Triking for the Penniless Dreamer

A sleek looking Russian machine, the Kai Toupolev Cruise, fitted with a Rotax 914.

This competition Chaser trike has been fitted with a rare Rotax 508 four-cycle engine to improve economy.

A low costing built from plans trike, fitted with a Ghost 14 wing. This machine ahs been fitted out for training.

A Pegasus Quantum 912. Expect to pay around $30,000 for one of these beauties, unless you can buy a cheaper used model.

Hugh martin (BFI) checks out the trike-to-wing connections on his beautiful North Wing trike.

Airborne 582.

Aviation is not cheap, but it need not be out of reach. There are several ways to get one’s feet off the ground. This article will look at the possibilities of getting into triking cheaply. "Cheap" is a relative word, and what is low cost for one person, may be impossibly expensive for another. I’ll try to look at a range of options that may open up possibilities for almost everyone.

Most of the ultralights around are three-axis (stick and rudder) machines. Powered Parachutes and Powered Paragliders have an increasingly large following. Trikes are very popular in Europe, South Africa and Australia, and seem to be becoming more sought after over here. You may even have seen one, although trikes are still a very rare bird in many areas. Or, you may have only seen pictures of them, in UltraFlight magazine, or on the Internet.

Many people remember seeing a trike in the movie Fly Away Home. Whichever way to become interested in these alternative flying machines, you may now feel the need to have one. How do you move from the wishing and wanting phase, to the owning and flying one?

The first stage should always be to find an instructor who can give you an introductory flight, and a lesson or two in a trike. There are many different designs, but they all fly in the same way. Take a few lessons to make sure this is the form of flying for you. I always recommend that "newbies" try trikes, three-axis, powered parachutes (PPC) and even powered paragliders (PPG), if possible, before making a decision. This may be easier said than done, as some regions are virtual deserts, as far as finding instructors.

Look for United States Ultralight Association (USUA), Aero Sports Connection (ASC), or Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) clubs, locally. An Internet search should pull up these organizations, and there you should be able to see a list of instructors for most States. Ultralight flying instruction is given by a Basic Flight Instructor (BFI), or an Advanced Flight Instructor (AFI).

Don’t expect to find instructors on your doorstep. Many of us have had to travel hundreds of miles to find an instructor who is flying the sort of machine that interests us. As a penniless dreamer, you need to take into consideration where you can get training, and the cost of traveling. Do not ever be tempted to teach yourself to fly. Many have tried, and almost as many have crashed. This is false economy. Please do not try it!

I cut the cost of my initial training by pitching a tent on the instructor’s airfield and camping out for a week – in April. It did snow for a couple days. Spending the nights in the middle of nowhere will not appeal to everyone, but it worked for me. I went for a week in early spring, as it was more likely to provide a week of flying weather, suitable for training. I did manage to squeeze in enough hours to solo by the end of the week. It saved me time and money. I did not have to travel back and forth for several months, spending precious money, both for traveling, and for relearning the lessons I should have remembered from the previous lessons. I avoid calling this a "crash course," preferring "intensive training."

Be careful to find an instructor who matches your temperament. They are all crazy, of course. Anyone willing to risk their bodies, at the uncoordinated hands and feet of a total incompetent novice wannabe pilot, must have part of their brain shut down. You may find some are less insane than others, so try to find the one that matches your own personality best.

No license is required for an ultralight that complies with FAR 91 Part 103, the FAA’s document controlling ultralight flying. You may be able to find a trike, wing and engine combination, that weighs less than 254 lb empty, carries one person and only five gallons of fuel, flies at up to 62 mph, and stalls (stops flying) at about 27 mph. If you do, you can actually fly it, without any instruction, license or medical certificate.

I advise strongly against the teach yourself, or flying from book approach. Trikes are easy to fly, but it takes practice to control them and land them without bending tubes, or oneself. There are many machines that do not comply with Part 103. To fly one of those you would need to obtain a pilot’s license, and register the machine (obtaining an N number). Most penniless dreamers cannot afford the training for a full license, and so fly Part 103 machines.

Two-seat flying is currently not an option. Part 103 only allows single-seat flying. Two-seat machines are used by Instructors, for training purposes only. If the proposed Sport Pilot license ever materializes, there should be the opportunity to fly bigger, faster, heavier machines that will be permitted to carry more fuel and two people. That could still be a long way off, and you can bet that it will not be a cheaper option. Part 103 still offers the best low-cost way to aviate.

Many trikers buy their first machine from their instructor, who may well be instructing in a similar machine. There are advantages in having the same machine as everyone else locally. Advice about flying the machine and how to maintain it will be available, but the penniless dreamer does have other options. An Internet search will open up the spider web of information, and although you may find yourself getting nowhere at times, you should be able to track down and access most trike dealer’s sites.

Many trike designs are available here in the USA. Some are home grown; others imported. Many would be too heavy to fly legally under Part 103, but may be registered as an Experimental airplane. A Private Pilot’s license required then could leave you in the poor house.

Some countries have a certification standard to control quality and airworthiness. In the United Kingdom it is called Section S. Other countries may have a similar standard to ensure that flying machines are able to withstand flying loads and conditions. Other countries that do not have any certification standard (which includes the USA), still produce excellent machines. I doubt that anyone is intentionally producing a machine that is dangerous.

Whatever your fancy, I would suggest you go for a popular design where you know there are plenty of them flying. Spend a lot of time looking at the wide variety of machines available, before coming to any decision about which one to spend your life savings, or the remodeling money on.

One of the many advantages of living here in the US is that a person is able to mix and match wings on many trikes. Most foreign machines come with a set wing for the machine. With some designs, you can choose from a wide range of great wings, and fit them to your choice of trike.

If you just want to fly slowly around your local area, in calm conditions, at around thirty miles per hour, you may choose a large area wing. If you prefer zooming around at speeds in the sixties, you are better off with a smaller area wing.

As we are both penniless, and also dreamers, we can fantasize about flying machines such as the Mainair912 trike, which can fly effortlessly for several hours, with large fuel tanks and higher cruise speeds. Such machines have flown long distances, like England to Australia, or even around the world.

Or, maybe you would prefer something like the state-of-the-art Pegasus Quik, which is supposed to have a very small wing area, combined with a Rotax 912, and capable of cruising at 80-100mph.

To bring you back to reality, I should tell you that you will need over $30,000 to purchase those kinds of machines, although you may be able to find a secondhand one for less.

End of daydream. If you want to get into triking relatively cheaply, you still have lots of possibilities that won’t melt your credit card. The cheapest complete machine, I’ve come across, is the Saber Trike. For just about $7,000, you should be able to obtain a Part 103 legal machine. Fitted with a Kawasaki 340 engine, a wing that cruises at around thirty-five miles per hour, something like the Saber could be the ideal machine for those with a limited budget.

Wings seem to be priced from about $3000. There are plenty to choose from, both domestic and imported. The Butterfly wing is a popular example of a home grown wing, which is designed to fly slowly. I personally attach greater importance to the wing than the trike. It is the wing that keeps you up there, battling the thermals, and providing the stability and performance we want.

One of the advantages of buying an American design is that you should have no problem obtaining spares, if you ever have a mishap. Obtaining spares for some foreign machines could keep you out of the air for some time. However, most foreign trikes sold in the US have dealers who should be offering the ability to supply replacement parts swiftly. Expect to pay between seven and ten and a half thousand for a complete, if fairly basic trike, ready to fly.

You can buy one of the more expensive machines, usually not complying with Part 103, for between twelve to eighteen thousand dollars, but that is not what this article is about. We are looking at the cheapest way to get into triking. That could be by obtaining a second-hand machine.

You need to be cautious here, but with care you can walk into some real bargains. Often, someone has to sell a great machine in a hurry. Maybe it is a divorce, or some other financial crisis, that forces the seller to lower his price drastically. At other times, someone has lost the initial rush of interest, and just wants to move into another area. Whatever the reason, the alert and knowledgeable Penniless Dreamer can often get an almost-new machine for thousands less than the market value.

Ebay is a source of secondhand machines. Machines that don’t initially sell on Ebay may be available cheaply, if the seller is contacted soon after the failed auction ends. You do have to exercise extreme caution when buying something off Ebay. You are buying blind, and have to trust the descriptive powers of the seller. You may end up with a load of trouble, as all sales are binding. It is far better to be able to look at the trike before you hand over the cash. Buyer beware always applies. Avoid heartbreak by checking out the goods before paying.

There are other sources of machines, such as www.barnstormers.com, and adverts in the ultralighting magazines. Spend some time checking out the local ultralight clubs. Machines change hands, and members often know of someone trying to sell.

Beware of very old machines that have been neglected for several years, or those which have been exposed to too much sun. The wing is the vital part of these flying machines. Always be looking for weak or damaged fabric, and bent or damaged tubes and fittings. Compare the color of the fabric above and below the wing to get an idea of how much exposure to sunlight there has been. There are fabric testers available to test the strength of the fabric.

If in any doubt, don’t buy. Look closely at all the wires. The lower ones are the flying wires, and must be in perfect condition. You can check them the bloody way or the sensible way. The bloody way involves running your fingers along them. Any broken strands of wire will puncture them, hence the blood. The sensible way is to gently pull a piece of cloth along the wires. The cloth will snag on the broken strands. The upper wires carry the weight of the wing on the ground, and also come into play when the wing is subjected to negative Gs. Check them in the same way.

Aircraft quality tube, once bent, should never be re-straightened. If any of the tubes are suspected of being damaged, they will need to be rolled to check for distortion – not a job for the amateur.

Wing battens are made to be reshaped, as over a period of time, they tend to flatten out. See if the owner has a batten profile sheet. This is a series of full size drawings that can be used to check and alter the battens. Be aware that some battens may have been altered deliberately, to correct the tendency for a wing to turn in a certain direction. If you have any doubts about the airworthiness of any wing or trike, you would be smart to just walk away. Taking an experienced triker along is a wise idea. Buying second hand is often a great way to obtain a trike, if you take sensible precautions.

Another way to go, is to build your own trike from plans or possibly a kit. Be warned. It is not always going to save you much money. By the time you have bought all the materials, and paid for all the shipping, you likely have invested as much money as you would have by taking out a loan and buying a lower priced new or used trike. You will not be able to make your own wing, so you will still be left with purchasing a new or used wing. Building from plans is ideal for those who possess the necessary skills, and the patience to complete the project, but you may prefer to take on an extra job, and get into the air sooner.

If you really are scraping the bottom of the financial barrel, you may consider joining in with someone else to split the costs of buying and maintaining a trike. Be careful. You must make it very clear who pays for maintenance, running costs and repairs. Good friends have been known to become court opponents over vague agreements that turn sour. Another consideration is what will happen if one person wants to be bought out? Does that mean that you will have to also sell out, or buy them out? Sharing can be an option for those who intend to keep the machine for a long time. Be careful if you decide to go into partnership and work out all the arrangements in advance.

If you are a Penniless Dreamer, you can get into triking cheaply, if you are prepared to save those pennies and spend time looking for a great deal on a good machine. Dreams can become reality, with a little imagination.

Email: ulavenger@yahoo.com

All material remains the property of Kevin Rutland.