By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne

Think back to ultra-yesteryear... You might remember this one. The basic design began life as the Cloud Dancer. It offered the hope of achieving the dream for those of us who began powering our hang gliders. Our goal was to power up to the lift, then shut down, and SOAR. However, adding an engine is complicated and affects the machines flying characteristics more than you might think at first.

At first, the Cloud Dancer appeared to be a very good compromise between sailplane and ultralight. However, actual use revealed some problems and some crashes.

The design was bought by a second company who significantly redesigned the Cloud Dancer (i.e. changed the V tail to cruciform) and renamed it the Cumulus. Still, flying it proved to be less than the original dream promised.

Dave Ekstrom, President of Ultralight Soaring Aviation, hopes to fulfill the original dream of a powered craft that is reasonably capable of soaring. He has gained the production rights for the Cumulus and has already done some thoughtful work.

"The basic design of the Cumulus is excellent," he said. It is a conventional design with ailerons, flaps that can also go up for reflex, and cruciform tail. I have made changes such as offering a full-span aluminum wing covering in addition to the original aluminum-then-fabric wing. Buck-riveted aluminum wing skins will also be much less sensitive to ultraviolet ray degradation (read "sunshine").

He has placed welded tabs at strategic locations around the pilot's seat to facilitate assembly, and for convenience in mounting instruments and accessories. The wing tips will be redesigned, a larger tail is now framed with welded chrome-moly tubing, and a redesigned throttle/spoiler control allows simultaneous or separate changes in throttle and spoiler settings. Additionally, the new seat allows for more fuel capacity behind the pilot and optional wing tanks will increase options for buyers. Another choice will be shorter wings for a "sport plane with soaring capability."

The new Cumulus has not flown yet. Dave reports that some 6 individuals are pressing him very hard to get it flying, and into production. The manual is "80% done." He is exhibiting a partially completed first unit at EAA Sun 'n Fun and will now accept deposits from customers. But... Dave does not expect to begin kit deliveries until September, at best.

This reporter hopes that the long-awaited dream of powering up to the thermals for an afternoon of soaring is about to come true. ANN will carefully watch development and report along the way.

Factory Expectations:

Wing span 43 feet, empty weight 360 lbs, gross weight 640 lbs, max speed (Vmax) 90 mph, cruise range 35-75 mph, stall (best flaps) 32 mph, Engine ROTAX 447, best Sink 190 fpm at 34 mph, glide angle 20:1 at 43 mph, rate of climb 1000fpm, limit load +4.4/-2.0G, wing loading 4.56 lbs/sq ft.

FMI: Ekstrom@midwest.net, http://members.aol.com/CumulusMan