WEBVTT - Ultralight Aircraft 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.600 Welcome to car Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio's 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:09.840 How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome to car Stuff. I'm 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.760 your host, Scott Benjamin. I'm Ben Bullen, and we are 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:17.880 joined as always with our super producer Kurt Vitamin G. Garrett. 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:19.799 How's it going, Kurt? That's going great? How are you 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:22.319 guys doing, Vitamin G? I like it? You like it 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:25.560 because you wrote that. I like it, dude. I thought 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:28.440 that was great, like your own material. I guess we'll 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:30.440 see how it flies in the in the real world, 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.760 you know. But today, guys, we have something a little 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:35.680 bit different to talk about, if that's if that's all right. 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.320 We've got, uh, something that's a little bit a little 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:40.680 bit out of our wheelhouse, but it's something that we're 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:44.199 observers of and we think it is is interesting, right right, Yeah. 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.080 Car Stuff is a show about everything that floats, flies, 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:51.720 swims over drives. Yeah, these uh, these sometimes fly, uh 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.640 they drive around a little bit. I guess, um, Kurt, 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:57.640 this is what this is one of your ideas. It 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:59.640 came from. You know, we have these lists of ideas 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:02.040 that we can of you know, circulated between the three 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:03.880 of us of you know, thinks possible, shows, things that 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:06.400 we want to do. And uh, one of the things 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.240 that Kurt wanted to talk about was was ultralight aircraft 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:12.480 and I found it really fascinated. Was just you know, 0:01:12.680 --> 0:01:15.400 simply a line item. You know, Kurt thought, well, I'll 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.160 throw this on the list and see if that see 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:22.039 if this idea flies. Yeah, okay, well that's terrible, but 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:24.959 um yeah, I mean I think it's fascinating as well. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.280 There's there's gosh, I don't know if there's a long 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:28.920 history that we need to go into or anything, but 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:30.640 just kind of just I just really want to have 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.880 a discussion about the crafts themselves, and the people that 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.560 fly them, and and how they're made, and some of 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:40.800 the surprising regulations or lack of regulations that go into 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:43.720 um um, getting one of these things up in the air. 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:47.240 I think I think it's fascinating. So so before we begin, though, Kurt, 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:50.920 I just we we had an off air discussion briefly 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:54.160 about this, and you don't necessarily have any firsthand experience 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.320 with these, right, no other than see them in the air. 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.480 Yeah yeah, same here really, but I guess there's a 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:01.160 there's a bit of a family tie in we'll talk 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:03.600 about later that you know, we should discuss at some point. 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.640 But um, I find them fascinating as well. I mean 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:09.600 you said as a kid, you you've seen them around 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:12.359 and and we're kind of intrigued by them, right. Yeah. 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:14.000 There was one in particular that I used to see 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:17.480 all the time flying overhead and never dawned on me 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:19.760 exactly what was going on up there. It just looked 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.520 neat and that was an adult. As I think about it, 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.440 I realized how nuts it is sit up there and 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.800 one of these things and just screws around. Yeah. It's 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.240 a little bit terrifying to think about, isn't it. Yeah, Yeah, 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:32.920 it really is. I mean, so this was was it 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:35.720 a neighbor? Do you know who the person was? Um? No, 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.320 I did not. You sure it wasn't a remote control vehicle? No, 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.920 it was definitely an ultralight airplane because they sound a 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:45.359 lot similar, don't they when they're in the yeast buzz? Yeah, 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:48.040 they really do have like a just a high pitch buzz. 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.320 You're right, it sounds like a great big lawnmower fly right, Scott. 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.840 I want to get back to something that you mentioned. Uh, 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.360 this is gonna be good news for anybody in the 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:00.160 hold my beer and watch this crowd. Uh, And it's 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:03.640 the following. When we think of ultra lights, of course, 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:07.919 we also think of other kinds of aviation, right, everything 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:13.120 from military craft to little sesstenas and so on. To 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:18.960 fly one of those, you need a pilot's license, makes sense, right, 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:22.600 of course it does. You need to get probably a 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:27.520 physical of some sort to evaluate your physical, mental readiness, 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:31.480 your ability. You have to and to get the pilot's license, 0:03:31.520 --> 0:03:35.360 you have to log a ton of flight hours. You 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:37.720 don't have to do that with an ultra light. This 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.680 is true. An ultra light does not require a license 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:45.360 or a medical certificate of any kind due to a 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:50.240 Federal Aviation regulation called Part one oh three. And Part 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:54.480 one oh three is just that piece of detail somewhere 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:57.880 in the great tone of the Federal Aviation Regulation that 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:03.480 defines what an ultralight actually is. And maybe that's where 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:07.520 we should should start, because it's kind of a you 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:09.600 know it when you see it thing. But we do 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:15.000 have some pretty solid quantitative constraints that define an ultra light. 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.440 Oh sure, yeah, and I've I've actually just this morning, 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:19.840 I looked up the f a R. Part one oh 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:22.800 three regulation. You know that is there the exemption for 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.800 ultra light And it's a lengthy piece of text and 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:27.320 there's no way we're going to read through it. But 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:29.440 it has been boiled down in many places just kind 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.320 of the the bare elements, and it's pretty simple really. 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.560 And these are just for the United States. There's there 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:39.720 are other regulations in different countries, and these standards are 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.080 just for the United States. And these are subject to change, 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.400 of course. I mean I think that they do change occasionally, 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:46.840 but for the most part, these have remained in place 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:50.200 for a long long time. The first one is who 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:52.360 you mentioned this already. They're not required to meet any 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:56.880 kind of aeronautical knowledge, age, or experience requirements. In order 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.800 to um, you know, have have this, uh the ability 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:01.400 to one of these things. I have to have an 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:03.800 airman or a medical certificate in order to be able 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.479 to do this. The vehicle itself should only have one seat. 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:09.599 Here in the United States. That's a little different. In 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.279 other countries. You can have a passenger, but only two 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.080 that's the maximum in an altar light craft in inns 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.839 country across the world. But but United States is not 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:23.359 alone in having just one one seat, uh, you know. 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:25.719 Rule by the way, there are other countries that say, 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:28.600 you know one only is the limit. It also can 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:32.120 be used only for recreational support or support flying. That's 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:34.840 I guess the idea would be that you know, you're 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:36.880 not going to run a crop duster operation out of this, 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:39.680 You're not going to transport people for money in this, 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.160 You're not going to use that as your mail delivery 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.320 vehicle unless unless you're in a very remote place and 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:48.000 that's really about the only way to get them there. Yeah, 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.640 it's your flying go card. It's kind of what it is. 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:55.000 And also there's some hard restrictions again as you said, Scott, 0:05:55.040 --> 0:06:00.560 in the US on fuel capacity, on the weight, on 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.000 the speed. I think the maximum fuel capacity for an 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:07.280 ultra light craft here in the US is only five gallons. Yeah, 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:10.760 five gallons nineteen leaders is the is the maximum fuel 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:12.360 that you can have on board. And I think a 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.719 lot of this plays into the weight. There's a maximum 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.640 takeoff weight for these vehicles as well, now that I 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:22.080 guess of christ that includes the the occupant right and 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:24.920 the fuel and all that. However, if you just look 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.920 at the craft itself, the vehicle itself, if it's powered, um, 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:30.400 oh that's nothing. We have to talk about. There are 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.840 gliders also, and then there's powered and unpowered. Okay, so 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:37.159 the unpowered vehicles have to weigh less than one hundred 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:39.919 and fifty five pounds. That's the glider type of vehicle, 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:41.320 of course. I mean it's the one that just don't 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:42.800 you know, the ones that don't have any engine. You're 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:47.560 just up there on the wind and that's about it, right. Um. 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:49.839 The other ones are powered and they have to weigh 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:53.720 less than two hundred and fifty four pounds empty. Now 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:57.840 that also that excludes floats and safety devices things like that, 0:06:57.960 --> 0:06:59.800 so you know, they know that you're gonna need that 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:02.400 type things, right right, that's just the craft and the 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:06.359 engine for the powered aircraft. Also interesting that they didn't 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.960 just round it up to two. Yeah, that's what I 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:11.560 found that strange to like what what an odd number 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:14.720 to two or four pounds. It probably has to do 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:18.240 something with like the when they were initially starting this 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:21.280 whole thing and character you know, um, I guess characterizing 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:24.240 that first ultralight aircraft that they were going to say, 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:26.240 here's the one that we're going to build our restrictions 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.640 based around. I don't know, man that choice to make 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:34.360 it instead of a hundred pounds heavier. That is a 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:38.720 very specific choice, and it feels like someone with uh 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:43.360 legislative or legal background was involved. It feels like legs. 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:45.760 It does, doesn't it. And you know they also have 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:48.520 top speeds that they're allowed to achieve, right yeah, So 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:51.080 top speed is is only fifty five knots, which is 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:54.280 about sixty three miles per hour. That is at full 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:58.280 power in level flights, so not particularly quick. So they're 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:00.440 easy to spot if they're in the air. They're not 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:02.200 gonna fly over and you know you're not going to 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:04.960 hear them and and kind of miss seeing them. You know, 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:08.000 it's like when you hear them, they're they're right there. Also, 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.800 they have a stall speed which is relatively low. I 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:13.840 mean twenty four knots again, twenty eight miles. They're just 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.800 gliding at that point. You have very very slow speed. Um. 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:18.600 But but some of the other things you know we 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.480 talked about, um you know, not requiring a license, but 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:26.120 certification for the craft itself is also pretty lax, right 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.400 oh yeah, very very lax. And it kind of makes 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:32.480 sense because one thing that might surprise a lot of 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.760 us in the audience today to learn about ultra light 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:38.960 is that ultra light is very much an umbrella term. 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:44.200 It's the constraints that we just presented apply to no 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:50.000 less than six distinct types of ultra light craft. And 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.800 I think there's I think some of us may have 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:57.160 had experience with one of these actually or more, because 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:02.960 believe it or not, a hot air balloon qualifies as well, 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:08.840 it qualifies as a lighter than air ultra light no kidding, Yeah, 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:14.000 these could be there, their backpack balloons there, that's what 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:21.400 they're called. Right, it's a great idea, right and curtain yeah, alright, uh. 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.760 And then you know the powered airships they're also the 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:27.680 I think the thing that most of us think about. Well, 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.680 I'll just I'll do the six types real quick, lighter 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:35.040 than air ultra lights. There the power fixed wings, which 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.560 I think most of us think of. You know, that's 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:41.720 the one where there's usually it's just uh it's one 0:09:42.280 --> 0:09:46.680 wide wing and probably a tail fin and then maybe 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:51.640 three tiny wheels and a guy looking really smug, looks 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:53.480 like he's sitting in a lawnchair. It looks like he's 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.360 sitting in the launch in the sky, which is the dream. Right, Well, 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:58.439 we're here, I guess the fixed wing ones. They you know, 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:00.439 they sometimes they'll have a little body build to round 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:03.280 them as well. Um that's a lightweight type of wood, 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:06.760 very thin veneer type wood, but has you know, foam inside. 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.560 It's going to have all the rigidness that it requires. 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:12.000 But think about back leo'k go back to the right 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:14.480 brothers and their plane. I mean that was that was cloth, 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:17.960 you know, covered in cloth and was just a firehouse. 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:22.200 It's very lightweight wood frame, but it had cloth covering 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.560 and that's not all that uncommon and that that type 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:26.720 of design carried. I mean people use that type of 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:30.600 design in of course in war planes, even World War one, 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:32.520 world ward. I don't know about World War two, maybe 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:35.120 not at that point, but um, I think it depended 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:38.920 on the military. Yeah, uh, in the in the conflict. 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.640 It's actually a reasonable design. I mean, if you put 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:43.480 the right coatings on that and make sure that you 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.640 know that that that that gives you the the lightweight 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.360 flexibility that you need in order to build something that's 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.320 substantial in size yet light enough to have a smaller 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:54.880 engine to power it enough to get it up in 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:58.160 the air and also bring a human along. Because the 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.480 thing about all the ultra lights were naming is that 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:05.560 they do carry a human occupant. Just from an engineering standpoint, 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.840 it's pretty impressive to put this together right there. There's 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:11.840 another one that I think is really interesting. The third 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:15.440 type would be the powered parachutes or powered gliders. You 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:17.960 know what I'm talking about. I do, yes, Yeah. Do 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:20.600 you have any personal experience with these guys? No? Not 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.840 not a powered parachute, no, no, um, But man, those 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:26.400 are a weird design, aren't they. That's the one where 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.959 you strap what looks like a like a gigantic warehouse fan. Yeah, 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:32.520 it looks like you know the the you know the 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:36.079 airboats in Florida the swamps like a swamp boat. I 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:39.280 guess that we see. And those are ridiculously fast and 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:42.160 maneuverable and all that. But it's like you're putting one 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:44.880 of those on a backpack and just jumping off a 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.360 cliff with a parachute on. Really, I mean, it's it's 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:48.840 there's really not much more to that. I mean, you 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.439 take a running leap down and you run down a 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.720 hillside and jump into the air and and just hope 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:57.160 you go right. I mean, that's the idea. You've got 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:00.600 an engine that's strapped your back. That's it's heavy, that's 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.520 propelling you forward. But you gotta hope that everything works 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:05.200 out just right. And I think that's the case with 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.960 all of these designs. You know what, let me see 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:10.840 my rant. I guess to the end of this uh 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.200 this this show but and I don't even know if 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.800 it's a rant, but it's more just my disbelief that 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.600 somebody would put enough faith in Okay, okay, I'm getting already. 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.160 So yeah, what are the other types of design has been? Oh? Yeah, 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:28.360 there's the there's the rotorcraft, which can be divided into 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:35.120 two categories, helicopters and europlanes giro planes. Yeah, you're you're 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.840 pronouncing it like the uh you know, it's funny, Okay, 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.319 So in this case it would be giro, right, I 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:43.240 mean you say Giro. I believe when you're talking about 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:48.600 something like this, like this giro scoop a euro plane. Yeah, okay, 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:50.800 but in the food sense, when it's it's like a 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:54.120 pronounce a euro right, Yeah, it's funny. I never thought 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:56.640 of it that way. It's I think it's uh, it's 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:00.440 a weird rule in English is a ridiculous language and 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.679 also full disclosure. I haven't eaten anything today, So I'm 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:07.000 very into the idea of a euro plane. You don't 0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.280 know how it works, but you're gonna find out later. 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.040 I'm gonna find out later. Man. We used to have 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:16.760 this great Mediterranean place across the street. It's gone. Do 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:19.439 you remember that? One has nothing to do with this show. No, 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.760 I don't know. Sorry, well, relate to the game, but 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:27.000 we'll get we'll get euros. Sometimes that the gyro planes, 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.319 and you are correct, Scott, that is the correct pronunciation. 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:33.080 The gyro planes are sometimes referred to as gyro copters 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:37.600 or auto gyros, and the difference here is that a 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:42.160 helicopter uses a powered rotor or more than one rotor, 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:46.640 powered rotor and rotary wings to fly and also maintain 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:49.840 that directional control, right to pitch the jaw and so on. 0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:56.319 But giro plane uses a traditional engine and propeller for thrust, 0:13:56.880 --> 0:14:02.600 and there's an unpowered rotor that helps with theft. What 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.839 we really Yeah, that's a strange idea. I can't I'm 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:07.480 gonna have to look at a diagram of this thing 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:11.000 to figure that out. That's really strange, all right, Well, anyways, 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:13.360 that's it. That's it's okay. So that's another type. Right, 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:16.560 that's another type. So there are people building their own helicopters. 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.360 We've talked about that. And then there's even more, right, 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:23.240 there's more types, two more types. There's the trikes or 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.880 the weight shift. Now they are available in single seat 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.560 ultra light versions. These to me looks so silly. Yeah, 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:32.040 and then when you get and you get to the 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:35.600 two seater version, now it's no longer an ultra light. Remember, 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:39.160 because an ultra light in the US has one passenger 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.880 in the U. S okay, so yeah, but elsewhere, I 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.120 guess two seater it could be an ultra light right 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.120 in another place, Yeah, sure it could be classified as that. 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:53.600 But man, okay again, I'm wanting to go into that, 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:56.479 not not ramp, but wanting to go into that questioning 0:14:57.000 --> 0:14:59.280 the sanity of people that want to build these. Really 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.080 the it sounds like it sounds like a lot of fun, 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:03.800 don't get me wrong. But well, we'll talk about the 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:08.400 trike formation. One thing's interesting there. Um For for the 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:12.520 two seater versions, it's it's like an old school biplane. 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.240 And for as far as the seating, it's motorcycle seating. 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:18.280 You know what I mean. You your passenger is going 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.680 to be directly behind you, and then the last one. 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:25.160 Of course, all empowered ultra light fall into this single 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:30.200 category gliders or sail planes. We should probably do a 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:35.080 quick course correction for anybody who automatically thought of the 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:40.040 stereotypical glider. You know, when you hear glider, you think, okay, 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.960 there's someone who has decided to to live for the moment, 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.120 or they've made their peace with the great beyond, and 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.640 they say, the way I want to court death today 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.920 is to run off a cliff while I have this 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:58.480 this very light harness, this holding me to a frame, 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:03.800 uh that you know should catch the wind. You're talking 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.280 about hand gliders, hang gliders. We usually think of hang gliders, 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:11.000 but these unmpowered gliders and sail planes are a world 0:16:11.120 --> 0:16:15.440 beyond that. We were talking some top notch material science 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:19.440 to totally encase the pilot. Can you say pilot if 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:24.440 it's a glider? Yeah, sure, okay, And these things do 0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:28.120 often look like planes to the casual observer. They would 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:31.240 look like a small aircraft. But the thing is there's 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:35.920 no engine in there. Right. It's entirely based on leveraging 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.280 what we know about physics. Okay, now I'm a little 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:41.120 bit curious about this. Now, I don't think that anybody 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:42.400 here is going to know the answer to this, but 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:44.880 I do recall in the past hearing that you can 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:47.560 go up for glider rides. You can pay for a 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:49.920 glider ride where you know, another plane tows you into 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:53.560 the air, they disconnect, the guy wired and I like you, 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:55.480 you know, float back to Earth of course. You know, 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:59.320 you're you're soaring and it's supposedly a beautiful experience. You 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:03.200 know it at um sunset or sunrise or whatever, and 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:05.359 you know you land safely at the airport that you 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:08.359 took off from after you know whatever. It is maybe 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:10.439 a thirty minute flight, an empowered flight, you know, if 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:13.560 you've got a skilled person behind the the yok or 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:17.280 whatever the control is in a a lider. But I'm 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.680 curious now though, I didn't think that you're allowed to 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:22.080 have a second person. So maybe there's a second category 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:25.080 of these that is a different type of glider. Um 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:27.280 these are the ones with like enormous wingspans, though, the 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.000 ones that have you know, a fifty ft wingspan. It 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.080 looks like fifty ft anyway, right, Yeah, to qualify for 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:37.000 ultra light status, still any of those six categories have 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.040 to in the US only have one person, but there 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:46.280 are things like sail planes that may have Essentially, it's this, 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.320 whenever you have more than one person, even if all 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.280 the other rules of the ultra light glider are are 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:59.600 checked off successfully, that thing automatically becomes an aircraft like 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:04.680 a small light air requiring different licensing, different license because 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:08.480 because someone else's life is in your hands. Now, yeah, 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:10.720 you're right, and you know what I mean. Just to 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.040 get back to this just a little bit, the certification 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.679 I mean, ultra light vehicles and and all of their 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:18.520 components equipment are not required to meet any kind of 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:23.720 airworthiness certification or standards that are specified for aircraft. So 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.080 that's the differentiation between what you were just talking about 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:30.439 the sailplanes with two seats or more. I guess just 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:32.680 to probably in a in a sailplane, you wouldn't really 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:34.880 have more than that, I don't think. I don't think 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:38.320 there any three head that have three capacity for three rather, 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:40.679 but the ultra lights themselves don't have to have any 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:43.119 kind of certificates for air worthiness or anything like that, 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.080 which is crazy to me. I mean, that sounds absurd 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:47.959 that you're going to be in an aircraft that doesn't 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:50.399 really require a certificate for air worthiness. I mean, it's 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:52.320 up to you to decide whether that thing is gonna 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.680 fly or not. You can have them inspected, of course, 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:57.280 and you probably should. I mean that's another part of 0:18:57.280 --> 0:18:59.000 this is that you don't have to have any kind 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:00.600 of training to do it. You don't have to have 0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:02.840 any kind of expertise in order to build one of 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:07.560 these yourself. But it's strongly suggested that you have them 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:09.879 checked out by somebody who knows what they're doing, Somebody 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:12.679 that is, you know, competent and capable of doing this, 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:17.040 Somebody that has some sort of of aeronautical knowledge, you know, 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:20.480 a basis in in the basics, you know that that 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:23.240 knows what you're going to require and what's right, what's 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:25.720 not right, that type of thing. Because for you to fly, 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:28.199 you know, you're as an operator yourself. You don't have 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:30.600 to have any kind of aircnatical knowledge. You don't have 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:33.160 to meet any kind of age requirement. Uh, there has 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:36.119 to there's no experience requirement necessary. You don't have to have, 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:38.480 you know, a certain number of hours as a passenger 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:41.199 in one of these vehicles. Obviously you can't really that 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:44.840 first time up for you in an ultralight technically should 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:47.160 be your first time up in the air in that craft. Ever, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.639 you're not going to get like a ride along to 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.440 see how your craft operates under the control of you know, 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.080 somebody who's a master or somebody who's you know, a 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:58.399 certified a certified pilot. You're just gonna have to get 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:00.000 up there and go for it and hope that everything 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:02.399 works out right. I mean, and I know a lot 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:05.720 of pilots that do have licenses are the ones that 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:07.880 end up behind, you know, the controls of these things. 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:10.240 So it's not always just somebody that has no experience 0:20:10.240 --> 0:20:12.040 and decides they're gonna build a plane in their garage. 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:15.080 It's sometimes it's somebody who does have a lot of 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:18.600 experience in flight and lots of hours of experience and 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:20.760 they and they do this, And I feel a little 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:23.159 bit better about those people. You know that they that 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:26.000 they are up there above us, you know, above crowded 0:20:26.000 --> 0:20:29.040 areas or above you know crowds or whatever, um and 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:31.400 they've got a little bit of experience. But there's there's 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:33.359 no registration for these vehicles at all. They don't have 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:35.920 to have registration markings like other planes do as well, 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.679 Like even even I mean, jeez, even watercraft have to 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:42.399 be registered and have markings on them. These don't have to. 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.240 There there is just such a wild west world. Really, 0:20:46.600 --> 0:20:50.320 when you think about the way ultra lights operate, it's strange. 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:53.400 I can imagine not having any training, especially these days 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:56.679 when there's all sorts of virtual experiences you can engage in, 0:20:57.119 --> 0:21:00.680 it still doesn't seem to be any even vitual type 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:04.080 training to fly an ultralight aircraft. There might be wouldn't 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:06.520 that be cool? There should be, you know, I guess 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:09.080 maybe the closest you could come to this would be, 0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:14.120