Flying low to the ground provides a dangerous false sense of security. Altitude can provide room to make a mistake and still recover. Altitude is our friend.
You're correct, 2 things in a airplane that are no good is runway behind you and altitude above you And the only time a plane has too much gas in it is when it's on fire
Purchased my first 25 years ago, after a dozen or so fast taxis down my field I finally pulled up and went for it, an hour later touched down just as smoothly and have been flying weekly since then with no problems. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
That is awesome. I want to buy one, but I need a full time job first. Personally, only had ground school and about 2 hours in private planes, along with 1000s of of video games, lol...
I did the exact same thing about 25 years ago. I purchased and build a Quicksilver MX single seat ultralight. Read a few books (no RU-vid at that that time), used Microsoft Flight Simulator, and still today. Then after several weeks of taxis on unmanned runways, I pull the throttle and took to flight. I later got with a group of filers who met monthly to do some fun flights and air shows. No problems, and owned it for 10 years, But, on the safe side, dong it way may not be for everyone. It was easy for me. Professional pilots use IFR and VFR rules and school training. Many successful ultralight pilots (with no formal training) are daredevils who have a natural instinct in some cases, and fly by the seat of their pants.
There is no ultralight training around here, I have been flying my Airbike down runway, get up to 12 feet maybe 15 then land. Been doing that for 2=weeks. Today I did a circuit, got up to 500 ft and landed smooth. I installed a dasmcam under plane and monitor so Imcan see where the wheels are, only looked at it 3 times and now I know exActly where they are.I think most people try to turn without more power flying slow and , don't realize they are dropping as they are slowing. That's how the wings drop. I think. I try and fly as safe as possible. Early morning and evenings only. If you are gonna try without training, study others mistakes, and don't make them.
my instructor was a drunk who use to pass out as soon as we took off and woke up when we landed. his "lessons" were how to be a commercial pilot and never pass a bar or refuse a drink. flying isnt that hard and so long as you dont go high or far its only as safe as the persons general dexterity. if you are afraid, there is a reason, if your not you will very likely be fine.
Who trained Wilbur and Orville Wright? I have had instructors that might have done better by giving me a manual written in ancient Gaelic. I have flown many years as soon as I quit listening to some instructors that only knew how to process my credit card. Being an instructor takes a specific skill set that few people have. Can anybody go into a classroom and teach you how to work math problems. Teaching is an art. Flying is an art with basic facts. My experience is that most pilot instructors are good pilots and poor teachers (instructors).
If you know the 'Wright' history, you'll know that the brothers started out with gliders and practiced with them for 3 YEARS! Don't do this without training!
Your learning doesn't depend only on how "good" an instructor is - that's a cop out. You adapt to a marginal instructor, put up with his faults, and you are still going to learn. You're going flying aren't you? BTW I am not an instructor but a former student who's instructor did not teach at all the way I thought he should, but I learned anyway.
Agree 110%. Although you don't need a privot pilot's license to fly an ultralight per 103A, trying to fly ANYTHING without at least some training is just a recipe for disaster and the stats will prove it.
Being a licensed pilot of anything means you are more than qualified to fly any ultralight. However, anyone who tries to fly an ultralight with truly no training has an idiot for an instructor, and a moron for a student. Don't do it. The slightest mistake will get you killed.
"Looked" is the key word here. It looks easy. Trust me - it isn't, especially when the unexpected happens. And as an ultralight pilot with about three hundred hours, I've read plenty of obituaries of pilots killed due to lack of training. I'm sorry, it may look easy, but it's dangerous enough with proper training. Not getting proper training increases the risk exponentially. Just ask any pilot with any experience at all.
That's one of the most dangerous things you can do jumping in an airplane and flying with absolutely no training. Everyone has to remember an airplane is designed to fly. You pull the power of full power and the airplane will take off. The part where the training comes in is controlling the airplane once it's in flight and getting it back down on the ground safely.
judging from the hundreds to thousand of times this is done and I have yet to hear of a fatality, although im sure its happened, you are just a coward afraid to do anything so stay inside on your couch and let the people who arent afraid lead the way for you.
But generally speaking would you just give that advice to anyone buying an ultralight? I wouldn't tell just anyone to "jump in a car and hit the gas" if they have never driven, lol... I don't mean to preach anything like "You must have X hours of training before you fly" and I do understand the sentiment that sometimes you just have to go for it, but to be fair, telling the general community to "just go ahead and try it" might be understating how complicated flying, landing, navigating and relating skills are. Flying when everything goes smoothly isn't as big of a deal, but the training isn't for when things are going well :)
What do you mean no training? You just bought an Ultralite, hopped in, and started flying? You had to have some basic fundamentals of aerodynamics, right?
I don't know how that pilot for 29 years was posted bc I'm only 36 as of Jan this year. I've had my private pilot license since 12/24/1999. Even thought I have a lot of experience in actual part 91 aircraft I had never even been up close to an ultralight aircraft before that day and with no training and having only read the pilot operating handbook for that craft, I got on it taxied out onto the road and took off. I will say it was quite shocking how unlike traditional aircraft it was. Very dangerous! Had I not been a veteran aviator the video would have had a very different possibly tragic ending. I must stress to anyone without a pilot license or not properly trained in an ultralight ,,, do not attempt to fly. It will kill you!
@@mdrsmeltracy No, if you're not in a congested area or endangering people, being reckless etc. However, state and local laws and regs vary greatly from place to place.
