Out of interest, Trike conversion

[Guest Brett Campany]

Not just for myself but anyone else that might want to look into it, what's the conversion to get a trike endorsement?

 

 

[alf jessup]

G'day Brett,

 

Not sure what the RAA conversion hrs are but the HGFA is a minimum of 10 hrs conversion if you already have any logged aeronautical experience and 20 hrs minimum with no aeronautical experience.

 

Cheers

 

Alf

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Cheers Alf, that's easy then, might look at it as we come into summer!

 

 

[alf jessup]

Brett,

 

The trike will be much more sensative to thermal activity than a 3 axis aircraft due to the wing area and the lighter weight of the trike.

 

I do most of my flying early in the mornings and late in the afternoons during the summer months, the times I do fly during the day in summer when heading somewhere i usually fly high out of the thermal activity as it is far more comfortable and no so hard work.

 

Mind you the trike will handle much more than your comfort zone will but it is still unerving getting smacked around during thermal activity.

 

Cheers

 

Alf

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Have a rummage around on this forum - there have been a number of threads on this previously. I'd provide a link but I'm overseas and using a slow link

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Tracktop]

Hi Brett

 

I have been trying to research this and have have many discussions about it

 

Including being shot down for my thoughts here, but

 

The more I talk and listen the firmer my belief is that -

 

The higher the 3 axis hours the longer it will take to become trike proficient (safe)

 

In fact I believe the requirements should be changed to require longer training than non 3 axis experienced with a different structure of training.

 

I'll stick my head out even further and say a good proportion of trike fatalities involve high 3 axis hr, low trike hr pilots.

 

Conversion is certainly achievable but I believe the training requirement needs restructuring in this area.

 

Yes I am a beginner, No I don't fly 3 axis, no I don't want over-regulation, yes I do want to be involved in a safe sport,

 

and yes I have talked to high hr 3 axis pilots and have found the more experienced the quicker and more concerned they are about the difficulties of conversion.

 

I'm still trying to understand and learn the problem but it is along the lines of -

 

The perception is I can fly a Jumbo how hard can it be to fly a trike? - Easy

 

well Yes while all is going well. Its the primal response that needs to be developed. This must be developed in parallel with your existing and different 3 axis primal response, and this takes time, more time than if you don't have an existing one.

 

By all means learn to fly a trike, and there seem to be many that fly both 2 and 3 axis very successfully. Just start with the correct perception of what it will take.

 

As an aside discussions I have had with 3 axis instructors suggests that conversion 2 to 3 axis is less critical safety wise.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Too true Ray,

 

I found it quite easy to go from 3 axis to weightshift mainly because I hadn't flown 3 axis for about 15 years.

 

I guess it all depends on the induvidual on how quiclky they can adapt to weightshift, I think the key is to get in in your head to fly the wing and not worry where the pod is pointing.

 

You will probably find that people who fly 3 axis and ride motorcycles will possibly adapt quicker to the trikes as the trike is very similar to a bike in the way you control both with counter steering techniques for turning into corners, pitch control has nothing to do with a bike though.

 

Cheers

 

Alf

 

 

[Guest Qwerty]

Pitch control on a bike is opposite to a trike. On a bike you pull back to pitch up :thumb_up: , one of my mates can ride his bike with this upward pitch "indefinately" ie for many km up the SE FWY in VIC. He is a naughty boy.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Correct Qwerty,

 

As I mentioned in my reply pitch control is nothing like a trike, I happen to have one of them friends also who has trouble with the pitch on his bike, sometimes i think I should just take the front wheel out for him and make it a MV Augusta unicycle as it does spend quite a majority of time only on the back wheel.

 

Cheers

 

Alf

 

 

[alf jessup]

Nothing like a bike I meant to say:loopy:

 

Alf