Two notable benefits: The ability to carry passengers (currently, only instructors can do so) and get insurance. It will allow anyone with a driver’s license and 20 hours of instruction in sport aircraft (powered airborne vehicles weighing less than 1,232 pounds) to obtain a federal airman’s license. “It will glide safely to the ground even if the engine fails.”Īfter three hours I’m hooked, and even more excited by the prospect of the FAA’s Sport Pilot initiative. “But you don’t need it otherwise,” he says, reminding me that trikes evolved from hang gliders. To gain altitude, Beckenbach hits the gas to accelerate the prop. Pulling the bar back levels the wing and accelerates the trike to 55 mph. Pushing the bar forward tips the wing up, causing it to catch more air and slow us down. Pushing the wing bar to the right and shifting our weight to the left, we execute a left turn. For them, the weight-shifting operation of trikes is entirely counterintuitive. Beckenbach says that his worst students are those with stick-and-rudder experience (in which left means left, and right actually means right). Easy to land as well, light in construction and easy to set up.Lesson 1 is how to control the aircraft. But as soon as you start running the wing behaves normal and the take off is just as easy as with any modern glider. As already written on the comments, the wing has a tendency to drop the nose when held against the wind on take off, it feels a bit weird. I believe that the Solar Gliders are still supported - I had mine serviced by Solar / Main air / in Wiltshire in 2001.Ī very nice glider with great glide ratio but rather slow to initiate a turn. Since ceasing production of the Scandal (King post and XK) gliders, Solar has concentrated on manufacturing micro-lights which it still does. The Solar Gliders had a reputation for being more stable and less "twitchy" or sensitive that the Airwave gliders. This prvents the leading edge from colapsing when flying at high speed. This was first used on the ACE? - but was dropped on the Scandal range of gliders, when Solar introduced a presurised leading edge. The key to this was a "rubber membrain" which allowed the upper and lower surface to move relative to each other. The Solar range of gliders were unique in that they had 100% double surface at the tips. It is also a shame the Top less Scandal was not developed more. In my opinion it is a shame the glider is not made any more. May be the more moden King posted gliders fly or handle better, but my Kingposted Scandal 12.4 would be difficult to better. I think this glider is about as good as you can get for a king post glider. Handeling (turning etc.) this glider is simmilar to the Magic IV (and Feaver) in ease to handle - but performance is much better. Thermaling and scratching the ridge the glider is nice and responsive, and not too sensitive to turbulance. They seem to work, in that at high speed the Glide Angle does not deteriate as fast as other gliders. This glider has vents in the leading edge which stop it from collapsing at high speed. I THINK it is as good - or very nearly as good a glide as moden king posted gliders. Flying, the glider has a good glide - for its age - It is not as good as topless moden gliders. Landing - no vices good large flare window. I DO NOT know if this is unique to my glider or not. Otherwise the glider is very nice to take off / Launch. This is disconcerting, but once I realised what was going on, it has not caused any problems. Mine has an odd nose down witch - more accurately there are TWO angels that the nose wants to sit at, one fairly nose down. The A frame is small and "fits my shoulders". This is a very nice glider for a small light pilot. I had to leave it because the tissue on the leading edge started to delaminate. This wing is 'uniform', easy to fly, to take-off, to land, and it accepts slow flight. I have flown 11 years with a 14.4 Scandal.
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