Questions tagged [ultralight]
Questions regarding very lightweight powered aircraft.
104
questions
2
votes
4answers
183 views
Is it possible to power an ultralight airplane with a single-cylinder weed-whacker engine?
Plane:
Weighs 200 pounds.
16 FT wingspan,
36in. by 5 in. airfoil
Engine: 3,000 RPM, 2 HP
Propeller: 4ft with 4 blades and weighs 4 lbs.
Is there perhaps an equation that could determine this?
-2
votes
2answers
87 views
What engine should I use for a home-built ultralight (That is rideable) [closed]
I am looking for an engine that is powerful + cheap engine that will work in an ultralight aircraft and fly 1 person as well as the plane. yeah, this is kinda specific, but I have a tight budget and ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Do ultralights need to have EPA-compliant engines in the USA and Canada?
Do ultralights need to have EPA-compliant engines in:
The USA?
Canada?
Just wondering if you could use a hobby type 2 stroke engine for a twin engine Lazair type ultralight. I don't think they are ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Does anyone have free plans for a ultralight?
I am looking for free ultralight plans for a beginner. I have been wanting to fly but I don’t want to spend thousands on a license so ultralight is the next best thing.
0
votes
2answers
172 views
Can a harbor freight predator 212 cc engine be enough for an ultralight [duplicate]
Hi I am planing on building a budget ultralight and I was wondering if a 6.5 hp 212 cc predator motor will be enough and if so what size prop should I use.
A little background, it is going to be a ...
13
votes
1answer
5k views
Why does Canada recommend a minimum rate of climb for ultralights of 300 ft/min?
What is a safe minimum rate of climb for ultralights? I understand most ultralights climb at least 300-800 ft/min and in fact the Canadian ultralight specs recommend a minimum rate of climb of 300 ft/...
3
votes
1answer
257 views
Is there any legal way to fly an inline twin-engine aircraft with a single-engine certificate?
Is there any legal way to fly an inline twin-engine aircraft with only a single-engine endorsement? For example, if it's an ultralight or amateur built?
I understand Rutan's Defiant was an inline ...
1
vote
1answer
225 views
Is it possible to fly an ultralight aircraft with a 13.4kW engine?
I want to build an ultralight within the 115kg preload (US standard). Can I use and engine with the specifications below? My weight is around 63kg.
Rated output: 13.4kW(18HP)@3600RPM
5
votes
0answers
68 views
Do UL aircraft complying with LTF-UL need to copy an existing design pattern?
With my current pipe dream being to get physically involved in aviation
instead of only theoretically, I looked into the regulations for ultralight planes in Germany.
On multiple occasions in the ...
2
votes
4answers
99 views
Where is the compression on a compression strut in a tube and fabric airplane coming from?
I understand the functions of every part of a tube and fabric (two spar) ultralight wings and the loads they carry but what keeps puzzling me is the compression strut of a two spar wing as seen above.
...
10
votes
2answers
902 views
Why do gliders have bungee cords in the control systems and what do they do? Are they on all control surfaces? What about ultralights?
Why do gliders have bungee cords in the control systems and what do they do?
Are they on all control surfaces?
Why don't ultralights have them?
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Did the twin engined Lazair ultralight have a throttle for each engine?
Did the twin engined Lazair ultralight have a throttle for each engine?
I know larger aircraft have dual throttles.
What about the smaller aircraft like ultralights?
It would be so much easier just ...
33
votes
4answers
10k views
What is it exactly about flying a Flyboard across the English channel that made Zapata's thighs burn?
CNN's French inventor makes 'beautiful' flight across Channel on hoverboard reports that:
"French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully crossed the Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard for the ...
4
votes
1answer
179 views
Does a tandem ultralight need flaps on the rear wing if the front wing has flaps?
Does a tandem ultralight need flaps on the rear wing if the front wing has flaps?
I understand that most Rutan canards don't have flaps as I was told if the main wing has flaps, the canards need one ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
What is the best or most popular way to reduce wing tip vortices on an ultralight operating at 600-800k Re?
What is the best or most popular way to reduce wing tip vortices on an ultralight triplane, operating at 600-800k Re with fibreglass wings ,10 ft wingspan, gap of 2 chord, chord of 2 ft, 0 stagger?
...
0
votes
1answer
160 views
Where can I take my ultralight aircraft? [closed]
I know many airports do not allow ultralight aircraft but can I take it to work, home, or to the bar? What is the limits of freedoms of travel in an ultralight?
2
votes
2answers
354 views
How much lift does the wing attach fitting actually carry?
How do I calculate the lift force that the the bolt that join the wings to the fuselage of a strutted or braced airplane carry?
I know in a cantilever airplane,the bolts have to carry all of the lift ...
2
votes
4answers
243 views
How to determine the compressive force in the spars of a strutted wing?
How does one calculate the compressive force that the inner section of a strutted or braced wing (from the strut attach point to the wing root) experiences?
I know how to calculate the tension in the ...
0
votes
1answer
183 views
May an ultralight vehicle pass directly above KEGE at 9200 MSL at 1600Z with no prior authorization without violating FAR 103.17?
May an ultralight vehicle pass directly above KEGE at 9200 MSL at 1600Z with no prior authorization without violating FAR 103.17?
http://vfrmap.com/?type=vfrc&lat=39.643&lon=-106.916&zoom=...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is the tail group of virtually every airplane swept instead of straight?
Even low performance airplanes like ultralights have their tail group (vertical and horizontal stabilizer with rudder and elevator) swept backwards knowing fully well that a straight tail group will ...
4
votes
1answer
151 views
What are the historical precedents of today's E2 and E4 airspace? (US)
What are the historical precedents of today's E2 and E4 airspace? From what previous airspace classes did these airspaces evolve? How do these precedents help us understand the significance of the ...
2
votes
1answer
168 views
What are all the US airports where E4 “extensions” change to E2 and become part of a larger E2 “surface area” when the tower closes for the night?
Of all the US airports with part-time control towers and with E4 "extensions", in which cases are the airspace definitions written so that the E4 "extensions" change to E2 and become part of a larger ...
2
votes
0answers
97 views
In the US, can airspace simultaneously be E2 and E4? What happens at KSTC to the airspace in the dashed magenta boundary when the tower closes?
In the US, can the same airspace simultaneously be E2 and E4?
Consider the case of KSTC -- St. Cloud Regional Airport, MN.
http://vfrmap.com/?type=vfrc&lat=45.546&lon=-94.059&zoom=10
On ...
7
votes
1answer
328 views
What is the primary reason that the non-towered airports KACV and KTLV have E4 extensions to E2 airspace?
NOTE-- this question is not about why it was desired to protect the airspace that ended up within the E4 "extensions". Rather, this question is about why that was done by designating that airspace as ...
30
votes
3answers
8k views
What is this object in the cockpit of an ultralight?
This is a tool (probably) in on an ultralight airplane. Initially I guessed that it is a tilting meter (to level between right and left), but seems it is not as it just a vertical tube filled up with ...
5
votes
2answers
174 views
Positions of drag wires in a bay
Take a good look at the small dots • on the bays of this two spar wing.
My question is:
Are the drag and anti drag wire as seen in bay 1 supposed to connect to the root of the compression tube
Or ...
3
votes
2answers
344 views
For slow-flying ultralights, how would a delta wing compare to a biplane layout of equal wing area?
Context: By "slow-flying" I refer to ultralights that can be classed as "motorfloaters" - similar wing loading to a hang-glider, stall speed below 40km/h, cruise speed not much above.
I'm interested ...
1
vote
0answers
134 views
Could I Legally Fly a Paramotor as a Commuter Method [duplicate]
I get permission from company security to fly into work using my paramotor (I don’t have one, but would like to get one).
We have six offices around the city. The city has two airports: one major ...
1
vote
2answers
177 views
Forces that wing attach fittings must transfer to fuselage?
I just saw the naked wing (it didn't have its wing fabric) of a Weedhopper ultralight and wondered the types of forces that the wing lift struts must transfer to the fuselage, apart from the apparent ...
2
votes
1answer
269 views
Does the wing to fuselage fittings of an airplane ever experience shear load?
Do wing attach fittings of semi-cantilevered plane (i.e. ultralights) ever get subjected to shear force? For example during roll, does the centrifugal force of the wings load the wing attach fittings ...
1
vote
0answers
168 views
How can Schrenk approximation be used to model lift load on a rectangular wing?
How can I use Schrenk approximation to calculate load distribution on my rectangular wing?
A worked example will be appreciated.
3
votes
3answers
772 views
Is lift force less than weight during a descent?
In the above image lift is the same during a climb and during a descent. Is lift force not supposed to be less than weight during a descent?
Secondly, does descending at an airspeed much lower than ...
1
vote
0answers
140 views
How to calculate the shear centre of a wing?
How is shear centre of a wings calculated? i.e. how can I calculate the wing shear centre of a two spar wing with main spar at 0% of wing chord and rear spar at 75% of wing chord? (Assuming the two ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Why does the Ikarus C42 pitch down when stalled?
Apparently, the C42 nose pitches down shortly after stall, like in this video. I know part of the video might be pilot input to recover from the stall, but I've read on various flying forums that this ...
10
votes
1answer
309 views
In the United States, are ultralights legally considered aircraft?
I sometimes hear it stated that in the United States, ultralight vehicles are not legally considered to be aircraft. For example, Wikipedia used to state:
In the United States ultralights are ...
2
votes
1answer
126 views
What is the function of a sweep cable?
This is Goat3 ultralight with sweep cables,what is the fuction of these sweep cables?
1
vote
1answer
343 views
What is the purpose of this span wise “false spar” on Affordaplane wings?
This is the wing of an Affordaplane Ultralight,what is the use of those spanwise foam boards between the foam ribs,I know it's not for aesthetics.
1
vote
3answers
525 views
Can a Rutan Quickie be made into a legal Part 103 Ultralight?
I was was thinking about buying a 80s rutan quickie q-1, it has a 18 hp motor. I want to get a ultralight but I like this one because it is fast. Can I get a motor that would be within the ...
2
votes
2answers
160 views
To determine wing loading, do you need to subtract the weight of the wing from the gross weight?
Is it true that I must subtract the weight of my ultralight wing from the gross weight of my airplane inorder to determine the wing loading of my ultralight airplane? If yes,why is this so?
I read a ...
2
votes
4answers
361 views
Can time spent in consumer flight simulators increase the safety of flying light sports aircraft for licensed pilots? [duplicate]
I've asked this question to my flight instructor, who believes flight simulators do a very poor job of modelling flight physics for very light airplanes, which makes them useless for preventing ...
1
vote
1answer
182 views
How do wing ribs withstand lateral lift force?
During roll,there is a vertical component of lift that keeps the plane in the air and an horizontal component that actually rolls the plane,how are wing ribs designed to help withstand this vertical(...
1
vote
1answer
895 views
What is the purpose of wing stiffeners?
There are very few articles as to what wing stiffeners are on the internet, so my question is what are wing stiffeners?
2
votes
1answer
430 views
Strut braced or wire braced airplane wings?
For an ultralight (or other airplane designed for slow flight), would a strut-braced or wire-braced wing be more efficient aerodynamically?
2
votes
1answer
565 views
Is this type of wing design structurally sound? [closed]
Is the simple wings
frame(spar,ribs)of this maxair hummer structurally sound? I am asking because I'm considering using thesame wing design on my homebuilt ultralight.
0
votes
1answer
233 views
Do mono spar wings need compression strut(or ribs)?
Loyolksip
Regarding airplane wings, are compression struts needed in a mono spar wing?
Secondly, are anti drag and drag wires needed in a mono spar wings?
2
votes
2answers
515 views
In the US, do ultralight aircraft have tail numbers?
Just wondering if ultralight aircraft in the United States have tail numbers like the larger general aviation aircraft have?
14
votes
3answers
1k views
What is a biplane propeller and how efficient is it?
Lazair ultralight series II used biplane props to absorb more power from the engine....so my question is what really is a biplane propeller and are they efficient in comparison to a four bladed prop?
6
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the purpose of drag and anti drag wires?
What are drag and anti drag wires,and how important are they to the performance and strength of the wings of an airplane?
3
votes
2answers
551 views
What airfoil is used on the Lazair ultralight?
This is the airfoil of the famous Lazair ultralight. What is the name of this airfoil?
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it best to use a thick airfoil or an undercambered airfoil for slow speed flight?
The more the thickness,the more the frontal resistance,hence the more the drag a thick airfoil will produce.
Under cambered can help increase lift without increasing the airfoil thickness , therefore ...
