Seagull Escape POD (Mock-up) Unveiled

By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne

Yet another hang glider/ultralight pioneer has returned to the industry with an innovative new offering. Michael Riggs, President of Seagull Aerosports, debuted the Seagull Escape POD at EAA Air Venture. Billed as "The POD," Mike and Linda Riggs displayed a mock-up concept of the fully enclosed streamlined trike. It will come both powered and unpowered (to be aerotowed).

Unlike conventional trikes, the pilot is fully enclosed in the streamlined pod that has fully retractable landing gear and internal fuel tank and engine. The pilot flies in a supine position. Weight of the powered version is expected to be about 75 total pounds without the wing or fuel.

Mike says, "For the past three years, I have been designing and engineering what I believe to be the ultimate trike for both recreation, cruising and soaring. I wanted to develop a product that would provide extreme comfort and safety to weight shift pilots."

The company reports that PODS are a composite foam sandwich of PVC and graphite prepreg materials. It is vacuum bag molded and over cured with filament wound graphite landing gear legs. The control bar passes through Neoprene covered slots at the fuselage/canopy joints. Power comes from a 25 horsepower CORS-AIR M-21Y and Powerfin three-bladed propeller. Any hang glider wing that will accommodate the required hook-in weight may be used. An existing (yet to be named) hang glider dealer network will sell PODS.

Seagull Aerosports has returned to the sport aircraft market after 21 years. The company is named Seagull Aerosports after his original hang glider company which was in operation from 1969 until 1978.

FMI: www.fly-seagull.com