| Can you afford flying when the gas and oil prices | | | | them "land" on water if they have the required |
| are raising like crazy? Hardly. But the fuel has | | | | appliances. Many fixed wing or flex wing aircraft |
| never been free and not all people who like flying | | | | have water devices - such are often called |
| are rich. That's one of the reasons why engineers | | | | amphibians or seaplanes. |
| and enthusiasts invented the ultralight aviation. The | | | | One flying boat (float) on the other hand looks like |
| ultralight flying machines may not be the most | | | | a mix between a boat and an ultralight trike. |
| comfortable or luxury, but they are affordable, | | | | Instead of the standard corpse, the float uses its |
| cute and simple. Besides that the ultralight aircraft | | | | fuselage as a floating hull. The float is the |
| lets the pilot feel much better "in the air" than the | | | | cheapest and easiest for maintenance seaplane, |
| ordinary aircraft. | | | | that's why it is preferred by most enthusiasts. |
| There are different kinds of ultralight flying | | | | Powered paraglider |
| machines you can use to fly. Here are the five | | | | If all you want is to be able to fly, you could do it |
| most important of them: | | | | with a simple paraglider. But the standard |
| Fixed wing ultralight airplane | | | | paraglider needs good wind condition and a high |
| The most popular ultralight aircraft looks just like | | | | place for taking off. For this reason the aviation |
| a standard airplane. The fixed wing ultralight is | | | | people created the powered paraglider - probably |
| usually a two seat or single seat aircraft, can fly | | | | the simplest and most affordable ultralight flying |
| quite fast (up to 150 - 200kmh cruise speed) and | | | | machine. |
| is very stable. | | | | The powered paraglider is not very different than |
| The disadvantages of the fixed wing ultralight | | | | his standard "brothers" besides the fact it has a |
| airplanes are its cost and the need of large hanger | | | | powered propeller staying on the back of the pilot. |
| space. Since you can't remove the wings, you | | | | If you want to take off, all you need to do is to |
| need space which is both wide and long. Just like a | | | | run for few meters. You don't need a mountain |
| normal airplane, the fixed wings ultralight needs a | | | | or a hill - with a powered paraglider you can take |
| runaway to start flying. | | | | off from a smooth place. |
| Flex wing ultralight airplane (ultralight trike) | | | | Ultralight helicopter |
| The flex wing ultralight aircraft is an easier and | | | | After the simplest, let me introduce you the most |
| more affordable option for pilots who don't | | | | complex ultralight flying machine - the ultralight |
| require to fly on a "real airplane". The flex wings | | | | helicopter. But regardless of its structural |
| are also smaller and lighter and their wing is | | | | complexity - which is typical for any rotorcraft - |
| flexible, just like the name of this aircraft | | | | the ultralight helicopter is much simpler than the |
| suggests. | | | | real helicopters we can see at the airport. |
| This wing gives you one big advantage - the | | | | Very often the ultralight helicopter has no cockpit |
| ultralight trike takes much less place so it can be | | | | or fuselage at all - or there is very light and simple |
| hangared in a barn or garage. The wing can be | | | | version of them. That's why the ultralight |
| completely taken off if needed so the aircraft | | | | helicopters are not more expensive than the |
| may need even less space. | | | | other aircraft - except of course the powered |
| The flex wing airplanes can also take off from a | | | | paraglider which beats them all. But if we talk |
| normal road, of course if there are no cars on it. | | | | about control complexity, the helicopter is |
| Float (ultralight flying boats) | | | | definitely the hardest to control machine. This |
| One of the greatest things about the ultralight | | | | aircraft is not appropriate for beginner pilots. |
| airplanes is that they are ultra-light. This allows | | | | |