Ultralight Trike Essay Example for Free

Ultralight Trike Essay An ultralight trike, also known as a flex-wing trike, weight-shift control aircraft, microlight trike, deltatrike[1] or motorized deltaplane,[2] is a type of powered hang glider using a high performance Rogallo wing coupled to a propeller-powered three-wheeled undercarriage. While many powered aircraft have three-wheeled landing gear, the term trike refers specifically to the form of aircraft described here. The principles of this page can generally be applied to the single place ultralight trike and the two place weight-shift control light-sport aircraft. Control This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) Flight control in a trike is by weight-shift. [3] This is similar to controlling a hang glider, in which the aviator or pilot is suspended from the wing made from high-strength aluminium and fabric. The pilot controls the attitude of the wing by holding onto and operating a triangular control bar (or triangular control frame) (TCF) that is rigidly attached to the wing. Pushing, pulling, and turning the TCF causes a corresponding shift in the aircrafts center of gravity. For instance, pushing the TCFs basebar forward causes the center of gravity to shift back. This, in turn, causes the nose of the aircraft to pitch up, causing the angle of attack to increase which causes the aircraft to fly more slowly. In contrast, pushing forward on the control stick of a traditional aircraft would cause that aircraft to dive. Detail of a Mainair Blade ultralight trike (in 2009) Turns are accomplished by rolling the wing in the direction of the intended turn. This is accomplished by moving the control bar to the left in order to enter a right hand turn. This causes the center of gravity—represented primarily by the weight of the undercarriage and pilot—to shift in the direction of the intended turn. This in itself does not cause the aircraft to turn, but it does cause the aircraft to bank, or tip, to the side. Some adverse yaw is also initially produced, which is soon damped by the natural yaw stability of the wing. A banking maneuver becomes a turn because of the natural yaw stability of the wing. When a roll is applied, the aircraft begins to side slip towards the lower wing. Since the wing is yaw stable, a yaw is set up in the direction of the bank, thus coordinating the turn. A small anhedral effect may be built into the wing to aid roll response, where the side slip causes increased banking. This is similar to the way in which a hang glider is controlled. In fact, trikes are essentially propeller-powered hang gliders with seats and wheels. Trikes have often employed wings designed for hang gliding; the Rogallo-winged trike Paresev 1B of NASAs 1960s experiments and Barry Hill Palmers trike (Fleep inspired) modeled the wing that has evolved to contemporary trike wings. As weight and performance goals have increased purpose-built wings have become more commonplace. They are now long distance cross country machines as shown by record-breaking flights that echo the exploits of fixed-wing aviators in the 1920s and 1930s, e. g. , the circumnavigation of the world.