simonreeve

Can anyone help. This concerns two friends of mine here in the UK who have all but completed their Jabiru Calypso microlight home build only to have been told that it is 43KG (yes that IS 43Kg) overweight. Certainly they have tarted it up with carpet, leather seats and such like but not to the tune of 43kg! Even by removing all the luxuries thay cannot see a reduction of this size. Is this machine close to the limit even in its most basic form? Advice appreciated. Simon

Thanks for your advice. Simon

Hi Glen, Apologies for delayed reply. I plan to come over about August time and hope to be fairly flexible. Basically I'll be starting from near to Mebourne and will head up to Sydney and then to Brisbane. I want to visit Birdsville at some point and maybe further North even, returning via the Birdsville track perhap to Victoria. I like the idea of a basic itineray wth ability to respond to opportunuties that may or may not arise. Best wishes, Simon

Thanks Guys, this is just what I want to find out about. Do you feel able to suggest makes of Camcorder or models; probably difficult given the speed with which the technology advances continually? Best wishes,

I am planning to visit later this year in order to see more of the country in my Quik 912S. I would like to make a decent record and would appreciate any advice on this. A big issue would be the ability to store data to edit once I return. best wishes, Simon

Hi, I agree with John. Excepting the higher performance machines, microlights tend to come in quite steeply and rapidly lose momentum during the round out. Some bar in provides the safety margin over stall speed, gives more control to counteract any surprises and does no harm. Unless conditions are pretty rough or you need to lose height quickly then pulling the bar in to your chest shouldn't be necessary. best wishes,

My first contribution to this forum so here goes. For short field or rough ground takeoffs I begin the takeoff roll with bar slighly pulled in (least drag situation I think ie wing horizontal) then after perhaps 20 yards I begin to push the bar out in order to take weight off the front wheel. By continuing to feed out the bar the machine will takeoff as soon as it is able. Providing there are no obstacles the bar is then pulled in to gain airspeed (preferably within ground effect) before climbing out. When the runway surface is decent and length is no issue then by habit I tend to keep the bar in much longer, thence achieving a very positive climb out on rotation. Generally I wouldn't hold back on the power on takeoff. For most flexies approaches can be kept quite high if you prefer glide approaches, since height can be lost quickly by pulling in the bar and you are unlikely to run out of runway. Powered off approaches to short strips obviously require more finesse/practice. I fly a P & M Quik and with its small wing surface area (only 10 sq. metres) I would avoid pulling the bar in on any approach (unless well out) because the airspeed will easily and rapidly reach 80 mph. Not a recommended speed to touch down at. Consequently I have to pay more attention to my height and airspeed. The technique is to approach with the bar pushed out (trimmed slow if you like). If power is off then some judgement is needed; aternatively the height is controlled by power changes while the bar position determines airspeed. I usually come in with some power applied.