Buying An Ultralight Aircraft: Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid
Who doesn't want to fly right? With all the advantages, looking for an ultralight aircraft for sale may be a great experience or a terrible one depending on how you approach it. Knowing what you're getting into ahead of time can, at a minimum, save you some hassle, and in the long run save you time money, heartache (and possibly bodily injury). So what is it about ultralights that seems so appealing. One of the more attractive things about them has to do with their almost non-existent barrier to entry. For instance, training can be completed in a couple of days, and in actuality, you don't need a license to fly them at all. It's not as easy as jumping in the seat and starting the engine; You should still take some lessons. Another plus is that with many of them, you can fold them up and put them in the back of your SUV, or truck, and take them anywhere. Finally, there are lots of enthusiasts to help you get the hang of reassembling and flying your ultralight. So what exactly IS an ultralight aircraft? Ultralights are not allowed to carry more than one person or five gallons of gas. The maximum weight for the ultralight is 254 pounds. Ultralights are not allowed to go faster than 55 knots. It has a top stall speed of 24 knots. Finally, you must fly when the sun is out and you must not fly over cities, towns, or anyplace where there are homes or businesses. You also have several types of ultralight to choose from, including powered hang gliders, trikes, gyroplanes, and even hot air balloon ultralights. Stuff to look out for when purchasing: -Needs to be a single seater, no exceptions. -Look for castle bolts and pins to keep nuts and bolts from coming loose. -Make sure the rudder and pedal mechanism is well-built and the aircraft is rust-free. -There should be no moving parts or cables near the propeller. -The aircraft ought to be able to fly straight without your help. You don't want to need to be in a position where you're constantly holding down the ailerons to keep it flying in a straight line. -Is it strong enough? How has it held up under the wear and tear of constant landing. -How often does it go in the shop for repairs or maintenance? Has it ever crashed? -Avoid buying anything with structural problems like cracks in the frame. -Try to inspect the craft in person. Make sure the aileron design is simple to follow and fix.
