Skycycle
By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne
The first Skycycle was
born in 1992 at Lookout Mountain Flight Park, Tennessee. Since then
approximately between 150 and 175 people have bought one.
"All the time I get folks who say they had one of the original
Freedom Machines (Early Skycycle), then moved into a big
two-seater, and now want to come back to the simpler, more fun side
again. The most positive aspect of this machine is its delightful
handling in relatively calm air where the finger-tip control and
sensitivity to every nuance of the air is right in your hands,"
reported Matt Tabor, company spokesman in an exclusive interview
with ANN.
The new FAA rules for Light Sport Aircraft and sport pilot have
nothing to do with these delightful flyers. They require no
regulatory certificates for either the pilot or machine. Flight
training is not complex because the mode of operation is not
complex. Likewise the mechanical needs are easy to understand and
within the grasp of most household mechanics reports Tabor.
Tabor continued, "And the rewards are so great! For example,
just this morning I got a call from a fairly new Skycycle pilot who
was simply flying around his home airport this morning when he flew
into a little rising air. His vertical speed went up about 200 feet
per minute, so he throttled back a little. Then he started going up
about 300 feet per minute so he completely went to idle. Still up
so he shut it off and spent the next 30 minutes soaring the area.
His total hang glider time had been about 20 minutes total in five
years of disappointing attempts, and just this morning he more than
tripled that time with no foot launching, finding a hill, paying
for a tow plane or any of that. It was a highlight of his life. He
had to call me right away."
Factory specifications
include that the Skycycle has two models, the X and S. Because the
chariot (or trike or carriage) is attached to various hang glider
wings, performance becomes specific to the combination of engine,
wing and pilot weight.
The chariot X sports a 4130 spring steel landing gear, titanium
axles, four-point safety seat belt harness, padded seat, and 48" or
54" diameter propeller. It's made in the USA. A Skycycle with 28
horsepower will typically take-off and land in less than 100 feet,
with at least a 500 feet per minute climb, fly 22 to 54 mph, and
weigh a total of 95 pounds for the chariot depending on
options.
OPTIONS
- Electric start on all
but the MZ 100
- Fairing package to fair all round down tubes
- Front fender
- 2 gal, 2.5 gal, and 5 gal fuel tanks
- Wheel pants, rear
- Larger wheels and tires for rougher terrain
- Sharp, faired saddle bags with hand throw chute pocket
- Folding gauge package with cht/egt, hour meter and
tachometer
- Sleek front pod with wind screen
- Mast fold option (required with wheel pants and front pod)
- Xtralight frame package
- HD/HR (Heavy Duty/ Hot Rod) frame package
- BRS ballistic safety reserve parachute
- Free flight 24 gore PDA hand throw parachute
- Flytec Flight instruments
- Engine cover
- Propeller choices