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True ultralights?

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vtul

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
366
Location
Northeast, USA
I started building a Ragwing Parasol many years ago, but stopped with the fuselage, tailfeathers, ribs, LG and spars built but uncovered when I moved North from Florida. It's been hanging in the barn for 15 years. I've lately been thinking about building a UL again, but I want it to be a true UL.

Unfortunately , the Ragwing Heath is not a legal ultralight (nor is it a Heath Parasol "replica" either). I came to that conclusion when I did the numbers for wing area and gross and found stall speed would be way off no matter how lightly it was built -- about the time I stopped building. I wish I'd doubted the Ragwing claims to begin with and chosen another project. Like the Skypup, which at least has a shot at it.

So though discouraged by the Ragwing, I may yet start a homebuilt UL project. But it's difficult to find anything these days that fits the legal UL requirements of a 24 kt stall speed. I now know not to trust design claims, and instead just look at wing area and gross weight to get a quick estimate on whether it is in fact a legal Ul. And it seems like there's nothing out there.

I was wondering if anyone has any UL suggestions for designs other than Skypup that would meet the FAR UL stall speed requirements? If not, it may well be the Skypup next, for me.
 
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