date of origin, had most of the attributes of a modern ultralight, except it used a single-cylinder snowmobile engine, as the two-stroke twin-cylinder engines were not available yet. It was powered by a 17 hp at 5000 RPM single-cylinder JLO L297 two-stroke engine, driving a composite propeller designed and built by Palmer himself and driven by a 2.1/1 reduction gearbox. The engine had electric start and the craft had fiberglass composite spring landing gear. Airframe construction was bolted 6061-T6 aluminum thin-wall tube, with 6061 T-6 extruded angle. The craft took off, flew, and landed at around 30 mph.[30]
The commercial availability of Dickenson's hang glider made the
The "trike", as it soon became known, quickly became popular in the
Manufacturers
Many trike manufacturers produce only the undercarriage and procure their wings elsewhere. The majority of these companies are found in Europe, with a number appearing in the United States. Manufacturers can also be found in India, South Africa, Australia, and elsewhere. At their most basic, manufacturers often sell single-place ultralight trikes at a price of around $10,000–$17,000[36] Prices often depend on whether the wing is included. Two-person, high-performance trikes may cost from $15,000–$30,000 and up. For instance, the two-seater Air Creation Tanarg can cost up to $85,000 when loaded with every available performance option.[37]
Records
On January 19, 2008, Mark Jackson from
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Paragliding
- Hang gliding
- Powered hang glider
- Powered paraglider
- Ultralight aviation
- Ultralight aircraft (United States)
References
- ^ FAA-H-8083-5: Weight-Shift Control Aircraft Flying Handbook (and Addendum). Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 2008.
- ^ Deltacat ULM AVIATION: deltatrike
- Delta planeterm
- ^ 14 CFR § 1.1: General definitions.
- ^ Article: How to Fly Without a Plane by Robert Zimmerman, aerospace writer. "AmericanHeritage.com / How to Fly Without a Plane". Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
- ^ SPACEFLIGHT REVOLUTION
- ^ On 1965 Jack Swigert, who would later be one of the Apollo 13 astronauts, softly landed a full-scale Gemini capsule using a Para Wing stiffened with inflatable tubes along the wing's edges
- ^ The earliest photographic press release of a Rogallo flexible wing in record dates to August 14, 1961, by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine.
- ^ Press release of the XV-8 'Fleep': August 14, 1961, by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine.
- ^ The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum' Archived July 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Dickenson built a model based on the 'flexile wing' principle with a single hang point on an A-frame: "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Ski Wing
- ^ Article by Mark Woodhams, British Columbia Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association: "Cloudstreet May 2004". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
- ^ Western Museum of Flight Archived June 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Australian Ultralight Federation – History Archived October 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The swinging seat and control frame are two key control elements J. Dickenson 'imported' from ski kites into his successful Ski Wing kite/hang glider.
- Paresev and Fleepprograms.
- ^ Bill Moyes Contributions by Bill Bennet as explained by the 'Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum': Delta Wing Phoenix VI "Delta Wing Phoenix VI.B Jr". Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007., Delta Wing Phoenix VI "Delta Wing Phoenix VI". Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007., Delta Wing Phoenix Mariah M-9 "Delta Wing Phoenix Mariah M-9". Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007., Delta Wing Model 162 "Delta Wing Model 162". Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007., Delta Wing Phoenix Viper 175 "Delta Wing Phoenix Viper 175". Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007., Delta Wing Streak 130 "Delta Wing Streak 130". Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2007..
- ^ Moyes's story: [1], The History of Moyes: [2]
- ^ ABC History – an interview with Moyes
- ^ On October 11, 1963, Dickenson filed for a patent, and a provisional protection was awarded for his application number 36189/63 but the patent was not finally awarded; the claims were not officially reviewed for priority and validity. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Hang gliding articles on Popular Mechanics and Popular Science magazines: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ The Swallowtail hang glider was featured in the 1976 movie Sky Riders (filmed in Greece during 1975) starring James Coburn, Robert Culp, Susannah York, and Charles Aznavour. After filming of the action was complete, the Wills Wing team toured Europe and stopped by in England to win the British Championships at Mere, Wiltshire, in August 1975.
- ^ Article by Mark Woodhams Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Order of Australia" award for contributions to aviation given in 1996 Archived August 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thomas Pourcell
- ^ Pierre Aubert
- ^ Palmer's trike
- ^ Original video on YouTube
- ^ Palmer's web site
- ^ Some early powered hang gliders
- ^ Motodelta – images
- ^ Rolland Magallon Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Roland Magallon's trike Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Aerial Pursuits
- ^ UL trikes general pricing
- ^ Tanarg Pricing
- ^ MEN news
- ^ While many aircraft have tricycle landing gear, the term "trike" refers specifically to the form of aircraft described here.