| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
|---|
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? |
The trike is the best glider in the industry. You glide at half the speed of a parachute fall and you can glide down to the ground for a soft landing. Engine failure is not very common in ultralight trikes. |
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 skies. |
5. What does it feel like to fly a trike? |
The ultralight trike is one of the easiest ultralights to fly. You push the bar out to go up, pull in to go down, right to go left, and left to go right. The ultralight trike takes very little room to store. You can fly ultralight trikes year around. They are not easily affected by wind. You can put a trike together by yourself in a short period of time. |
6. What is the ceiling height? |
A comfortable height and enjoyable flight is 1000 feet above ground. |
7. Can I train myself? |
No. With proper instructions you learn safety aspects of flight. Our trike training includes up to 20 hours of in the air training, additional hours of ground school, weather forecasting, communication techniques, emergency landing, and some airport traffic patterns. |
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. |
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 13 gallon tank. Trikes are a very efficient machine. |
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 search and rescue ultralight vehicles because they are capable of flying in higher winds, and you can land almost anywhere like dirt roads, water, or open fields. |
13. Will the Cygnet 2 be available as an experimental light sport aircraft ? |
Yes. We are currently in the process of this and it should be available at the beginning of 2009. |
14. What kind of maintenance does a trike require? |
There is not much maintenance required for ultralight trikes. At most, you will have to change the spark plugs and the gear oil. |
15. Most important, are they safe? |
Flying a trike is as safe as the pilot wants to make it. Although, you will be trained to correct sketchy situations, we believe prevention and judgment are the ultimate concept. |
If you have any additional questions or require further clarification please contact us 1-705-521-8324 ext 217. |
