Does anyone fly light aircraft type ultralights any more?

[Spin]

Interesting topic this - a good friend flies 747's for a living and wanted to get back to basics in his own time. At the time trikes made up the vast majority of non GA private flying (overseas) and he bought a 503 powered 2 seater. Man we had a ball with that little thing, landed in paddocks and on beaches, followed river valleys to look for good white water, did some fair cross countrys too. Mate got the itch to go a bit further and faster so sold the trike and bought a little Cessna. Guess what, after the initial excitement he hardly flew and it ended up with a flight school, where he flies it even less now.

 

Back to the topic, sort of - saw this at the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra, nice looking piece of kit, can any of you tell us any more about it?

 

 

 

[Guest Escadrille]

Spin, It looks like a (very nice) version of a Winton Sportsman but I could be wrong...i_dunno

 

 

[dazza 38]

Hi spin, i think it is a winton grasshopper, as the sportman had wing struts on top of the wing.Col winton used to live down the road from me (foxwell road, coomera years ago)

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Funny this aircraft should pop up today as I was reading about it on a Russian site yesterday. ( Àññîöèàöèÿ Ýêñïåðèìåíòàëüíîé Àâèàöèè - Ñîäåðæàíèå ) Hope the link works for you. The Grasshopper is the nearest, early plane to my Bolt project only it has the engine/prop in a more acceptable position for most pilots. It would, I think, be a great plane to re-energise the simple, low and slow(maybe not so slow) flying that was enjoyed by our pioneers. With modern materials, engines, removable wings, it would surely fit the bill for many 'penniless flyers' who can't afford hangerage for a plastic fantastic. Yes, I know, the Grasshopper is plastic.

 

So come on you entrepreneurs, who's up to putting your money to work for the less well healed. All it needs is the desire to help without making huge profits. Easy to say but very hard for most to do.

 

Sorry, link doesn't work. It should have been the English version. I'll re-post the link.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

OK, try this:

 

Google Translate

 

Some interesting reading even if the translation is somewhat lacking.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Yes that is Col Winton's Grasshopper looks like it still has the Robin 440 engine on it.

 

 

[Spin]

Thanks Gents; as always a mine of information. I must agree with Deskpilot, an aircraft that looks as good as this and with easily foldable or removable wings would certainly fit the bill. Incidentally I didn't find the discussion about the Grasshopper on the Russian site but there was plenty of other interesting stuff on there.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

The Grasshopper took less than ten minutes for two people to assemble from trailer to engine start.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Thanks Gents; as always a mine of information. I must agree with Deskpilot, an aircraft that looks as good as this and with easily foldable or removable wings would certainly fit the bill. Incidentally I didn't find the discussion about the Grasshopper on the Russian site but there was plenty of other interesting stuff on there.

Hey Spin, your comment provoked me to go have another look. Damned if I can find it either. It wasn't a discussion as such, more someones inquiry as to what it was I think. I found out today the the Grasshopper already has removable wings. Perhaps a full canopy would be good, yes?

 

 

[winsor68]

Isn't the Sapphire the last in the line of descendants of this pedigree? I believe the factory is for sale. I hope this is not considered off thread. But I certainly agree that there would have to be a market for readily available single seat 95.10 type aircraft of the right pedigree if the price could be kept reasonable.

 

 

[Spin]

Sapphire, that's the name I was looking for. Never seen one in the flesh but knew I had seen something that looked similar in a few for sale notices. Is she a Winton design then? Looks pretty although I have been a bit put off by reports of her not being keen to stop flying, I have visions of sailing all the way down slope on 04 at Boonah and never touching down before the overrun!

 

 

[skeptic36]

. Perhaps a full canopy would be good, yes?

Like this you mean

 

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Getting there Skeptic, perhaps a more contoured, blown type though. Pity your photo is so small. Can you make it larger? I want to see how much clearance there is between it's tip and the boom.

 

 

[winsor68]

Sapphire, that's the name I was looking for. Never seen one in the flesh but knew I had seen something that looked similar in a few for sale notices. Is she a Winton design then? Looks pretty although I have been a bit put off by reports of her not being keen to stop flying, I have visions of sailing all the way down slope on 04 at Boonah and never touching down before the overrun!

I have heard similar stories... but it does seem that the Sapphire is one of the hotter 95.10 pedigree aircraft to have been developed... Probably needs Spoilers (a lot seem to)... a quick web search tells me you could currently fly one away built for about $35 000 if you didn't want to do any building registered Lsa...?

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

From memory the Sapphire is available with several different wings.

 

It was originally designed by the late Scott Winton, Col's son.

 

Scott aslo built the Ultrabat and the record breaking 'Opel'.

 

 

[facthunter]

Sapphire.

 

getting to be a few years since I had anything to do with these, but they are a bit of an inspired design. There were several build strengths, some being more desireable than others. a bubble canopy was available. the only thing that spoiled a very clean design is the two stroke expansion chamber. The engine is a fan cooled 447 which works well as a pusher, and you can cruise with the power back a fair way, or stay airborne with a sick engine sometimes. Don't go through a wire fence with one as the wire will decapitate you.(as it will in a glider or a drifter). Ground loop it first. Very desireable plane. Nev

 

 

[dazza 38]

Hi Guys just for general interest, Col winton also built a different version of the sportsman called the gold coaster.It looked very similar to the sportsman though.Anyway i think Steve has the sapphire business for sale.(sorry cant remember his last name).Question- the Borrabee was a nice looking machine, it was built (kit) in SE qld, has any body know anymore about it ?

 

 

[skeptic36]

Can you make it larger?

Nope but if you go here you can see a larger pic.

 

Regards Bill

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Cheers Bill.

 

 

[tiketyboo]

nice clean looking bird, any idea if they are still available and cost

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

We were out at Childers last month and saw Chinoock 10-003. It's still flying and doing plenty of hours (unlike our Scout which is still in the shed awaiting work). As noted earlier 10-001 was reassigned to a later aircraft so this is now the second oldest 95-10. There were a lot of 25- registered Thrusters that have older registration.

 

Great to see these early types still punching holes in the air.

 

Sue

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

even tho scout 10-001 is not registed as such it is still airworthy on both wheels and floats.

 

 

[Methusala]

La dolce vita...

 

:chuffed:G'day all,

 

And far be it for me to boast but... Saturday in the Canberra district was "a pearler", light winds, about 22 degrees and clear air so that you could see the distant horizon with remarkable clarity. What better thing to do than to launch the Thruster with myself and my good lady aboard.This is what the sweet life is all about for me. The air was like silk and so my passenger could see the effect of small inputs of rudder, aileron, stick and throttle without the intervention of stray turbulence or thermals and so she could see clearly what controlling a plane is all about. I love ultralights. Cheers, Don.

 

 

[DAVID SEE]

Hi ANDY, there is a few of us out here that still fly the slow entry level type. I own and fly a FISHER 303 which I bought as my first plane, I refer to it as the 'trail bike' I was going to build a Savanna and wanted something to fly while doing that. It has a 447 to drive the fan out front instead of the 277 that it was originally designed with, a cruise of 50kts climb in exes of 1000ft/min. stall at 25kts, its a low wing tail dragger, fully enclosed and as light as can be on the controls. I bought a Lightwing which I do most of my flying in now. The owner of the property where we live flies a Trike and the Fisher pokes along comfortably beside him. I'll have both it and the Lightwing at MONTO in June, hope to see you there Cheers DAVO:big_grin:

 

 

[Guest Old_Plane_Nut]

Pietinpol Aircamper

 

Finally at 4pm this afternoon the Peit was test flown at Somersby. The rain cleared just as we where ready to fly. Temps high on the reconed Subie 81 but to be expected on a tight engine still running in. Just like you used to have to run in your engine in your new car.

 

4 and a half months to sort the reinstallation out . Must be an all time record.

 

Jim