The Quicksilver is nice, relativly cheap just consumption Is high with the Rotax 503 and this engine has to give everything with my 125kg, plus instructor of 85kg resulting in a very low climbrate. But at least there is space enough for tall. 😊🇫🇷
I’m a private pilot, but I love watching your videos! You teach in a great way and make it all look so interesting and fun! You use great common sense which is sooo necessary!! Calm winds and blue skies!
Thanks for sharing! As an Old Pilot that flies “real” airplanes LOL, I really appreciate you sharing your experience and Ultralight general aviaiton. If it flies, I am a fan! I like your attention to safety and emergencies. Keep up the good work, and fly safe!
I just read all the words of encouragement at the end and can say, I agree completely. I’m a Light Sport Pilot and own an exceptionally fast and capable, small airplane. I base at a very busy Class D airport, under a Class B airspace and often fly cross country to distant destinations. But when in my 20s and 30s, I flew hang gliders avidly (obsessively) and wouldn’t exchange that experience for $$$$. Have still not flown ultralights but definitely would if I owned property that made it somewhat practical. You Rock. And never let average people calm your passions 💜
I just retired and bought a farm in NE texas, and every time I mow the pastures and hay fields I start thinking about how cool it would be to keep a section of the field mowed as an ultralight landing strip and get a plane like yours. One of my neighbors has a powered parachute he flys over all the time. Always amazed at how small an area he lands in
No radio? If not, I would add a handheld (mounted); it adds an additional layer of safety and a way to communicate. My Dad even added in marker lights, a strobe and a box that alerted him of traffic (as long as they had a transponder). Later he added a BRS for added safety. That was almost 20 years ago though. Today we have a Zenith 650 and we get to fly together; Hoping he gets his light sport soon so he won't have to wait for me when he gets the itch to go flying. Stay safe! ❤
Deaf pilots such as myself can't use a radio, besides the FARs don't require radios, but rather, SEE and AVOID. Folks with radios tend not to SEE as well as folks without radios.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight In that case, I guess you don't need one. 🤦♂️ The other things are all still good options for added safety. Even though your UL is bright, not all pilots are. The traffic box has a flashing light and tells you the direction and altitude of other traffic. They aren't as popular today but can be useful, especially in an UL. Stay safe!
Nice job. Great and informative video. I would install strobe and marker lights as you want other large aircraft to easily see you. Just a suggestion. I use to fly around in 152s a lot and that was a barrel of fun - especially just off shore near the Gulf of Mexico beaches. Again, a great upload. Have fun.
In 1976, I had an Icarus IIB (pronounced "2B") biwing hang glider with a Catto Brothers motor and prop bolted on the back. There was an opening in the center of the bottom wing for the pilot, you took off by lifting the kite with both hands on the bottom wing, revving the motor while holding the forward progress back with your feet on the ground, then hit the gas and run like heck hahaha. The weird thing is, it wanted to go up immediately, so you had to push down on the front of the kite to keep it from going up and stalling. You were in the air in about 7 steps or so. Those Icarus and Easy Rider biplane hang gliders were amazing.
Nice video. I've never flown an ultralight like that. Thanks for the perspective. Thanks for the shout-out to the paramotor pilots. I'm a relatively new paramotor pilot. Do it as you like. Flying is flying and I'm so happy to finally be among the birdies..... :~)
Some years ago there was an ultalight rental in a field in the small city where I live. I never had the courage to try. Your video is very interesting! Thank you for posting!
Usually I fly around an hour. The longest non-stop flight was three hours. I tend to stay under 50 miles from my home airport. Going further would require bringing more fuel with me.
Courtney practices safety number one. She ALWAYS keeps her speed up especially on take offs and landings. I wish somebody would develop a small rotary engine for these but I guess it will never happen.
Iv been up in a quasar microlight with a rotak engine a couple of times with a mate, it's great fun, just wish I could afford one of my own, he did a landing without the engine on to show me that its possible to land in an emergency etc ! I loved it weve been up to about 6000 feet etc the scenery is beautiful, if you can afford it go for it get trained up and buy your own aircraft, I only wish I could.
I would love to get back into ultralight flying again. I worked for an Eipper dealer back in the early 80s. I was the test pilot & break-in pilot for them. I probably had around 2 to 300 hours in the MX and MXL back in the day. I lost my logbook so I have no idea how many hours I had. Lots of fun and cheap too.
Like the style of this video so subed to your channel. I am to old to fly without a safety pilot (80) so remain on the ground now and watch videos of the young aviators such as yourself. Thank you for sharing.
Talking about UL instructors, I have been looking for several months for one neat me and the closest I have been able to find one is a 5 hour drive away.
That first practice landing had me clench a little when the front tire hit the ground. It looked a little unstable for a second. You caught it no problem, but I instantly envisioned me getting too far off the line due to a tire snag and going into a "tricycle" rollover at speed.
I learned to fly trikes after learning to fly fixed wing under Light Sport. A single place trike is easier to keep under the 254# limit with a 30hp engine, fixed wing ultralights are harder to stay at weight. The Aerolight 103, made by Dennis Carley in Deland Florida, a pilot I flew with while I was getting my light sport license, just qualifies to be a fixed wing ultralight with its smallest engine. Your video is quite enjoyable--pre flight I always enjoyed, and trikes have the aptly named 'Jesus bolt' which if it fails is self explanatory, so always important to check. I always felt safe in trikes, with my feet dangling 2000 feet above terra firma, they like your aircraft are fun because the pilot is outside, free as a bird.
Nice flight!!! I did notice at the end that your ASL was pretty good also... I understood every word... I am CODA... But now with both parents gone I miss it... I am hearing... Both my parents were deaf... It just made me feel good when I saw that...
I could watch this kind of flight training all day, really learn a lot from it! Thanks for your excellent video, make more of them please! We on, wax off!
Really a good informative video, though I noticed that you still used power on your engine out landing. Maybe I'm overdoing it, but I make every landing engine out (engine at idle) until touchdown so that it becomes second nature if I really need it.
I may have left some power on. Usually I'll throttle back to 2500 RPMs, not all the way lest it quits. But yeah, most of my landings are actual glides.
Took an orientation flight in a MXII with Lotus amphibs. Wanted to see what it would do with no power. Man you really had to nose that thing over to keep it flying. Kind of like look down at your knees and that's where you gona go.
Very cool video! Thank you for sharing. I'd love to try this out someday. Honest question though, from my student pilot days, when pushing full power on T/O is it ok to do this a quickly as you do with the Ultralight engine vs. traditional light aircraft power plants?
Ultralights with larger engines can get to rotate speed very quickly. That's the reason for seemingly early takeoffs. Before taking off with any airplane, make sure you're above stall speed. :)
Love your videos. I'm watching them and getting excited. I only recently got the itch to fly and in looking into the hobby. I'm a little discouraged by the cost. I know even 5 thousand dollars is cheap for the fun and experience, but it's not cheap to me. 5 grand is a year of saving for me unfortunately. But here's to hoping!
Have always wanted to build my own flying machine my heros were the daredevils of flight Icarus Leonardo the wright brothers. Once as I expressed my interest in ultralights out loud at a family gathering...my reputation has never recovered 😮
In the 80s, my dad bought the quicksilver MX...... With the joy stick... Over the next couple years, he crashed twice.... No real injury other than a ego ... I asked what goes on in your mind when you're crashing..... He says you're not really thinking about crashing. You're too busy wondering why you're not flying Check in all the systems..... Until splat....lol
I love watching these ultralight videos and appreciate the interesting, instructional explanations. It's a shame that I've watched small airports disappear, one-after-another, as soaring land values have developers offering deals small airport owners can't refuse. The nearest uncontrolled airport is now 70 miles away from me.
One of the, maybe the, highpoint of my life was when I took lessons and soloed a glider. What you do here would have been my second choice and maybe should have been first. I envy you!
I use to own a similar one called a skyseeker mkII almost identical to the quicksilver except for it was a tail dragged and it had 36 ft. Wing span. I flew it in Churchill Manitoba back in the mid eighties, great for taking pictures of polar bears,caribou and beluga whales. I also ran inflatable floats and installed a ballistic parachute system. All for safety reasons. It’s a great sport and stress reliever!
I remember the ride I took once upon a time with a local EAA chapter. It was like riding in a go-kart and suddenly the ground falls away from underneath me.🥰
i really liked this vid I want to start flying ultralight aircraft some day but i don't know where to get started it looks like a really fun hobby and i just love aviation at the time im writing this im 15 almost 16 How would you recommend getting started in flying
Take a discovery flight with a CFI who have aircraft like this to see if it's something you really want to do. But a warning, if you get bit by the flying bug, it'll never go away! Good luck to you.
With no private pilots license (im just assuming) can you still take off n land at small airports that have no towers. Basically uncontrolled airspace. I didnt think this is possible. Please explain
This is a registered 2-seat airplane with an N-number. It can be equipped to fly in ATC controlled airspace. I have a pilot certificate to fly it. A true ultralight is limited to one seat. No pilot certificate required. 2-seat "ultralights" without n-numbers are illegal to fly by anybody, no matter what pilot license they have. If caught, the FAA will fine you and take your pilot certificate.
@CourtneyTakesFlight I'm an A n P mech, those things I've known. If private license yes if registered then thats obvious. So gleaning from your response, no license and no registration means no landing at any airport. So I need land outside controlled airspace and at least 5 miles from an airport. I think that's "G" space?
Absolutely TOOO COOL! Ms Courtney, my discovery flight was as a young kid and my older brother would get pissed at me and throw me across the room! LOL! On a serious note, can a big man fly in an ultra light? I am around 5’10” and weigh about 240 lbs. Unless I take a shower then I mite be around 235lbs. (Just kidding about the 235 lbs). I vaguely remember being told that I was to big a couple of years and 20 lbs ago. Is it true? If it is not to impolite, may I ask about how much do you have into the rig in the video? Can the a ultra lite take bigger tires for rougher terrain? I live in the desert in southeastern Arizona and I do a lot of prospecting/mining in very remote places. I think this would be a great way to satisfy my desires to fly and find that lost gold mine of my dreams. Not to mention experience an Arizona sunset/rise from on high for the first time. Anyway, If you have time I look forward to hearing from you soon and thanks for the great video. Geez… I thought that gold fever was bad. Now an aircraft? Happy trails to you be safe Rick in Pantano,AZ. Yes the ghost town. 🇺🇸
This is fascinating. I first saw picture of an Ultralight Quicksilver in a National Geographic magazine in the 1980's. Can you tell me, the frame of the aircraft, is it made of aluminum tubing or solid aluminum round bar.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight another question. The fabric on the wings, etc. is Rayon? Is it not? It's commonly known that plastics degrade and lose strength in time due to exposure to ultraviolet light. Have there been any studies or have you seen degradation in the Rayon material? An ultralight stored inside a hangar or some other building would not be affected, but Rayon fabric exposed to natural sunlight would be affected.
I had a thought while watching this video again. If you have a second camera it would be cool having a view from the pilot perspective looking forward. As much as I like watching you control the aircraft, another view would be cool as well.
Atta girl, i started in a super eagle, only spoilers, no ailerons. I had to teach myself by crow hopping. That's not a smart thing to do. I have a Maule and a J3 now. I might have to go back to ultralights my insurance co.said they would only insure me to 75. Stay safe beware bad weather and have fun.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight do you know what degree pitch blocks are in the prop? diameter? we've got 9 degree blocks on a 62" diameter 3 blade prop and are getting around 6200 rpm static but I think others get that with 10 degree blocks maybe
Excellent video, reminds me of my younger days when I used to fly gliders, then came marriage so couldn't afford it anymore, then came divorce and certainly couldn't afford it anymore and now being on the pension in one of the most expensive countries around all I can do now is dream lol 🤓
Great video ! If ever I'd get into having a "flying machine" of my own, I would go for a Gyro Plane...............But then again, I'm afraid of heights...:--(
I was reading the description here and I wanted to ask a question. From what I understand, you can get a tandem waiver which does allow two seats. Is that only for things like para motors? Or can it work for actual planes as well? Or have you never heard of the tandem waiver? There was a guy on TH-cam, who was explaining far part 103 in America for dummies. And he said that you can get waivers and one of them is a tandem waiver and it is easy to get apparently. Also, is America the only country in the world that allows this? Is it the only country in the world that allows ultralight aircraft or in fact any aircraft to be flown without a license? Also, I wish that you did talk a bit more on your videos. I’m actually completely blind. It would probably help me if someone was talking and explaining some of what they were doing. That’s why I would need something with two seats. I need somebody cited to sit next to me and be my eyes. However, I don’t live in America, I live in Australia, where everything must be licensed. And I’m so sick of the regulations here that sometimes I think of moving over there just so that I can fly. It’s that important to me. But I don’t want to get a license for an ultralight. But you’re saying there’s no point. Or not? Considering that being blind, I would have to have somebody cited sitting next to me. There’s no real other way. At this point.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight well, at least that’s a start. In Australia, you need a license for any aircraft. And that includes ultralight aircraft. Even the UK apparently offers some license free ultralights. They say that you don’t need a license in Australia but you need a pilot certificate which is exactly the same thing. It’s just basically a different name for it for marketing purposes. And it’s supposed to be less training but we found that it’s about the same anyway, and it’s restricted. I want to talk to my member of Parliament and try and get something sorted out because it’s just ridiculous. It’s not as if we don’t have some license free vehicles here. Boats with less than 6 hp, go carts, go boats, mopeds, and those little electric scooters. But no license free planes. It’s just not right. That’s why I wanted to see if the US was the only country that did it. Otherwise if it was it would be very hard because you also have a lot of guns that are license free. But since the UK has some license free options, well, maybe just maybe, we might be able to get the leverage to get the change we need.
I looked around, there aren't a whole lot of instructors out there. I figure I will start flying around in a field until I get more confidence like when I transitioned from my bicycle to a car. It took me a while before I had more confidence in a car than a bicycle.
I highly recommend you take flight instruction. Expect to travel to get it. Captain Drake's Aerial Adventures can help you, so can Andy Alldrege at Tri-state kite sales in Indiana. Give them a call.
I definitely lack the gonads to do ultralight. Are they 'experimental' aircraft? Is every bolt and cable and screw and system FAA tested and approved? ( I just Googled it, and see that the craft are not certified by FAA. Which makes you not only brave, but potential insane too lol )
Glad to see you wearing a helmet. I see a lot of videos of ultralight pilots who do not. Something as simple as a bird strike in an ultralight has the potential to ruin your day.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight I used to fly with a friend in his Flightstar and then his X-air. He didn’t wear a helmet but I always wore one. Our noggins are the most important thing we need to protect. Keep up the great job promoting safe flying.
Feel free to comment! Better yet, take a DISCOVERY FLIGHT!
Cool tips ♥
The Quicksilver is nice, relativly cheap just consumption Is high with the Rotax 503 and this engine has to give everything with my 125kg, plus instructor of 85kg resulting in a very low climbrate. But at least there is space enough for tall. 😊🇫🇷
Are you an instructor? Where do I find introduction flight?
Is it windy on the face without a helmet?
I want one 💯😏
I’m a private pilot, but I love watching your videos! You teach in a great way and make it all look so interesting and fun! You use great common sense which is sooo necessary!! Calm winds and blue skies!
Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! As an Old Pilot that flies “real” airplanes LOL, I really appreciate you sharing your experience and Ultralight general aviaiton. If it flies, I am a fan! I like your attention to safety and emergencies. Keep up the good work, and fly safe!
Thanks for the kind words.
An old instructor once told me in case of engine failure, the good thing about altitude is you have a larger choice of trees to hit.
Hopefully vacant fields, too.
Perhaps he was only joking, but if he wasn’t, he was not a good instructor
@@PRH123Dark humor is certainly the heart of a good instructor
As a licensed pilot since 1967 my 60 hours of ultralites was awesome.......wonderful experience.....have fun !!!
Thank you, and you're correct, awesome!
I just read all the words of encouragement at the end and can say, I agree completely. I’m a Light Sport Pilot and own an exceptionally fast and capable, small airplane. I base at a very busy Class D airport, under a Class B airspace and often fly cross country to distant destinations. But when in my 20s and 30s, I flew hang gliders avidly (obsessively) and wouldn’t exchange that experience for $$$$. Have still not flown ultralights but definitely would if I owned property that made it somewhat practical. You Rock. And never let average people calm your passions 💜
Thank you.
I just retired and bought a farm in NE texas, and every time I mow the pastures and hay fields I start thinking about how cool it would be to keep a section of the field mowed as an ultralight landing strip and get a plane like yours. One of my neighbors has a powered parachute he flys over all the time. Always amazed at how small an area he lands in
But if you have an ultralight, you'll be able to fly in light windy days while the PPC will be grounded. I vote yes to the strip!
I’ll be doing that on my ranch in central Texas very soon in my Legal Eagle. Can’t wait until I can fly again.
Check out the Aerolite 103, it's a very safe ultralight and has been in business for many years. Check out online video's of the 103.
No radio? If not, I would add a handheld (mounted); it adds an additional layer of safety and a way to communicate. My Dad even added in marker lights, a strobe and a box that alerted him of traffic (as long as they had a transponder). Later he added a BRS for added safety. That was almost 20 years ago though. Today we have a Zenith 650 and we get to fly together; Hoping he gets his light sport soon so he won't have to wait for me when he gets the itch to go flying. Stay safe! ❤
Deaf pilots such as myself can't use a radio, besides the FARs don't require radios, but rather, SEE and AVOID. Folks with radios tend not to SEE as well as folks without radios.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight In that case, I guess you don't need one. 🤦♂️ The other things are all still good options for added safety. Even though your UL is bright, not all pilots are. The traffic box has a flashing light and tells you the direction and altitude of other traffic. They aren't as popular today but can be useful, especially in an UL. Stay safe!
@@CourtneyTakesFlight
💜👍😎
How are you going to hear that radio? How are others going to hear you? 😂
Nice job. Great and informative video. I would install strobe and marker lights as you want other large aircraft to easily see you. Just a suggestion. I use to fly around in 152s a lot and that was a barrel of fun - especially just off shore near the Gulf of Mexico beaches. Again, a great upload. Have fun.
Thank you. I do have a strobe and marker lights. Always on!
@@CourtneyTakesFlight sorry. Did not see them in your video.
Very smooth and safe flight Courtney! Loved the subtitles. Every aspiring ultralight pilot should watch this video.
Thank you.
In 1976, I had an Icarus IIB (pronounced "2B") biwing hang glider with a Catto Brothers motor and prop bolted on the back. There was an opening in the center of the bottom wing for the pilot, you took off by lifting the kite with both hands on the bottom wing, revving the motor while holding the forward progress back with your feet on the ground, then hit the gas and run like heck hahaha. The weird thing is, it wanted to go up immediately, so you had to push down on the front of the kite to keep it from going up and stalling. You were in the air in about 7 steps or so. Those Icarus and Easy Rider biplane hang gliders were amazing.
Good story, thanks for sharing.
Nice video. I've never flown an ultralight like that. Thanks for the perspective. Thanks for the shout-out to the paramotor pilots. I'm a relatively new paramotor pilot. Do it as you like. Flying is flying and I'm so happy to finally be among the birdies..... :~)
Thank you and good luck.
Some years ago there was an ultalight rental in a field in the small city where I live. I never had the courage to try.
Your video is very interesting! Thank you for posting!
You're welcome!
Great video... ! Can I ask you what is the average (and the longest)) duration of your flights , and the longest distance you ever flight ? thanks...
Usually I fly around an hour. The longest non-stop flight was three hours. I tend to stay under 50 miles from my home airport. Going further would require bringing more fuel with me.
Courtney practices safety number one. She ALWAYS keeps her speed up especially on take offs and landings. I wish somebody would develop a small rotary engine for these but I guess it will never happen.
Yup, airspeed is what keeps pilots alive.
Iv been up in a quasar microlight with a rotak engine a couple of times with a mate, it's great fun, just wish I could afford one of my own, he did a landing without the engine on to show me that its possible to land in an emergency etc ! I loved it weve been up to about 6000 feet etc the scenery is beautiful, if you can afford it go for it get trained up and buy your own aircraft, I only wish I could.
Thank you this is the first ultralight lesson vidio i have see.
Well done
Thank you!
I haven't started flying.....YET. Seems like a great way to begin!?!?! Thanks!!
Yes, take a discovery flight and then you'll know if it's something you'd do Ike to do!
Great job on your video!
Shopping around for used well maintained units!
Love your vid thanks!
Thank you.
I’m planning of learning to fly ultralight plane here in the Philippines as well! Thanks for the video! 🫶🇵🇭
You're welcome. Good luck.
Wow. That looks like extreme fun! Awesome flight. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome!
I would love to get back into ultralight flying again. I worked for an Eipper dealer back in the early 80s. I was the test pilot & break-in pilot for them. I probably had around 2 to 300 hours in the MX and MXL back in the day. I lost my logbook so I have no idea how many hours I had. Lots of fun and cheap too.
Cool, thanks for commenting!
Like the style of this video so subed to your channel. I am to old to fly without a safety pilot (80) so remain on the ground now and watch videos of the young aviators such as yourself. Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome! I appreciate your comments!
Talking about UL instructors, I have been looking for several months for one neat me and the closest I have been able to find one is a 5 hour drive away.
You should expect to travel. One of my instructors was 10 hours away.
Wow that was really good. Video came up in my feed. It was worth the click. Awesome!
Glad you liked it!
That first practice landing had me clench a little when the front tire hit the ground. It looked a little unstable for a second. You caught it no problem, but I instantly envisioned me getting too far off the line due to a tire snag and going into a "tricycle" rollover at speed.
It's always a possibility. Keep flying the airplane till it stops!
I learned to fly trikes after learning to fly fixed wing under Light Sport. A single place trike is easier to keep under the 254# limit with a 30hp engine, fixed wing ultralights are harder to stay at weight.
The Aerolight 103, made by Dennis Carley in Deland Florida, a pilot I flew with while I was getting my light sport license, just qualifies to be a fixed wing ultralight with its smallest engine.
Your video is quite enjoyable--pre flight I always enjoyed, and trikes have the aptly named 'Jesus bolt' which if it fails is self explanatory, so always important to check. I always felt safe in trikes, with my feet dangling 2000 feet above terra firma, they like your aircraft are fun because the pilot is outside, free as a bird.
Thanks for the comments!
I love your videos Courtney!!! I'm trying to keep your words in the front of my brain when I fly. Always have an emergency spot!!!
Thank you. And yes, always have an engine out site.
Great video! I’m a HG pilot but thinking about ultralight.
Thanks again
I highly recommend getting into it, but I'm biased! :)
I thoroughly enjoyed that. thanks for the effort.
You're welcome!
Greetings from Australia and thanks for sharing.
You're welcome.
Nice flight!!! I did notice at the end that your ASL was pretty good also... I understood every word... I am CODA... But now with both parents gone I miss it... I am hearing... Both my parents were deaf... It just made me feel good when I saw that...
Thank you.
Awesome video! Thanks for the info and tour.
You're welcome!
I could watch this kind of flight training all day, really learn a lot from it! Thanks for your excellent video, make more of them please! We on, wax off!
You're quite welcome!
wow that was fun video... your editing makes it amazing
Thank you!
Really a good informative video, though I noticed that you still used power on your engine out landing. Maybe I'm overdoing it, but I make every landing engine out (engine at idle) until touchdown so that it becomes second nature if I really need it.
I may have left some power on. Usually I'll throttle back to 2500 RPMs, not all the way lest it quits. But yeah, most of my landings are actual glides.
Took an orientation flight in a MXII with Lotus amphibs. Wanted to see what it would do with no power. Man you really had to nose that thing over to keep it flying. Kind of like look down at your knees and that's where you gona go.
Well done ,I used to fly Challenger’s but am 75 now, miss it terribly.
I'm sure you've plenty of fond memories!
Is 75 too old to fly
You go girl! I had a single seat MX, most fun i have had beside outside of my Citabria and Decathlon.
Cool!
I loved watching this video, makes me want to get up and go do it.. ? Because that's a 2 seater ultralight, does that require a sport pilot license..
That's true. But you can get a single seat Quicksilver.
Very cool video! Thank you for sharing. I'd love to try this out someday. Honest question though, from my student pilot days, when pushing full power on T/O is it ok to do this a quickly as you do with the Ultralight engine vs. traditional light aircraft power plants?
Ultralights with larger engines can get to rotate speed very quickly. That's the reason for seemingly early takeoffs. Before taking off with any airplane, make sure you're above stall speed. :)
Nicely Done!! Thank You for posting. Stay Safe 🙏👍
You're welcome.
Love your videos. I'm watching them and getting excited. I only recently got the itch to fly and in looking into the hobby. I'm a little discouraged by the cost. I know even 5 thousand dollars is cheap for the fun and experience, but it's not cheap to me. 5 grand is a year of saving for me unfortunately. But here's to hoping!
Thank you! And keep saving!
Have always wanted to build my own flying machine my heros were the daredevils of flight Icarus Leonardo the wright brothers. Once as I expressed my interest in ultralights out loud at a family gathering...my reputation has never recovered 😮
Keep your dream to yourself and go up on a discovery flight. From there you'll be among folks with the same dream.
Thank you for this! One day I hope to own my own ultralight and experience this same joy.❤
I hope it happens for you.
Love the sign language at the end, fantastic video!!
Thank you.
Wow maam ur very good hope i can learn that...hope u have a tutorial making of ultralight step by step so i can wtch thank u from the philippines...
I have a Quicksilver build series on TH-cam
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🍀🍀🙏🙏
My pleasure!
In the 80s, my dad bought the quicksilver MX...... With the joy stick... Over the next couple years, he crashed twice.... No real injury other than a ego ... I asked what goes on in your mind when you're crashing..... He says you're not really thinking about crashing. You're too busy wondering why you're not flying Check in all the systems..... Until splat....lol
I'm glad your dad lived to tell the tale.
I love watching these ultralight videos and appreciate the interesting, instructional explanations. It's a shame that I've watched small airports disappear, one-after-another, as soaring land values have developers offering deals small airport owners can't refuse. The nearest uncontrolled airport is now 70 miles away from me.
Yeah, it's a bummer some airfields go the way of a shopping mall. Maybe someday it'll stop happening.
One of the, maybe the, highpoint of my life was when I took lessons and soloed a glider. What you do here would have been my second choice and maybe should have been first. I envy you!
Thanks for the envy! ;)
I use to own a similar one called a skyseeker mkII almost identical to the quicksilver except for it was a tail dragged and it had 36 ft. Wing span. I flew it in Churchill Manitoba back in the mid eighties, great for taking pictures of polar bears,caribou and beluga whales. I also ran inflatable floats and installed a ballistic parachute system. All for safety reasons. It’s a great sport and stress reliever!
Cool! Fond memories, I'm sure!
I remember the ride I took once upon a time with a local EAA chapter. It was like riding in a go-kart and suddenly the ground falls away from underneath me.🥰
It's the ground falls away thing that turned me into an ultralight pilot!
it is so relaxing watching your videos
Thank you
i really liked this vid I want to start flying ultralight aircraft some day but i don't know where to get started it looks like a really fun hobby and i just love aviation at the time im writing this im 15 almost 16 How would you recommend getting started in flying
Take a discovery flight with a CFI who have aircraft like this to see if it's something you really want to do. But a warning, if you get bit by the flying bug, it'll never go away! Good luck to you.
@CourtneyTakesFlight thanks I will see if thats something I can do
Love it - yes, take a trial flight, or flight experience, and go for it!
I have 200 hours in a c172 but I stopped because of the cost. I love ultralights!!!!
Maybe it's time to get one!
With no private pilots license (im just assuming) can you still take off n land at small airports that have no towers. Basically uncontrolled airspace. I didnt think this is possible. Please explain
This is a registered 2-seat airplane with an N-number. It can be equipped to fly in ATC controlled airspace. I have a pilot certificate to fly it.
A true ultralight is limited to one seat. No pilot certificate required. 2-seat "ultralights" without n-numbers are illegal to fly by anybody, no matter what pilot license they have. If caught, the FAA will fine you and take your pilot certificate.
@CourtneyTakesFlight I'm an A n P mech, those things I've known. If private license yes if registered then thats obvious. So gleaning from your response, no license and no registration means no landing at any airport. So I need land outside controlled airspace and at least 5 miles from an airport. I think that's "G" space?
How is trimming achieved? Just power setting?
There's a 5-position lever that serves as trim setting.
You go Girl! Good fur you! I wanna get into paramotoring
Thanks for your kind words. Take a discovery flight in a paramotor!
Absolutely TOOO COOL!
Ms Courtney, my discovery flight was as a young kid and my older brother would get pissed at me and throw me across the room! LOL!
On a serious note, can a big man fly in an ultra light? I am around 5’10” and weigh about 240 lbs.
Unless I take a shower then I mite be around 235lbs. (Just kidding about the 235 lbs).
I vaguely remember being told that I was to big a couple of years and 20 lbs ago. Is it true?
If it is not to impolite, may I ask about how much do you have into the rig in the video? Can the a ultra lite take bigger tires for rougher terrain? I live in the desert in southeastern Arizona and I do a lot of prospecting/mining in very remote places. I think this would be a great way to satisfy my desires to fly and find that lost gold mine of my dreams. Not to mention experience an Arizona sunset/rise from on high for the first time.
Anyway, If you have time I look forward to hearing from you soon and thanks for the great video. Geez… I thought that gold fever was bad. Now an aircraft?
Happy trails to you be safe Rick in Pantano,AZ. Yes the ghost town. 🇺🇸
LOL
How do they cost I am really interested and am ready to jump it fully!
Used airworthy ultralights go for $5k and up.
What's does it take to complete training, instruction and build enough hours for safety sake?
6 hours for a ultralight pilot will usually do the trick.
as a very much OLD SCHOOL pilot, i think you did a great job with your flight behaviors. dont curse us old curmudgeons!
Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you for posting this! FANTASTIC ❗
Thank you, and you're welcome.
This is fascinating. I first saw picture of an Ultralight Quicksilver in a National Geographic magazine in the 1980's. Can you tell me, the frame of the aircraft, is it made of aluminum tubing or solid aluminum round bar.
High strength aluminum tubing.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight another question. The fabric on the wings, etc. is Rayon? Is it not? It's commonly known that plastics degrade and lose strength in time due to exposure to ultraviolet light. Have there been any studies or have you seen degradation in the Rayon material? An ultralight stored inside a hangar or some other building would not be affected, but Rayon fabric exposed to natural sunlight would be affected.
Courtney is one of the greatest ever.🙂
Thank you.
I had a thought while watching this video again. If you have a second camera it would be cool having a view from the pilot perspective looking forward. As much as I like watching you control the aircraft, another view would be cool as well.
You're correct. I'd like to do that.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight I look forward to seeing that. Thank you for listening.
So kool & these don't require a license..... lol, it's all good & I'm here to check out the channel
for a while. Thanks & I'll be seeing ya.... peace
Thank you
awesome vid and info. tks for sharing
You're welcome!
I would be happy to provide ballast for that empty right seat there. 🙂. Been a while since I flew a Quicksilver.
You make it look so much fun xx
It is fun!
getting ready to get myself one cant wait i have enough room for a home strip this looks fun
It is fun. You'll enjoy flying these!
🎉thank you for your instructions 🎉
You’re welcome 😊
Thanx 4 the lesson. 🎉
Thank you, it was my pleasure.
Thank you, always enjoy your vids
You're welcome
nice flight, I like watching you, keep it up
Thank you.
Very cool!
Atta girl, i started in a super eagle, only spoilers, no ailerons. I had to teach myself by crow hopping. That's not a smart thing to do. I have a Maule and a J3 now. I might have to go back to ultralights my insurance co.said they would only insure me to 75. Stay safe beware bad weather and have fun.
Thank you!
I had a go cart like that but without the wings and prop.
LOL
Does the engine have two mags?
Two separate ignition systems, yes.
Great video!
Thank you.
Where do you buy one ?
Used on barnstormers.com, new from Air Tech Inc or TRI State Kite Sales.
what's the max static rpm with that prop pitch?
6250.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight do you know what degree pitch blocks are in the prop? diameter?
we've got 9 degree blocks on a 62" diameter 3 blade prop and are getting around 6200 rpm static but I think others get that with 10 degree blocks maybe
Phantom X1 is the best ULA made. If you are in the market for a UL, check out the X1. The X1 is king. No other UL even comes close.
While I've not flown the Phantom, there are good ultralights out there to choose from. Many fly what their friends fly, and that's ok!
Thanks how Awesome Happy Trails Thanks 😊
You're welcome!
Love it would like to get into it. Not to criticize because it beautiful but would have been nice for a narrative as you flew or overdub. Thank you
Working on it for future videos.
I wish I had a place to store an ultralight, Id buy one!
Rent a hangar?
Long wait times, and big money, not an option. Might as well get a real plane at that point.@@CourtneyTakesFlight
Looking to take a discovery flight in michigan.But I have a 2 axis plane i bought a few years ago. But dont know where to go!. Man i want to fly it!
It would be worth a cross-country trip to Captain Drake's Aerial Adventures. Check it out!
Excellent video, reminds me of my younger days when I used to fly gliders, then came marriage so couldn't afford it anymore, then came divorce and certainly couldn't afford it anymore and now being on the pension in one of the most expensive countries around all I can do now is dream lol 🤓
Do you live in Australia ?? ( my kite is still in my garage )
New Zealand
Aw bummer, but I'm glad you were able to fly once upon a time!
Great video ! If ever I'd get into having a "flying machine" of my own, I would go for a Gyro Plane...............But then again, I'm afraid of heights...:--(
Take a discovery flight. A good CFI will put your fears at ease!
I was reading the description here and I wanted to ask a question. From what I understand, you can get a tandem waiver which does allow two seats. Is that only for things like para motors? Or can it work for actual planes as well? Or have you never heard of the tandem waiver? There was a guy on TH-cam, who was explaining far part 103 in America for dummies. And he said that you can get waivers and one of them is a tandem waiver and it is easy to get apparently. Also, is America the only country in the world that allows this? Is it the only country in the world that allows ultralight aircraft or in fact any aircraft to be flown without a license? Also, I wish that you did talk a bit more on your videos. I’m actually completely blind. It would probably help me if someone was talking and explaining some of what they were doing. That’s why I would need something with two seats. I need somebody cited to sit next to me and be my eyes. However, I don’t live in America, I live in Australia, where everything must be licensed. And I’m so sick of the regulations here that sometimes I think of moving over there just so that I can fly. It’s that important to me. But I don’t want to get a license for an ultralight. But you’re saying there’s no point. Or not? Considering that being blind, I would have to have somebody cited sitting next to me. There’s no real other way. At this point.
You can get a LODA waiver to teach in a 2 seat LSA.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight well, at least that’s a start. In Australia, you need a license for any aircraft. And that includes ultralight aircraft. Even the UK apparently offers some license free ultralights. They say that you don’t need a license in Australia but you need a pilot certificate which is exactly the same thing. It’s just basically a different name for it for marketing purposes. And it’s supposed to be less training but we found that it’s about the same anyway, and it’s restricted. I want to talk to my member of Parliament and try and get something sorted out because it’s just ridiculous. It’s not as if we don’t have some license free vehicles here. Boats with less than 6 hp, go carts, go boats, mopeds, and those little electric scooters. But no license free planes. It’s just not right. That’s why I wanted to see if the US was the only country that did it. Otherwise if it was it would be very hard because you also have a lot of guns that are license free. But since the UK has some license free options, well, maybe just maybe, we might be able to get the leverage to get the change we need.
I like it 👍 how much does it cost?
$6k used, $20k+ new.
I looked around, there aren't a whole lot of instructors out there. I figure I will start flying around in a field until I get more confidence like when I transitioned from my bicycle to a car. It took me a while before I had more confidence in a car than a bicycle.
I highly recommend you take flight instruction. Expect to travel to get it. Captain Drake's Aerial Adventures can help you, so can Andy Alldrege at Tri-state kite sales in Indiana. Give them a call.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight Thanks!
thank you great insight
You're welcome.
I definitely lack the gonads to do ultralight. Are they 'experimental' aircraft? Is every bolt and cable and screw and system FAA tested and approved? ( I just Googled it, and see that the craft are not certified by FAA. Which makes you not only brave, but potential insane too lol )
Like all types of aircraft, the majority of crashes are due to pilot error. The hardware used for experimental aircraft are aviation grade.
That was good! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Thank you.
I've always been excited about flying but afraid of dying!
Take a discovery flight with a CFI
They can ease your mind and take you for a nice easy flight!
Very good
Thank you.
Glad to see you wearing a helmet. I see a lot of videos of ultralight pilots who do not. Something as simple as a bird strike in an ultralight has the potential to ruin your day.
Any low speed crashes that result in fatalities are usually the caused by head injuries.
@@CourtneyTakesFlight I used to fly with a friend in his Flightstar and then his X-air. He didn’t wear a helmet but I always wore one. Our noggins are the most important thing we need to protect. Keep up the great job promoting safe flying.
Very good video,
Thank you very much!