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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
1
So are they safe ?
Lets
be honest - if you are thinking about trikes, then this
question
will have occurred to you. And it will also occur to your family,
friends and colleagues who will doubtless take every opportunity to
question your sanity for undertaking such a "hazardous" pastime.
Its
true that, back in the 1970's when ultralighting was in its
infancy, there were a number of casualties. It was no different to the
early 1900's when man first started flying. Experimentation naturally
involves a degree of risk. Things have come a very long way
since
then
but, unfortunately, its a lot easier to keep a bad reputation than to
acquire a good one - regardless of the actual facts.
Media
reporting is of course a factor - "No fatal ultralight crashes
in
2008" isn't the sort of coverage which attracts attention. It's so much
easier to label any light aircraft as an ultralight and then
sensationalise the circumstances surrounding an accident thus pandering
to pre-conceived misconceptions.
Ultralights in general (& trikes in particular) are not
dangerous. The trikes we fly are tested and certified by CASA
and
built in CASA approved facility in Australia. Like any
machine,
they have limits which must be respected. And, like any machine, they
require certain maintenance checks which must be done according to the
prescribed schedule. If you don't get the steering on your
car
fixed or you drive too fast round a bend there's a good chance you'll
have an accident. Does that mean that cars are dangerous ? No, it was
an operator error and that's exactly what the vast majority (>
90%) of ultralight
accidents are.
Of course, any sort of flying is not
absolutely
risk free. If you are after a 100% guaranteed safe pastime
then I would
suggest selling the car and staying home watching other people
having a life on TV. However if, like us, you welcome taking personal
responsibility for the consequences of your actions and want a
rewarding & enjoyable challenge, microlights might be
just what
you are looking for !
2
Do I need a licence ?
You
don't need a Private Pilots Licence of the sort required to fly a
conventional aircraft. You must however possess a Pilot Certificate
issued by one of the governing bodies of the sport in Australia
(RA-Aus or HGFA). You must also be a current member of that
organisation and your trike must also be registered with them.
3
How long will it take me to learn to fly ?
Unfortunately
this is a bit like the proverbial question about the length of a piece
of string ! The legal minimum is for 20 hours flight training
(including 5 hours of solo flight) and it is certainly possible to
accomplish this. Most people take a little bit longer to reach the
necessary standard though so its best to allow for this. You will have
a better idea once you have done a few flights but its worth
remembering that the number of hours it takes to get the
pilot certificate has no relevance to the qualified pilots
competence.
4 Am I
too young / old / ill / poor / stupid to
learn ?
There
is no minimum age to start training although you cannot fly solo until
you
are at least 15. There is no maximum age provided you meet
the medical standard which is
simply that you meet the health requirements for driving a car in
Australia. In most cases, this no need to even visit your GP
to confirm this. So if you can safely drive to the airfield, you should
be able to learn to fly.
However there is no escaping the fact
that flying is going to cost money in just the same
way as
boating or 4x4 driving does. Its not as expensive as you
might suspect though - you can buy a perfectly servicable
aircraft from $10,000 and, once you have you pilot certificate, the
running costs would be similar to those of a small car. Microlights are
close to being the cheapest form of powered flight.
You don't
even need to be a rocket scientist to fly recreational aircraft
- you
only need to meet a few qualified pilots to realise this !
Although it is necessary to pass a number of multiple-choice exams to
obtain you pilot certificate, with the help of your instructors and
some study of your own this is not as difficult as it sounds.
5 Can I fly wherever I want ?
Microlights
pilots are generally not currently allowed into the airspace close
to major commercial airports and there are other
places from
which they are restricted at certain times (such as bombing ranges !).
Apart
from these, it is possible to fly almost everywhere in Australia
subject to the "rules of the air" applicable to all the other pilots
& craft which we
share the skies with.
6
Can I fly whenever I want ?
Microlights
are recreational aircraft not airliners so they cannot be
flown
at night or in poor visibility such as fog. As they are amongst the
lightest of all flying machines, there are
also limits to the wind strength in which it is sensible to fly.
Contrary to popular opinion, these limits are little different to
most other conventional small aircraft although that doesn't
necessarily mean it would
be wise for an inexperienced pilot to fly in them.
7
Are trikes portable ?
One
of the major attractions of trikes is the ease with which they can be
"derigged" and transported on a trailer. Although most people
prefer the convenience of keeping them in a hanger, even the most
complex models can be rigged to fly in 30-40 minutes or less.
"Insisting on perfect safety is
for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world".
Mary Shafer, NASA
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