Showing posts with label sun n fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sun n fun. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Something else from Belite takes off...

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


Our Youtube videos have been viewed about 59,000 times in the last year, with over 100K minutes watched.  :-)

The reason why is great videos like these: (Click any to see them)

Flying the new Paradise City pattern at SnF 2013 (you got to see this, brand new video from last week)
Flint Hills flying in a Belite UltraCub with 4 stroke (2 hour walkabout in a Belite)
High Performance climbout in a Belite (STARTLING climbout)

there are many more.

Below is the the statistic chart from YouTube.

Thanks for watching.

Belite YouTube Video Views over the last year


Monday, April 15, 2013

Paradise City photos of all sorts from Sun N Fun

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


Below are some fun photos from Sun N Fun.  This proves that the new Paradise City had a lot of stuff happening!

Make sure you also look at the YOUTUBE VIDEOS of flying the pattern at Paradise City.

Click on any photo below; it will open on your computer in high resolution.  Enjoy!

Also, you'll enjoy looking at the many other posts that are on this blog, covering topics ranging from aircraft construction, carbon fiber development, adventure, and more.  CLICK HERE to see the latest post.  


taken from a Belite UltraCub with a 4 stroke.
Paradise City is dead center of this photo.  Lots of activity there!

Taken from a Belite ultralight.
Paradise City runway top dead center.

Sun N Fun, photo taken from the Paradise City pattern.

Ultralight airplane.
A Belite Ultracub in front of a tree.

UltraCub from Belite, 4 stroke engine.

taken from a Belite Ultralight airplane.
Paradise City runway.

taken from a Belite Ultralight Aircraft.
Sun N Fun.

4 stroke engine
A Belite UltraCub!  With a 4 Stroke!

Flying the pattern at Sun N Fun -- video posted!

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


I strapped a GoPro to my head and flew the pattern at Sun N Fun.

It shows takeoff, pattern, and landing, all just as I saw it.

I was flying our Burgundy II demo airplane with a 45HP four stroke motor.  I flew it a lot!

On Saturday, I was following the Just Super STOL and I had fun trying to match his landing lengths and takeoff rolls.  If any of you readers were there, how did I do??  :-)

As I was getting ready to takeoff one more time on Saturday, I looked down and noted that I had a flat tire!!  It was a good time to quit, so we called it a day and I taxied back.  I couldn't find any hole in the tire, perhaps I spun the tube and broke the stem when hitting the brakes hard (while showing off the short stop landing).

CLICK HERE for the youtube video with the camera strapped to my head.

CLICK HERE for the youtube video taken from the lift strut.

(Two different videos -- two different views!)



Saturday, April 13, 2013

Its Just Moody

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


A photo report on the Just Super STOL and John K Moody flying a vintage ultralight at Sun N Fun 2013.

When a Belite UltraCub grows up, it wants to be a Just Aircraft Super STOL.

And John K Moody is just awesome.  So are his ultralight aircraft.

Just Super STOL at Sun N Fun 2013

Just Super STOL at Sun N Fun 2013

Just Super STOL at Sun N Fun 2013

John K Moody, Father of Ultralights

John K Moody prepares his ultralight

Moody gets in

Moody takes the field

Moody airborne

Liftoff for John K Moody

Life is good, flying an ultralight

Over the trees at Sun N Fun

John K Moody flies away

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Ultralight Aircraft Floats Intro Price $1950 for kit

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


** We are temporarily offering float kits for ultralight aircraft for $1950.   Pricing rises on May 16.**

Several weeks ago, I posted some limited information and pictures of our upcoming Belite amphibious floats, made from Aluminum.

I chose not to make this a product announcement at Sun N Fun.  We just weren't ready, and we had lots of other juicy stuff:  updates to our UltraCub, and lots of new instrument capabilities.

But I still thought it would be a wise idea to bring our float handiwork to Sun N Fun, put a price on them and see what happened.

Well, the first day of Sun N Fun is over, and we just officially sold our first float kit.  Wow!  A man walked up, indicated he'd been searching high and low for a great float option for his AirBike, and he found ours.  He said it made the trip from California to Sun N Fun worth it.  He left a deposit for the floats and is looking forward to the receipt of the float kit, which was promised for June.

In straight or amphibious configuration, the floats are rated for a gross aircraft weight of 620 pounds.  As a result, they are ideal for ultralight aircraft (and fat ultralight aircraft, and light experimentals) of all kinds.

Until May 15, they may be ordered for $1950 for a set of 2 straight floats in kit form.  Rivets and fittings and glue not included.  The amphibious version is available for $2950.  I will post some updated pictures of them tomorrow.  On May 16, the price rises.  How high?  I haven't determined yet.  We will formally announce this product at OshKosh, so this is our pre-intro sale.

You are required to provide a $500 or $750 deposit to reserve your float kit.  All skins come predrilled.

Here's some pics:
Ultralight aircraft floats from Belite

Ultralight floats from Belite

Ultralight floats from Belite

Monday, April 8, 2013

Updated Ultralight Aircraft from Belite: Need to know details


Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


Sun N Fun 2013 demonstrator
Ultralight aircraft in metallic burgundy with accent copper



Q:         What is a Belite UltraCubTM?
A:        The Belite UltraCub is a predominantly aluminum ultralight airplane manufactured in kit and Ready To Fly form by Belite Aircraft.  It is available in several different configurations, with variations of instrumentation, landinggear, assembly materials and engines.  All configurations evoke the classic look of a Piper J3 Cub, hence the name, UltraCub.  Some of the key characteristics include:
  • Removable rear turtledeck; the plane may be flown either way.
  • Legal under FAR 103 (responsibility lies on the owner / operator)
  • Precision CNC cut aluminum parts in cabin and throughout assembly
  • Folding wings (must remove turtledeck)
  • Large wing area and flaperon area designed for low speed flight.
  • Enormous windshield and sunroof
  • Multiple storage compartments
Belite Ultracub
UltraCub flies away


Q:         What standard features and benefits does the Ready To Fly UltraCub have?
A:         All configurations include:
  • CNC cut aluminum parts throughout the entire airplane.  We use a CNC computer automated bed router for sheet metal and a four axis CNC robot for billet aluminum pieces. 
  • Taildragger configuration.
  • Folding wings.  (must remove turtledeck).  Easily and quickly fold!
  • Standard basic instruments: inclinometer, EGT/CHT, airspeed, AGL altimeter.
  • 5” tires and wheels.
  • Rear turtledeck, fully covered.  (Higher end configurations also cover the rear of the fuselage.)
  • OracalTM vinyl covering, with your choice of single color.  Very beautiful finishes!
  • Rear steerable tailwheel with steel tail wheel spring. 
  • Aluminum fuselage – riveted construction utilizing mainly 2024T3 longerons; also 7075 and 6061T6 aluminum in critical areas.  Other alloys are also used.
  • Lightweight 6061T6 aluminum lift struts.
  • 4130 Chromaloy steel landing gear “A” frames
  • Polycarbonate windshield and sunroof
  • Enhanced wing area (40” x 144”)
  • Enhanced flaperons (12” x 120”), reduces stall speed and improves roll control.
  • Intermixed aileron / flap controls, providing standard stick (aileron) and standard flap (flap handle) control with 3 notches of flaps.
  • Multiple storage compartments under seat
  • 5 gallon plastic fuel tank.
Q:         What does a Ready to Fly UltraCub cost?
A:          $15,995 + $2.50/mile delivery charge (one way) to any US destination.  This configuration includes a 28HP Hirth 2 stroke engine.  Other configurations are also available with 4 stroke engines, carbon fiber options, and additional instrumentation.  If you want everything in our option list, the price can hit $40,000.   At that price, you should expect, and you will receive, a state of the art ultralight aircraft.

Final approach for UltraCub


Q:          What does an UltraCub Kit cost?
A:         $8,495 includes the TurtleDeck and everything firewall back except instruments, paint, rivets, glue and the fuel tank.  Stiff link main gear are included.  Popular options include our spring main gear and our disc brake assemblies.  It also doesn’t include a fuel tank, but we buy ours at Walmart for about $12, and you can too.

Q:          What type of construction is used in the fuselage?
A:         It is straightforward aluminum construction.  All of the cabin area and most of the gussets have pre-drilled holes, and the rear fuselage is pre-aligned, mostly pre-drilled and ready for you to start drilling and riveting.  All main cabin bulkhead formers and gussets are CNC cut and have many pre-drilled pilot holes as well.  The builder has to trim some of the cabin longerons and members, but as these lengths are short, and all formers are square, the resulting assembly process is easy and straightforward.  Aluminum may be cut with a carbide blade table saw, or a band saw, or a hack saw.

Cabin Assembly Detail
Q:         What type of construction is used in the wings?
A:         The wigs are build with aluminum spars and CNC cub Baltic birch ribs. Everything slips together and is locked in place with Gorilla glue.  Aluminum ribs are also available, as are carbon fiber spars.

Q:         What type of construction is used in the tail feathers?
A:         The purchaser may select between aerodynamic horizontal stabilizer/elevator or pre-welded stabilizer/elevator.  The pre-welded feathers simply need to be covered.  The aerodynamic feathers are easy to build and very straightforward, like a big model airplane wing.

Q:         How is the structure covered?
A:         We use generic Dacron, glued and shrunk to the underlying wing or fuselage structure, and riveted to the aluminum ribs.   We use Stewart Systems glue for most other fabric work, and we use Oracal vinyl (available in about 80 colors) for covering over the shrunk fabric.  Kit builders may use whatever system they are comfortable with.  We supply 30 yards of Dacron with each kit!

Q:         What does an UltraCub weigh?
A:         As built by Belite, with a reliable four stroke engine, and as described in this document, it weighs 278 pounds.  This is the maximum allowed by FAR Part 103.  (Our configuration includes a parachute which is deployed by hand, for which FAR Part 103 provides a 24 pound allowance.) The rear turtledeck is not included in this weighing, as it is removable for flight.  (The rear turtledeck weighs about 7 pounds).  Much lighter weights are possible by using two stroke engines.  We don’t weigh anything required for flight; if assembled like our Sun N Fun demonstrator, the airplane may be flown without the windshield, for instance.  We even made our instrument panel easily removable, and James has flown one of the UltraCubs without a main seat – he really did it, just to prove a point.

ultralight aircraft landing
Landing an UltraCub
Q:         I see that your configuration doesn’t include an engine cowl.  How could I add one?
A:         It is available as an option for $350.  We don’t weigh them as they are removable for flight.

Q:         What other options are available?
A:         There are all kinds of options.  Check our price list for full details; we’re even offering amphibious floats.  Carbon fiber, wheels, covering completeness, paint on the aluminum, type of engine, type of parachute, instruments…  Doors – really well designed doors.  Too much to discuss here.

ultralight airplane
Belite Aircraft are available with emergency parachute.


Q:          Are other instruments available?
A:         We are happy to install any instrument manufactured by Belite Electronics, including our Multi Function Display, our Turn Coordinators, fuel gauges, etc.  We do not install other instruments.  We recommend you have other installations (EG, radio) performed by your local instrument shop.

from Belite Electronics
MultiFunction Instrument from Belite Electronics


Q:          Does the four stroke engine have electric start?
A:          It is available.  It adds 10 pounds weight, and will work in high end configurations.

Q:         What power does the 1/2VW four stroke engine develop?
A:         James likes the 45HP variation with Nickasil cylinders.  He runs it with a 58 x 22 propeller, which derates it to about 38HP.  That makes it very much in line with the original Kitfox Lite, which had a 2 stroke engine of slightly less horsepower.  Fuel consumption hasn’t been nailed down to the last drop, but James is hoping to get it below 1.5 GPH in low cruise. 

1/2 VW Engine on Belite UltraCub

Q:         Who is the engine vendor?
A:          Scott Casler, Hummel Engines is our first choice for 1/2VW aircraft engines.  Scott makes a great engine and stands behind his work.   www.hummelengines.com

Q:         Will other 1/2VW four stroke engines work?
A:         Absolutely.  We recommend at least 37HP.  Great Plains is a good source for plans for a complete kit. See: http://www.greatplainsas.com/schalfvw.html  And as of this writing, their 1/2VW kit is under $3400.   Furthermore, an online build manual for 1/2VW engines may be found here: 

Q:         What about the motor mount for a Belite with the half V/W?
A:         We designed it, and it is pretty small and sweet.  It is welded out of 4130 steel.

Q:         What kind of gasoline does the engine use?
A:         91 Octane auto gas.  100LL will also work just fine, but like any other aircraft engine, pay attention to lead fouling in the spark plugs.
Sun N Fun 2013 Demonstrator aircraft
Happy Flying from James!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Awesome video on Belite Aircraft

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


Dan Johnson posted a very informative news interview of me, with several great flying clips of various Belite ultralight aircraft.  He filmed most of it at Sun N Fun a couple of weeks ago.

If you have any interest in any ultralight aircraft, including our Belite, you have to watch this video.!  Please!

Click here to see the video.



He's got some clips of all the Belite configurations, including taildragger, tricycle gear, and even our plane on floats.  He also has a lot of information on our one of a kind ultralight demonstrator, the WoW plane. 



Thursday, April 5, 2012

John K Moody: Father of Ultralights

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


One of the most enjoyable experiences at Sun N Fun 2012 was sharing some time with John K Moody, "the Father of Ultralights".

We talked for a while about all kinds of things:  what day he made his first powered flight; how an article in Popular Science propelled him to fame; how he started to sell them; how he made money in ultralights; how the old 20/20 news piece destroyed (unfairly) the ultralight industry... Now he is pleased to attend Sun N Fun and exhibit a trio of old ultralights, including an "Easy Riser".  It weighs only 120 pounds and flies beautifully on a Hirth engine of around 13 horsepower.

The Easy Riser used weight shift for pitch (climb/descend) control, and had a 'rudder' on each wingtip, controlled by a twist handle for each wrist.  The throttle for this bird had a mouth (YES, mouth!) mounted kill switch.  So if you wanted to kill the engine, just bite down.  John says he got shocked by this arrangement.

I took a bunch of photos of this amazing early ultralight.  Later in the day, John came by our booth and looked at a Belite ultralight aircraft.  Here's photos of the ultralight aircraft 'Easy Riser', built by John K Moody:

Easy Riser Ultralight Aircraft

Easy Riser Ultralight Aircraft

Easy Riser Ultralight Aircraft

Easy Riser Ultralight Aircraft

Easy Riser Ultralight Airplane

Easy Riser Ultralight Airplane

John K Moody, Father of Ultralights, with James Wiebe

Easy Riser Ultralight Airplane

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Belite -- Reserve Grand Champion Ultralight at Sun N Fun 2012

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


YES, we did win the Reserve Grand Champion ultralight aircraft award at Sun N Fun 2012.

3rd year in a row with a major award for Belite.

Thanks to Mike R. for doing the vast majority of the work and providing zillions of great ideas on this award winning airplane.!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Really Cool WoW Plane Photos

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


I've just got pictures today.  Here's some more photos Gene took today at Sun N Fun 2012:

Blue Skies, Belite Ultralight Airplane

Severe Climb Angle? with Belite Ultralight Airplane

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I flew the WoW plane today

Please note: James' blog has moved to a Wordpress site. To access it, please visit http://jameswiebe.wordpress.com/. All posts have been transferred to the new site, and all new posts will only be accessible via Wordpress. Thank you for your interest!


More from Sun N Fun, 2012.  Gene took lots of great photos of the WoW plane from Belite while I was flying it today.  Very nice photos, all posted on Flickr.

Here's some of the really good pics:

Belite ultralight airplane rotating into climb

On Short Final, officials watching

Flarint to a nice landing

Rolling Out

Here's some photos of the details on the plane:

Hydraulic Toe Brakes

Instrument Panel in Belite aircraft

News conference in the morning....  More tomorrow.