Earthstar Forums

Not sure what to make of Mr. M. "Lee" Wach's email. So difficult to judge
tone through email, but if Mr. Wach was talking to me in person like this,
I would consider the tone to be hostile and filled with dislike.

Assuming that is not the case I'll try to answer. Having a true
ultralight today is just about impossible largely due to the fact that many
small, light, 2-cycle engine are no longer being built. And, small
two-cycle engines, if you have or can find one have some serious
shortcomings, though the 503 is very reliable.

This is one of the main reasons that Mark is working so hard to come up
with electric aircraft, since using this type of drive train it IS possible
to have a fully legal ultralight as well as an inexpensive, safe, and
fun-to-fly airplane.

Though electric drive trains are not quite here yet for some uses (namely
cross country flights) they will be within the next 10 years (and perhaps
much sooner), though at that point the limitation is not the drivetrain,
but the ability to "fuel" the electric airplane while on a cross country.
I'm confident that these limitations can and will be resolved and that
many of us, even those of us with two-place airplanes, will be flying
electric within the decade. If I wasn't interested in doing long cross
countries for the next several years, I would be having Mark put a Zero
drivetrain in my airplane now.

-Alan

Hi Lee,
I am also surprised nobody has chimed in yet - but then, this is not a very
active forum, and many previous builders and current owners may not monitor
it.

I am building an eGull. 28' wing, fabric (Oratex) covered wing, rudder,
horiz. stab, standard kit with full enclosure, except instead of a fuel
tank I have a steel tube rack for the batteries. Minimal instruments. This
should be close to the lightest Gull one can build. I plan to weigh the
aircraft before I install the motor, controller, PSRU, batteries, charger
and prop. You should be able to extrapolate from there. But I won't be
ready for weighing for a couple months (installing the shell and Lexan
now). The complete wing came in under 120 lbs (bathroom scale).

Martin, just a thought here, your true empty weight should be with the motor and prop, and the PSRU, but not the batteries as they are fuel or the charger as it stays on the ground unless your traveling, then add the batteries and charger so you know your full aloft weight for cg and flight planning.

k

Dear Mr.Costin;
As Miss piggy would say MOI! HOSTILE?? NEVER!.Computer illiterate? absolutely.That note about hand raising was a response to a note i received and thought would accompany my response.
I am 79.7 yrs and know the value of diplomacy.I am partially disabled and the Gull models whose nosewheel stays on the ground are most suited to my needs.
Since i am an arthritic 2 fingered typist,i am going to forward exchanges i had with another manufacturer so you can get a better understanding of my concerns.{i have determined his ship would be harder than a Hyperlite for me to enter /exit]