• Become a Premium Member today!

    Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Why become a Premium Member?

    • Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts.
    • Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    Become a Premium Member today and experience HomebuiltAirplanes.com to the fullest!

    Upgrade Now

Dollies, Rails, Skids, and Fixed Landing Gear

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Ersatz L-4

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2023
Messages
5
Location
Memphis Sectional
I'm asking this for a friend (and because I am nosy have an inquiring mind). I have already offered him my own opinion on the subject, but I was looking for a consensus. Besides, I'm open risking receiving 13 wildly differing opinions in 11 posts from \10 members.

He has a ~200 pound powered ultralight based on a glider design and was thinking about incorporating an integral keel skid for landing with a detachable dolly containing wheels for takeoff (like the ME-163 rocket) but is concerned that configuration does not meet the regulatory definition of "fixed gear."

Looking at both FAR 103.1 through 103.23, and AC 103-7, I cannot find the basis for a "fixed-gear only" restriction on Part 103 aircraft, although he is certain that he has seen it somewhere. (I think in the "14 CFR § 1.1 General Definitions" where it refers to LSAs not Ultralights-- but I digress.)

Alternatively, a launching rail arrangement is under consideration. If the ultralight merely rested upon a dolly fixed to the rail, and was launched like a glider, there is no FAR 103 requirement for any form of landing gear... is there? (You lose points against your stall speed but his true Vso is ~18--19 mph... its a glider with an engine.)
 
Back
Top