a trikes travelling ability

has anyone here done a big trip (1000ks or more ) in a trike and also how much airstrip do you need for one of these

im about to embark on getting a weight shift ticket but if these little beuties can't take me where i want to go then its better to look at something else

"Big" is a relative term - any trip when you go further than you have before is "big". I've flown a trike around Australia (14,000km) and Southern Africa (8000km) so I didn't consider the return trip to Natfly (1650km) was particularly big. I flew with a friend of mine who hadn't been that far before so for him it was really pushing the boundaries. A handful of people have done what I consider big trips such as UK to Aus, South America to South Africa and circumnavigating the world.

The majority of planes flown by people on this forum are capable of 1000km trips if someone really wanted to do so. But some of them are capable of doing it non-stop in 4 hours or less whereas in a trike it would take 10 hours or more and upto 5 refuelling stops. Might not sound much but flying 8 hours a day in a trike is hard work which is why most people don't do it. For me, my Natfly friend expressed it very well - "trikes may be slower than a lot of planes but the sense of achievement and smile factor is proportionally greater".

How much airstrip depends on the trike, the wing, the engine, the weight, the surface, the gradient, the wind direction and strength, the altitude, the temperature, surrounding terrain, obstacles in the vacinity and, most importantly, the pilots ability and experience. The Airborne manual for the Edge trike suggests minimum airstrip requirements which vary between 300m and 360m depending on the wing and engine.

I think you'll have a much better idea about whether trikes are what you want to fly after you have had a go in one.

Hope that helps

John

thank you very much John thats exactly what i needed to know.......they can if i can..... i now have a million more questions , many of which will be answered along the way.....will chat again i hope thanks a mill...troy

...they can if i can.....

The trike does make a difference as well - a 40kt machine is obviously going to struggle in any headwind and a 2-stroke with a 40L tank wouldn't neccesarily be able to do some legs in remote areas where fuel isn't available.

No worries about more questions !

John