Any one have any idea what type of utralight gets the most distance from its fuel 
: A powered parachute looks good till you see the two-stroke it has.
: A powered parachute looks good till you see the two-stroke it has.
MPG of ultralight?
- Thread starter 80broncoman
- Start date
The Rutan Vayager did pretty well
I was thinking of a vehicle that can lift off in less than 300 feet. The powered chutes I have seen use a 2 cyl rotax, and IIRC gets like 2gal a hour . At 30 mph that calculates to 15mpg.
I was curious if there was a better body desighn for less drag and more MPG. 30 mph is fine but I am looking for more MPG.
I wonder what a gyrocopter is like (I belive I know how it works, I hope spelled it right)
I was curious if there was a better body desighn for less drag and more MPG. 30 mph is fine but I am looking for more MPG.
I wonder what a gyrocopter is like (I belive I know how it works, I hope spelled it right)
A
Anonymous
Guest
Gyrocopters are draggy, too. A whole lot of fun though; at any air show, the gyro pilots are the ones with big grins all weekend.
Kolb is probably the most experienced manufacturer of ultralights today; Google them. I don't know of anybody that builds ultralights specifically maximising fuel economy. Almost all of them use two-strokes, for lightness, since a legal ultralight must weigh no more than 259 lbs, or something like that. Any heavier and you're supposed to have a pilot's license to use it. For a 4-stroke, with lower fuel burn, there are a few outfits building half-VWs, but they might be too heavy for ultralights. Check a company called Revmaster. Burt Rutan's old Quickie single seat plane, which can be had used, was surely the cross-country mileage king, with a cruising speed of maybe 160, on 2.5gph or thereabouts. It used an 18hp 4-stroke Onan flathead industrial engine (the half-VW might have been a better choice).
Good fuel economy and STOL operation don't really go together very well. You pretty much have to compromise toward one or the other. But fuel economy and motor-gliding are complimentary. And STOL operation and load-carrying ability are complimentary.
Find a library with back issues of Kitplanes or Sport Aviation, and you can learn all about this stuff.
Kolb is probably the most experienced manufacturer of ultralights today; Google them. I don't know of anybody that builds ultralights specifically maximising fuel economy. Almost all of them use two-strokes, for lightness, since a legal ultralight must weigh no more than 259 lbs, or something like that. Any heavier and you're supposed to have a pilot's license to use it. For a 4-stroke, with lower fuel burn, there are a few outfits building half-VWs, but they might be too heavy for ultralights. Check a company called Revmaster. Burt Rutan's old Quickie single seat plane, which can be had used, was surely the cross-country mileage king, with a cruising speed of maybe 160, on 2.5gph or thereabouts. It used an 18hp 4-stroke Onan flathead industrial engine (the half-VW might have been a better choice).
Good fuel economy and STOL operation don't really go together very well. You pretty much have to compromise toward one or the other. But fuel economy and motor-gliding are complimentary. And STOL operation and load-carrying ability are complimentary.
Find a library with back issues of Kitplanes or Sport Aviation, and you can learn all about this stuff.
Similar threads
All Small Six
Rollers Cams/Lifters for Small Six? possibility?
