No PPL Required for ultralights?

I have been interested in Power Parachute under Part 103 for the longest time. It wont replace the PPSEL flying I do but its really cheap flying. There is even 4 stroke Power Parchutes using cheap generator motors. I think they are converted generic motors and very reliable. I think they have 2000hr tbo as well. I could be wrong there.
 
Maybe they temp member them and issue the 0 rating. I know non regular member tandems are done and by dot the i cross the t types. There are commercial hang/para tandems done in the US. Right out in the open. Different exemption, skydive tandems play make believe re: exemption says all tandem jumps are supposed to be instruction, not joyrides. I guess they learn something...
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
how do you learn to fly 1 if there's only one seat? I'm assuming you would have to learn in one that is classified as sport category?
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Back in the good old days, when I learned on ultralights, we were "trained" on the ground, and our instructor talked to us from the ground, on a walkie talkie.
 
Sitting around a table with a bunch of guys who fly ultralights. "How many have had an engine failure?" All eight hands go up.

Sitting around a table with a bunch of guys who fly Cessna 120s and 140s. "How many have had an engine failure?" No hands go up.
 
tinerj said:
Sitting around a table with a bunch of guys who fly ultralights. "How many have had an engine failure?" All eight hands go up.

Sitting around a table with a bunch of guys who fly Cessna 120s and 140s. "How many have had an engine failure?" No hands go up.
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I was chatting with a pilot who had been doing ultralights for at least 20 years, in addition to hang gliding and paragliding. He said he's had 13 engine failures in his career.

My feelings on that is if I have to be prepared to go motorless at any time, why not start out that way? Gravity is 100 percent reliable. Plus you get to do cool launches like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzreGiaNQ0o

PS: That's not me on camera
 
CTLSi said:
SLSA weight shift kites also known as ultralights and flex-wing trikes are two seaters. They sit one behind the other. They cost $100k new and run Rotax carb'd and fuel injected engines. They have a carbon fiber body and have avionics, radio, tricycle gear. To fly one you need to be a Sport Pilot. These could be used to give someone a heads up on a single seater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultralight_trike
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You don't have to spend that much. North Wing has two seat LSA trikes. Those equipped with a Rotax 582 are a little under $40,000, while ones with a 912 are about $10,000 more. Single seat Part 103 compliant trikes can be had for as little as $14,000.
http://www.northwing.com/trike_prices.aspx

If you'd prefer a rigid wing aircraft with 3 axis controls, the Quicksilver Sport 2SE is available for just under $40,000: http://www.quicksilveraircraft.com/Sport-2SE-Spec.pdf
 
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And used true 103 3-axis control Challengers and similar are on Barnstormers in the $4000 to $10,000 range. True, most less expensive ones have some thing wrong that makes them no quite ready to fly.
 
1600vw said:
The regs say under 254 lbs. If your Ultralight weighs 254 lbs it is NOT an ultralight.
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Except the FAA gives a stock weight allowance for the chute or floats. You can either weigh your chute or float's actual weight and subtract that from the gross to see if you still make 254, or you can use their standard allowances (and some guys do this because the standard allowance is more than their chute/float weighs).
 
ClimbnSink said:
Maybe they temp member them and issue the 0 rating. I know non regular member tandems are done and by dot the i cross the t types. There are commercial hang/para tandems done in the US. Right out in the open. Different exemption, skydive tandems play make believe re: exemption says all tandem jumps are supposed to be instruction, not joyrides. I guess they learn something...
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When you figure out how that's done in a powered ultralight legally, please post it. I'm just not seeing it in the exemption you linked.
 
USHPA has exemptions to allow tandem and aerotow. It's more restrictive than the old much-abused ultralight training exemption.
 
Cartersville, GA (KVPC), has a fairly large group of ULs. Nothing like seeing a gaggle (their version of a formation) do a mid-field break to the downwind.
 
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