Yours truly passed the BHPA Elementary Pilot (hill) training in ’91 and the Club Pilot (tow) training in ’92.
Launching my Airwave K4 from high in Spain’s Sierra Nevada in the ’90s with ‘K2 Stu’
In addition to hill and tow training, I’ve also dabbled with aerotowing. There was also a time when I flew with a Wasp Systems power harness.
More recently, I decided to go down the ‘sub-70’ trike route, as permitted under a CAA exemption.
My first sub-70 purchase was a ‘cheap and cheerful’ affair. This didn’t even get flown. It was swiftly moved on.
The next attempt was a Snake trike and Grif wing. This was bought pre-crashed from a paramotor pilot who had a ‘landing incident’ on his first flight. The Snake was re-built by the retailer and sold straight away to yours truly.
Although I managed to fly the Snake, this wasn’t without incident (see BHPA Informal Incident Reports for 18.07.21 – more on that later). The Snake was moved on shortly afterwards (again, more on that later).
Luckily for me, there’s a chap called Crispin Wrigley at Chirk airfield who trades as Ultralight Aviation Systems (UAS). Crispin’s dad Nick (RIP) was somewhat of a trike pioneer back in the day. He was also a very accomplished hang glider pilot. I flew with Nick many times at Llangollen in the ’90s.
Powered Hang Gliding Pioneer Nick Wrigley
So, after the previous two sub-70 attempts, I decided my third (and probably final) attempt was to be with Crispin. As a nod to Nick, the UAS trike is called a ‘Storm Buggy’:
- powder coated titanium frame with aircraft grade structural bolts – light & strong
- MTB suspension on both rear down-tubes – smoother take-off runs & landings
- mountain board wheels & 11×4″ pneumatic tyres – copes with rough/wet ground
- backup webbing loop rated 2,000KG – safety
- hand throttle with kill switch & cruise control – pilot preference
- no brake – pilot preference & weight saving
- raked front wheel – extra stability
- manual start on keel – pilot preference
- 160KG rated reserve behind pilot (2KG weight) – smaller, lighter, cheaper than tandem reserve
Titanium Storm Buggy Trike & MTB Suspension & EOS Quattro 4 Stroke Engine
I opted for the following engine/prop:
- EOS Quattro 4 stroke engine – quiet, smooth, economical & reliable (don’t fight it!)
- Helix carbon 1.40m 2 piece propellor – custom made for Quattro engine
EOS Quattro Engine & Helix Propellor At A Muddy Chirk Airfield
As a former Avian dealer a *long* time ago, I agreed with Crispin that UAS trikes should be used with Avian hang gliders.
As a result, I’ve gone with a Rio2 15m which has been factory-modified for trike flying.
Crispin & Storm Buggy Trike & Avian Fly Hang Glider
You can see videos of Crispin flying my Storm Buggy with his Avian Fly glider here.
For those interested in a Storm Buggy trike, give Crispin a call on +44 7927 221001.
Enjoy!!!