Gust Kiss Land

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Rippling gusts played with the newly forming leaves in the trees.  The moving air went across the short strands of wheat in the nearby fields, like waves over a tossed pond surface.

Checking the local weather, even with gusts to 26mph, I had to do it.

Takeoff.

Extraordinary beauty.

Dusk approaches, takeoff, strut view.

Everywhere I look, I see the sea of wheat.  I see the wind rippling through it.  I see the shadows.  I see the green.

Sea Of Wheat

I make four or five touch and goes.  They are challenging:  the gusts are testing my alertness on the controls.  My UltraCub cuts through them.

Updated Ultralight Aircraft from Belite: Need to know details

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Ultralight aircraft in metallic burgundy with accent copper

Q:         What is a Belite UltraCub^TM?

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

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.)
• Oracal^TM 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.

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.

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.

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: 

http://www.ultraligero.net/Descargas/Manuales/1_2_VW/manual.pdf

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.

Happy Flying from James!

Flint Hills Reprise

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Shortly before Christmas, I flew a very nice cross country around the flint hills of Kansas.  Here is a 10 minute clip of Kansas scenery, on Belite's Youtube channel.

View the video here.

Eldorado Reservoir, KS.

Belite Aluminum Ultralight Aircraft Cabin Construction, #4

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I hope you had an awesome Christmas!

Shortly before Christmas, I had an amazing two hour flight in the Burgundy UltraCub.  I flew out into the flint hills again, and made a video of most of the flight.  I took lots of photos of sights along the way, including wind turbines near Beaumont, KS, and a friend's house out in the flint hills as well.  I'll be posting an edited copy of that video soon; along with some of those photos.

When I returned to home base after that flight, the plane still had over a gallon of gas in the tank, and I've now accumulated 7.9 hours in the Burgundy UltraCub to date.  I thoroughly enjoy the look and sound of the 1/2VW engine.

We will install a brand new cabin in the Burgundy UltraCub over the next 8 weeks, so that when it goes to Florida for Sun N Fun, it will be absolutely up to date with our current design.  (The original cabin was hand built without the benefit of CNC placement of drill holes; lots of stuff didn't line up well; and some of the features in the final cabin design were missing; PLUS it had extra tubing and weight where some dimensions were screwed up...)  So stay tuned on that...

***

Today I am posting Episode 4 of the ongoing saga of how to build a Belite cabin.   The actual construction of this ultralight aircraft cabin goes very rapidly, and everything lines up, and it's just thrilling to build a structure which is so very light and very strong and very aesthetic all at the same time... and that is a lot of ANDS.

For links to earlier Episodes, just search "construction" in the search window of this blog.  The search window is on the right side of the blog.

Some of the following construction jumps around a bit.  I have two reasons for this:

a)  It beats the boredom of just working on one area of the cabin.
b)  It gave me something to do while waiting on our ShopBot to cut more CNC parts.  You won't have this problem, as you'll have all the parts in front of you.

Let's cut two thin wall 1", 34 1/4" tubes.

You'll need two thin wall 34 1/4 inch square aluminum tubes.

And also a 23 7/8 inch tube of the same material:

And a 23 7/8 inch tube

The 23 7/8" tube clamps in place along the top of the rear gusset.  The longer tubes rest on each side side skin.  One side and the rear is visible in the following photo:

Rear tube and side tube

Rear tube clecos

Front Diagonal Supports

Front Diagonal Support clamped in place

Front Diagonal Support with rivet and clecos

Front Diagonal Support fully riveted

In a similar manner, cut and fit two Rear Diagonal Support, then clamp and cleco in place.

Rear Diagonal Supports.

Rear Diagonal Supports, riveted in place.

Now let's move to the front of the cabin and finish out most of the rivets in the Front Cross Box.

Front Cross Box rivets, looking from front of plane backwards.

Front Cross Box rivets, from other side.

Now, fit the Front Cabin Cross Tube Gussets.  Yours are probably pre-notched, but I had to notch mine.

Gussets for Front Cabin Cross Tube.  

Although the above photo only shows one gusset, the gusset is actually doubled (one on top of the other).  It's time to pull some rivets:

Gussets with rivets and clecos

Now our focus shifts to installing four Side T Gussets, two on each side of the airplane.

Side T Gussets clamped and clecoed.

Side T Gusset riveted in place.

Please make sure you've placed clecos in the rear tube, as shown below:

Clecos on rear tube

Gussets need to be added on each Rear Diagonal Support.  A bend is placed in each gusset prior to placement.

Rear Gusset for Rear Diagonal Supports.

Another view of gusset for Rear Diagonal Support, clearly showing bend

Rivets on the gusset

Ensure that rivets have been placed on the bottom of the rear fuselage.

Rivets on bottom of rear fuselage.

Wild Mustang Horses in Kansas Flint Hills

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Quickly stated:

The shop gang installed the removable fairing on the back of the UltraCub, which made it look like a baby cub.  I was eager to fly it.

I flew the UltraCub from home base out to the Flint Hills (which are east of Wichita), where I took high res pictures of Wild Mustang horses, then returned home.  It was a 90 minute flight; and I used 2.5 gallons gasoline.  I returned with 90+ minutes fuel reserve at home base (slightly more than half tank remaining).  Fuel consumption:  1.67 gallons per hour.  Estimated fuel economy:  about 34 mpg.

Gentle Readers, the horse pictures are eye-popping, and you have to go to our belite flickr account to see them all.

Here's the link to the Wild Mustang horse photos on Flickr.  I have a couple of selected photos from the flight below.  The remainder of the wild horse photos (and there awesome photos of the horses) are on flickr.

Flint Hills, photo taken from Belite UltraCub ultralight airplane.

Wild Mustang Horses, photo taken from Belite ultralight airplane

Also note that that the four stroke UltraCub is now flying with the removable tail fairing attached:

Belite UltraCub ultralight airplane with four stroke engine

Walking the UltraCub 4 stroke ultralight airplane back to the hangar.

I used to do this flight in my Flight Design CTLS; it is absolutely a gift from God to be able to do it in the Belite.  I'm back to cruising around.  I'm planning cross countries to Oshkosh and Idaho.

Total time in the Burgundy UltraCub to date:  5.4 hours.

Here's the map of this adventure:

Wild Mustang Flight to the flint hills and back.

Flight speeds outbound to the flint hills averaged 65mph; return flight averaged 45mph.  Average groundspeed:  about 55mph.  You can see the variance on the position spacing above.  Cruise RPM varied from 2500 to 2700 rpm.

Ultralight Cross Country?

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Personal note:  Thank you, Larry, for reading my blog. I did take that flight this afternoon, as I suggested I would.

Readers:  Please allow this post to wonder and wander around a bit, just as I did on a cross country flight in the burgundy plane.  Details on that flight are later in this post.

After I got to the airport shop this afternoon, I set to work on our production prototype of our new aluminum cab, which, when combined with a fuel efficient four stroke engine, produces the best ultralight aircraft on the planet.

There. I said it.  A boast:  "The Best Ultralight Aircraft in the United States".

There are seven reasons why this is so:

Engine Selection:  4 stroke aircraft engine with reliable operation and low fuel consumption
Airframe:  Aluminum; easy to build, lightweight
Utility:  Great short field performance; off - airport ruggedness
Flight Characteristics:  When trimmed, flies hands off; turns easily.
Extras:  Our carbon fiber expertise allows more strength, even lighter airframes and more options.
Covering:  Our Oracal process is producing the most beautiful airplanes, with less cost and less time than all other traditional aircraft coverings.
Cross Country:  I'll get to this last.  I had a great time flying away from the airport, then returning as sunset was imminent.

1.  Our engine selection.

We picked a 4 stroke engine built by Hummel Engines, and as their website states, this is "reliable four stroke power", and has been in use for years in various aircraft.  Our engine was ordered with all new parts, including aluminum Nicom cylinders.  We also ordered the largest bore and stroke that Hummel offered, and it has quickly proven to be a perfect choice for Belite.

Although this engine is rated at 45HP, we are using it in a derated manner, by limiting RPM to about 3150 RPM.  This gives us around 38HP at full throttle, which appears to be adequate to produce the maximum cruise speed legally allowed under US ultralight aircraft regulations.

This engine weighs 88 pounds, including carburetor, exhaust pipes, and dual ignition.

Christian Stratton had been working hard on fitting our Burgundy plane with a new firewall.  We'd been challenged to accomodate the sharp looking opposed cylinder engine in the Belite, and to eliminate Center of Gravity (CG) issues, the engine had been placed in a manner such that the magneto was poking into the cabin.  The new firewall fit beautifully; here's a photo of the revised engine installation and firewall.

4 Stroke engine on Belite Ultralight Airplane

And we provide some great two stroke options as well; nothing beats a Hirth F23 for raw stump pulling power.

2.  Our aluminum airframe.

The fit and engineering quality on our aluminum cabin is just amazing.  Weighing in at about 22 1/2 pounds, this cabin sets a new benchmark for ultralight aircraft.  Pictured below is a cabin being prepared for a customer here in the state of Kansas:

Aluminum cabin assembly for Belite ultralight airplane, with Oracal covering

Let's take one peek inside this cabin, and look at the box construction along with the fit of everything.  The in flight storage compartments are on the lower left side:

Aluminum cabin for Belite ultralight airplane

3.  Belite has utility on and off airport.

When equipped with spring gear and appropriate tires, I've had no end of fun landing Belites in the neighboring uphill hayfield.  Great fun!  Caution -- good results require great skill.

Hayfield landing in Belite Ultralight Aircraft

I did a fun post on this topic.  Read the Hayfield Post Here.

4.  Flight Characteristics.

The new UltraCub is flying by stick control only (see the video demonstrating this here.)  Alternatively, on my flight earlier today, I kept my hands off the stick and bumped the plane around using rudder pedals.  Take your pick.

5.  Extras.

I've enjoyed engineering some other options into the Belite.  Our carbon fiber spars are stronger and a great choice for customers who want less weight and more wing strength.  I'm working on some more options for the future; here's an example of a prototype Stabilator rib.

prototype Carbon Fiber rib for stabilator on Belite Ultralight Aircraft.

The pictured rib weighs about 2.1 ounces.

There's lots of other extras, but I won't belabor the point.  Read more about our airplanes on this blog or on our Belite website.

6.  Our covering process.

We're using Oracal, a vinyl covering which looks spectacular and easy to apply.  We've been using it for a couple of years.  Other automotive, aircraft, RV, motorcycle manufacturers use similar products for applying graphics onto pre-painted surfaces.  We take it a step further, and cover the entire airplane with it.

7.  Cross Country?

I wonder what the possibilities are.  Based on initial fuel burn analysis, fuel burn with the 4 stroke engine is running around 1.7 gph at low cruise.  I've got to get that number nailed down, along with 'cruise' speed at various RPM's and fuel flows.  Assuming fuel flow of 1.7gph with a 50mph speed, we've got a range of 145SM miles to dry tanks.  Combined with neutral or tail winds, there is a pretty good opportunity to go a long distance, and beat land transportation in the process.

Earlier today, I took off in the burgundy Belite UltraCub and headed north, into a headwind.  I decided to fly  30 minutes northbound, then turn around and head home.

Here's some photos I took along the way:

Cross country in a Belite Ultalight Airplane

View of small town (Furley, KS) on a cold December day

Watershed ponds shrinking in size, due to drought

Farm house and wheat field

Actually, this pond is doing OK.

Harvey County east lake, photo taken from Belite Ultracub with 4 stroke engine

I turned around and headed home.  It took 30 minutes at low cruise, into the headwind, to get there.  I upped the power and climbed into a nice tailwind heading home, which took 20 minutes.

I'm starting to think, again, of flying to Oshkosh next summer in a Belite Ultracub.  We'll see.

Total Time in the burgundy plane to date:  3.9 hours.

The following day, I took the Belite UltraCub out to the flint hills to take hi-res photos of wild mustang horses.  You can read about that HERE (click).

Up and Down at OshKosh Airventure 2012

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I had the opportunity to talk with an attorney for EAA a couple of days ago.  Our conversation wondered from one topic to another:  litigation; ultralights; etc.  All good conversation.

Somewhere, the conversation turned to how legislation (Light Sport, in particular) had hindered....   or destroyed the ability of experimental aviation to provide low cost training and indoctrination to flying wannabes, especially as LSA activity overwhelmed the grass roots of ultralights and illegal light twin seat airplanes.  Yes, I'm mixing up the controversies there, but it's important to think about.

This would be a good time to look at a picture of my right knee, as I chased cars down the highway in Oshkosh inside the ultralight flight pattern.

My right knee.  In a Belite Ultralight Aircraft.

Back to musings:  Also earlier this week, a lengthy and thoroughly enjoyable conversation with another aviation journalist (who shall not be named) had turned to a discussion as to how cover articles on aircraft are determined by advertising force, and not by what the majority of magazine readers really want to read.

As someone who's had an aviation cover article, and also as someone who's advertised in magazines, and as someone who has approached trends with a perpendicular (and occasionally blind) attitude, and enjoys proving that those who claim they are right, are in fact wrong, I guess I've got nothing to worry about.

But I worry anyway.

This would be a good cover photo for an aviation magazine:

Backyard Flyer at Osh12

Yes, that is my direct competitor, the Backyard Flyer.  I happen to like this plane for what it is:  a pure flying machine without pretentions as to how it should look.  I notice that it is using Hoerner wingtips -- and has a four stroke engine, like we now do as well.  I believe he's sporting a 48 or 50HP engine; (we're flying well on 28HP, but can go to 50HP too).  His airframe is a little draggy, but that's OK.

Up and Down?

The big thing at the Oshkosh ultralight field is to be able to demonstrate takeoff performance -- no matter what the flight briefers say, people climb out at ridiculous and unsafe angles.  I protest.

I brought my WoW plane, which looks suspiciously like a loaf of bread, and I enjoy flying it very much at Osh12, because it rises nicely.  The plane does not climb like bat out of hell with 28HP, but after it climbs, it does cruise at 62mph, which is the legal FAR Part 103 max cruise speed.  In fact, when we put bigger motors on it, it has to be slowed down to be legal.

I wish people could see and feel the breeze flying by as I cruise around the pattern.

So I take a picture of the instruments and document the flight condition:

Belite Instruments in flight.

What's the condition?

Fuel tank:  about half full.
Turn condition:  not turning.
Inclinometer Bubble:  slightly left wing low.
AGL (altimeter):  300 feet above Terra Firma, per briefer and Osh12 requirements.
G Meter:  1 G positive, slight burble below that noted.
Phantom Instrument:  Missing.
VSI:  neither up nor down.
Steam Gauge ASI (left side of panel):  just under 100 KPH (62 MPH).
Age of Aircraft:  7.8 hours Hobbs
Aluminum on panel:  shiny.
Battery condition:  10.84 volts
Windshield:  slightly blurred

I wish I could photograph the breeze.  It is wonderful.  Why aren't you there?

I can photograph the Osh12 field:

Osh12 airport, lots of green, out of Belite Ultralight Aircraft

I go down.  I land.

A huge storm rolls through in the afternoon, and I am surprised that a bunch of planes aren't blown away.  Here's what a Metallic Burgundy Belite looks like after a hard rain:

Rain on Belite

But the break in the rain gives us a chance to wipe it down and make it look good:

Rain removed from Belite Aircraft

In fact, it just looks awesome.  My spirits rise as I look at the finish.  I realize that our covering (Metallic Burgundy Adhesive Vinyl) has completely cocooned the wing in a waterproof covering.  I like the winglets.  I like the expanded flaperons.  I like the way the WoW plane has just floated off the ground when I start the takeoff roll.   I like the way it floated to a really slow, really soft landing every time.

Many people come up to our booth, and ask us questions and make comments all day long.  They go something like this:

1)  Are these ultralights?
2)  Can I get it in a 2 seat version?
3)  Tell me about your four stroke 1/2 VW engine.
4)  How does the flaps / aileron intermix?
5)  What does it cost?
6)  How do you put on that covering?  Is that Dacron underneath?
7)  How will it fly with me?
8)  Do I weigh too much?  (This is never asked directly.)
9)  Are 2 strokes reliable?
10)  How does it fly?
11)  How long have you been doing this?
12)  What are the differences between your steel and your aluminum fuselage?
13)  I want to use your instruments.
14)  If I lose my medical, I'm buying your plane.
etc...

I enjoy the human interaction, but I also want to fly.  I want to get people up in the air and see and feel what I am seeing and feeling.  People need to see and feel on a higher plane.

The frustration of explaining it all gets me down.  Some (many) get it; some (many) don't.

Mrs. Belite

My wife is at the show, and is managing all of the details.  We both get some good rain dumped on us when we're caught outside as the big storm rolls through.  It's fun!  We survive the rain, and she ends up with one of her amazing big smiles!

A Kitfox Lite shows up in the pattern at Osh12, and I'm pleased.  This airplane design has affected my life for over 3 years now.  (I bought the tooling some time ago.)

Kitfox Lite in the pattern at Osh12

This particular example of a Kitfox Lite has a few replacement parts on it that the owner purchased from Belite.  Thankyou!

Speaking of my wife, she looks through my collection of photos and selects one as a new favorite for Belite's Facebook page.  I think it was this one:

Belite UltraCub at Osh12.  Ultralight Aircraft.

Getting up at 6:00am in the morning for the 6:30 daily briefing gets me down.  I'm not an early riser.

Good night,

James