Titre de page

Ultralight flying ! pilot's report

FRENCH QUICK BUILD 2 SEATER PLANE SKYRANGER

One of the most popular club planes in France is widely used by instructors in that country. Now we welcome the SKYRANGER to North American skies.

In France as with much of Europe many ultralights are owned by aero clubs which frequently manage recreational airfields throughout the continent .Run a little differently in each location, they provide common ways for average pilots to fly and for new comers to be introduced to fly.Virtually all aeroclubs provide instruction often throught associated flight schools. Clubs also own and maintain aircraft-lot of them.This has worked especially well with sailplanes; Europe has more than twice as many sailplanes as in the USA and several times the pilot population. Ultralight enthusiasts have followed this example.

The SKYRANGER arrived in the mid 1990s at french ultralight aeroclubs that do the landscape, and has done very well.US importer SABRE AIRCRAFT says " it's the most popular ul plane in France, especially in flight schools" In more than 6 years, the cie claims delivery of about 400 aircraft. We can explore the reasons.

CLUB PLANE (history)

Designer Philippe Prevot created very broad design goals for the SKYRANGER " develop an airplane.. with good performance but with the possibility of being built by two persons in a week, to be inspected and maintained by a person without special or technical knowledge" (Studies were done by one of the most respected aeronautical schools, ENSICA, in Toulouse the European aeronautical capital with AIRBUS - the SKYRANGER wing was tested in a blowind tunnel, very few other ultralights got this tests )

Does that sound like a formula for success with clubs?

It also worked with flight schools.Intructors want to teach, not build, so an ultralight optimized for fast building would be a great benefit to the primary goal of flight instruction.

Flight schools and aeroclub are full of pilots with less experience.Parts will be damaged by hard landings and easy repairability is another desire of flight schools who want to teach, not repair. Clubs can handle more of their own work if the ultralights they operate are simple. The SKYRANGER qualifies.

SPEEDYBUILDER

With help from the designer, this plane went from box to fight in only 3 days. owner Tony Berman (left scat) has a smile to match his satisfaction with the 50-hp Rotax 503-powered Sky Ranger.