Sometimes (and especially when we talk about ultralight aviation) the cost and troubles of buying the aircraft itself is nothing compared to the related expenses. That's it, the airplane is not a car, you can just drive it on the streets or keep it in your garage. Or at least this is valid about the fixed wing ultralights.
The Flex Wings...
The flex wing microlights and ultralights came on the scene in 1970s as a solution to many of these troubles. If you choose to own a flex wing microlight instead of ordinary ultralight airplane, you won't have to think about many or all of the following troubles:
- Hangar
- Airport taxes
- Runway
- Licensing
And most often you'll get even the aircraft itself for cheaper.
Photo from http://www.start-flying.com
So what is a Flex Wing Aircraft? (Also known as Ultralight Trike)
Most flex wings consist of a delta bar, similar to the hang gliders, an engine and a place for one or two pilots. Usually there is no cabin and during the fly the pilots are able to feel the air.
Easy to guess by the name, the wing of the trikes is flexible to some extent and often can be taken off. Because of it's form, the entire aircraft dimensions are smaller than these of a fixed wing. This means if you have a large garage, you can hangar the trike there.
The ultralight trikes can get off the ground from the automobile road and can land almost everywhere - so you save another huge expense and trouble, because you don't need an airport and runway.
The engines of the ultralight trikes are generally four or two strokes with 25 to 75 Horsepower. The speed is traditionally lower than with the fixed wings - 30-60mph cruise speed is something normal.
Control of Ultralight Trikes
If you have not yet flown on a fixed wing aircraft, controlling your flex wing airplane will be easy. The trikes have two axes roll and pitch, that are controlled by a bar connected directly to the wing. The trike warps the wing to the one or the other side when the pilot shifts his own weights. Controlling the flex wing ultralight is intuitive.
Safety and Licensing
At the beginning the flex wing airplanes did not require license at all. As a result of that everyone was building trikes themselves and was flying with or without experience. The ultralight trikes were known as very unsafe flying vehicles.
Today, in USA, UK and Canada and for most other countries a sport pilot license is required to fly your ultralight trike. This has turned the things on the other side and we can stay assured that the modern flex wing aircrafts are one of the safest planes for leisure aviation.
... And the Costs
As mentioned above, the flex wing microlights and ultralights are generally cheaper than their fixed wing "brothers". The brand new ones still cost $10,000 - $30,000, but you can own a safe and ready to fly second hand one for as low as $5,000.
The associated costs of owning such one are often compared to the costs of owning a second car - it's definitely affordable.
The extreme simplicity - powered paragliders
Do you think you have seen everything that people do to fly easy and for cheap? Maybe. But not if you think that the ultralight trikes are the simplest way to fly with engine.
Photo from http://www.paramotor.us/
Some pilots have gone further in simplifying the flying process and making it cheaper. Why not fly with paraglider? The ordinary paragliders have some disadvantages, because you need to go at some high place (mountain) and jump from there. And of course flying without engine has some limits.
That's why there are people who invented the motorized paragliders - a very simple aircrafts, which can be built for less than $2,000! These microlight aircrafts contain a propeller, a seat a simple control. They require no license at all. Of course you can't feel like an airplane pilot in such a vehicle, but if you are on budget, that is for you - it's nearly free!
Whatever of the options you choose, the flex wing ultralight airplanes will provide you with exciting low cost way to fly. They are one of the best options for amateurs who are not interested into mastering pilot skills and managing complex machines. The others of course will still prefer the fixed wing airplanes.
