Unintentional Take-Off?? 

Thanks. It truly was memorable and I will remember it forever. You are welcome. Bringing you all along was the plan. As long as it helps any others seek their dreams of flight I did my exact intentions and lit some fires.

You are very kind. Thanks for the 'attaboy'. In retrospect I had a blast when I knew she'd stay level. Stay tuned. More to come.

That's awesome, Steve. You'll love it. It's a great feeling of accomplishment. You'll see. Good luck and keep us informed. I look forward to following you. And you're welcome for the kind word about inspiring others. That was the goal and I'm glad it's lit some fires. Blue skies and tail winds!

Yeh, doesn't she?!! All I could think was "fly it, relax, keep the wings level, look for emergency landing spots, fight my own cross-controlling and not understand what it was creating, etc. I think pilots call it 'task saturated'. lol Thanks, for the 'attaboy' Andrew!!

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 Great job, from your video you are certainly cross controlling, left rudder and using right aileron. If you were attempting to put the plane into a slip for a crosswind landing this is what you would start to do but not in straight and level flight. If your cable is run wrong I would encourage you to get it corrected so you don't continue cross controlling. At lower speeds you can actually put a plane in a spin ( I did that on my own Challenger II a few years back !

@@rchelicopterheavenGot ya! Came to the same conclusions. I am working on the fixes and about to test hop it. Stay tuned!

Thanks! :)

Thank you, Robert! Coming from a fellow Aerolite owner that means a lot. After I inspect my cable routing to that right side, I'll make a second attempt withOUT the over-excessive rudder inputs. I can do this. Onward and Upward! :D

Thank you!

Thank you so very much for your kind words.

Jack, go for it. It's part 103 and all you need is familiarization with controls and the machine itself. If you've piloted a 150 you CAN pilot this. Keep us informed. Your age doesn't matter. Only your heart. "Blue skies and tail winds", sir!

Go for it, Jack!

Do it jack! Im 60 and im gonna get one

When the dream is greater than the fear, you will do it

Thank you, Jed, for the confirmation on that 'decision' I made. I have read too many reports about last second 'go-arounds' that were not tried when they should have been. And bad things happen. I felt confident enough so I went for it. "No guts. No glory". Right?!! lol Just one more out of the hundred things going through my mind during that 'life-changing' experience I had.

You got that right, Dave 7200. As I get used to being the 'solo' PIC I will relax more and more with each flight. It was a blast. And having GoPro action camera's helps immensely. Thanks for watching!

Thank you, sir! You are very kind and I appreciate the comment more than you know. Onward and upward - after fixing my resistant right aileron issue. Self grounded for now. Got advice from Dennis Carley and need to get on the fix and re-test fly it. Stay tuned. More to come.

Thanks, Joe! Go up. Just do it! The experience is thrilling doing it on your own. That's for sure.

She was as surprised as me when I landed. That's because she assumed I'd decided to go and didn't tell her. NOT! lol It all turned out right and my feeling of accomplishment rose considerably. Thanks for the kind words. :)

LOL Thanks, Mark!! You and me both are laughing. I have viewed the vids over n over and see all the things you very astute pilots/viewers observe me doing incorrectly. You definitely nailed it and that is precisely the response I was hoping for. Thank you. Now to remedy the mechanical issues and get back up there. But thoughtfully, not hastily. Stay tuned for more as I continue honing skills. Proficiency and skill ARE my goals. The most sought after 'Bucket list' item just got checked off. :) I'm a "test pilot" too. Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk!

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 Oh, I'm not an astute pilot by any means. Astute Part 121 A&P possibly. I've just been fortuant to have been able to fly with some professional pilots over the years. BTW, forgot to mention nice job on sticking that landing too. Personally, I've got a few hours from years ago, but family obligations and life got in the way (if you know what I mean). I'm still hoping to be able to get back up there again some day. Cheers Test Pilot!

Thank you very much. It WAS a "rush". Time to practice the pattern for a while. Then onward and upward to 'cross country' to some local spots. Stay tuned.

Rodger, you are so right. I was highly concerned about a wing drop the whole time, in any of my banked turns. My mind was reeling with so much info in nanoseconds it was wild. Task saturated BIG TIME. Thanks for the 'attaboy'. I truly appreciate everyones reaction and comments. :)

She knows better now. lol Thanks for the congrats.

Lol! My wife would have said “yeah OK”

There was a guy in Jacksonville Florida in 2017 his wife bought him a new Aerolite 103 first flight he was killed no training. He had life long dream of flying and was an avid skydiver before. These ultralights not much protection some like the quicksilvers your legs are the only thing sticking out in the front even a flip over going to bust your legs off.

Thank you!

Hi David. I called Dennis Carley personally and he said to check "cable routing" going into the wing section and re-rout if necessary. It was necessary. So, I re-routed it and it is in the proper orientation now. My piloting skills definitely need more work, I know. I cross-controlled practically the whole time. I will force that to cease by staying aware of my feet and rudder position and remain neutral rudder in forward cruise attitude. Stay tuned and thanks again for following my dream with me. Blue skies & Tail winds. :)

It's sooooo worth it.You're going to love it. Thanks for following my progress. I hope it inspired a lot of you to follow your dreams - even in your 60's. Blue skies and tail-winds.

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 it did, big time. I sent an inquiry to the folks at Camarillo Airport for training as well. Once this COVID stuff subsides it go time. Keep flying and recording and I'll keep watching. Big Al - San Diego, CA

Thanks. :)

Thanks!

Am I that transparent? lol You won't be sorry if you get one. Keep us informed and good luck!

Yes, I hear you and agree. She's got plenty of power & airspeed so she climbed out great. I had no trepidations whether or not I could do it. I flashed back to my Quicksilver lessons. I knew I could stay in control. But the right aileron resistance due to a cable binding a little - and my cross-controlling - hurt my overall success. But that said I felt her in the seat of my pants and knew what she was capable of, and good to go, as long as I kept calm and just flew it. Thanks for the 'great job'. Very much appreciated.

Those are some good guys at airolight very helpful

I appreciate your .02 cents worth. Truly. Spot on for my performance. Definitely I see myself in debrief video all bad inputs that you pointed out and will correct those in the next flight. If you made it to the end of the video you should have heard that I contacted the manufacturer and he advised to check the cable on the offending side. It was not correct and needed to be re-oriented. Aileron's and flaps are re-rigged. I have yet to take flight two while waiting for additional camera equipment. Stay tuned for new flight video coming. Two vantage points of me (one from left strut & one from right strut), a chin mounted camera on front of plane, and a rear view. Stay tuned. And thank you for the "congrats" on my safe landing. Not the last "safe" one. ;)

I'm going to guess it doesn't take too much pressure on either one of those pedals to to keep a good deflection on your rudder, and that can toss your entire rigging into an uncoordinated situation period but let me say this, really nice looking landing, for your first one after a pretty exciting circuit. I've decided I'm getting an arrow light 103 myself, really thank you for this video.

Thank you so much!

Thanks Robert. Believe it or not I just got back from the hangar and I did that exact thing and re-routed the cable and re-rigged ailerons and flaps. Cable was done wrong by me last time I had wings off. Cable went under that 1" tube at the Chord instead of over it. Dennis Carley was consulted and that's what he suggested. Next is waiting for a dead calm morning and get into the pattern again and test it. I'll do it after takeoff when in my downwind leg. If all feels right I will do a touch and go and do that for an hour. Instructor saw my vid and suggested I practice pattern before moving on to cross-country. Thanks again for thinking about it and giving me another slant on things. Onward & Upward! :)

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 Please keep the videos coming I'm trying to learn from you

You are quite welcome, Michael. Stay tuned. And you will love the 103. ;)

Thanks for the suggestion, Darrin. I actually had a cable to the aileron 'mis-routed' in an orientation that was most likely causing the resistance in one aileron and not the other. I text/called Dennis Carley, the manufacturer. I asked him if he'd ever heard of what I experienced. He said "Yes. Several times. It is usually caused by the aileron cable being incorrectly installed." So, I went to the hangar and checked. Sure enough when I put my wings back on the last time they were off, I put the left aileron cable on properly, but not the right one. It's supposed to go OVER a 1" inboard tube at the chord. It was under that tube and put a bind in the cable. Hence the resistance. I re-did it and then re-rigged BOTH ailerons and flaps. And when I fly next I need to STOP cross controlling the controls. That did NOT help matters. Only thing left is 'test fly it'. Stay tuned. Onward & upward. :)

Yep, I do. Thx for the suggestion though. The friend at our field with the "Legal Eagle XL" advised the same. ;)

If I was "afraid" I would have definitely crashed off the end of the runway. My training kicked in. ;)

I was terrified when I was learning. 👍

I needed to keep my wits. Training helped and I can't stress that enough that people find a instructor first before flying these things.

Thanks, Jimm! I truly appreciate your vote of confidence. That's my plan. To fly and continue developing proficiency and skills. I got my instructors vote of confidence so that settled it. Stay tuned for flight videos. Blue skies and tail-winds.

Thank you for your observations. I appreciate it more than you know. You're right, next time I'll be hyper-aware of NOT doing it for normal flight operations. But I understand the use and need if coming over high trees on a short runway. As to my choice of Ultralight I chose the Aerolite 103 because she presented herself in Barnstormers one day at the right price and the seller was in my state, a few hours drive away. He needed to sell his home due to personal reasons and needed to get out from under the Ultralight sitting un-finished in his home garage. So, the rest is history. Kolb was my original desire due to the folding wings and being able to park it at home if need be. That was my primary reason for the desire to have a Kolb. As fate would have it I got the Aerolite and am NOT sorry I did. She has all the bells and whistles in as far as having all control axis (i.e. ailerons, flaps, rudder and elevator). That said my maiden flight made me appreciate it that much more. I ride a motorcycle and have over 42 years. The Aerolite is my motorcycle for the sky. I had to have the wind in my face and I am a fair weather rider, so, flying will be the same. I hope that answered all your questions and again, I really appreciate your input. Follow that Ultralight dream because the FAA rules go out the window and you'll become a true "Wright Brothers" pilot. There's nothing like that feeling. Trust me.

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 Thanks for your reply. It is a pleasure to receive such a positive reply. Thanks again, and please, never let anyone hear you say, upon landing, "Dead Stick"! Now one added little something you can play on any pilot, as most will not know the answer. Goes like this, "ask any pilot you know, what is the most useless altitude there is"? Think about it, the ONLY altitude you simply cannot use, especially if you are having a, say engine out situation. Try to answer it tonight. This Florida pilot will tell you the answer if you write back.

@@clouddancer7624 Thanks for your reply. You're welcome, by the way. I enjoy the communication with anyone that is in love with aviation. As for your trick question I have never heard that question asked of anyone I know, nor in any of the circle of friends I associate with. What's the ONLY altitude you can't use? You got me. I'm at a loss. Please edify me. I apologize if that was the lazy answer but I am truly stumped. Waiting for your reply. ;)

Answer: The Altitude above You!

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 Answer: "The Altitude Above you". With an engine out, or even anything less, the plane will be going down, hopefully under some control, so the only altitude you CAN use, is the altitude below you, thus the altitude you cannot use, is that altitude Above You! No one ever thinks of that. Now you can pull that on any of your friends. Coming from a Private Pilot from 1978, and an RC pilot from 1975. Still fly RC Pattern today, but I do not have a full size plane today, and I would love one. Sold my two planes, years ago. A Beech Musketeer, which I didn't like with that awful flying stab, and my Grumman Yankee. Loved that plane. Had it for about 15 years, then sold it. Now retired, I'm a Looking. Best of luck to you, sir. Even though I'm in my 70's, but still have my annual physical Class III medical. Good Luck!

Thank you. I do realize I was exacerbating the problem with incorrect inputs. But the aileron cable causing a bind was not helping me because I know what it's supposed to feel like. Like the left aileron, easy to move and deflect. Right one definitely had resistance due to my incorrect installation. That's why we "test" fly our airplanes and assess any potential issues and remedy them. Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for more. I re-rigged the cable and ailerons & flaps and just need to "test" fly it again.

Thank you! And yes I cross controlled and won't let that happen again. De-briefing with the video helps. Next time I fly I will force myself to relax the rudder inputs and keep it neutral unless in a turn/bank. The excessive left rudder wasn't supposed to be done. I should have been neutral. in straight and level. But being the maiden flight I was surprised by how she flew and it showed. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

I thought your plane might have been out of rig but looks like all is well. Great flight Bud!

Roger!

Get training if you are not already a pilot Maybe find an ultralight instructor who can give you some instruction and maybe fly it first. I don't think he is making videos anymore it's been 2 years maybe he sold it after this flight.

Thank you! And I hear ya about it's not her fault. But a truly great camera is out of the price range. I'm going to work on getting more video cameras with time. Stay tuned. :)

Thanks, JC! I will heed all the advice you and others have given. I definitely noticed many things in my 'de-brief' video. The GoPro's are priceless and I will have them on the plane from now on during any and every flight. The cross-controlling and and mis-routed 'push/pull' aileron cable was also a cause I fought resistance. I have fixed the problem, re-rigged the ailerons and flaps, and will try again on a dead-calm morning. Stay tuned and thanks again for the observations and comment.

Thank you! :)

Yeh, I wasn't expecting any maiden flight that morning, that's for sure. LOL But when it's all said and done, I literally loved it and it was soooo satisfying knowing you piloted your own plane and did it safely. Solo two is coming. I just fixed my right aileron cable. Now, lots more practice time in the pattern needed. Just like my taxi & air taxi I will do it till comfortable and move on from there. Stay tuned, and thanks for following me & my dream.

AEROLITE 103 Builders Vlog sounds like a good way forward. I would suggest you do some hours with an ultralight instructor. You are doing a couple of things that need to be unlearned. If not every time you come under pressure you will revert to type. Best to get these re-educated at this stage. Looking forward to the next video!

@@neilbarriskell7840, I have hours of training. You have to understand the pucker factor. You'd be startled if that happened to you and you weren't expecting it. Plus my instructor is 50 miles away - one way. You figure it out. No Neil, I had an experience in my own aircraft that I had NEVER flown before. Plus I needed to 'test" her out. While a Quicksilver MX II is similar to mine, they are totally different. Especially with one less man in the cockpit. My instructor flew 10 hours with me and if he thought I should stop and continue with him, he'd have said something. Stay tuned. I'll get better after 'the pucker factor' calms down from being alone up there as Pilot in Command. Gotta happen one day, right?!! Thanks for the comments.

AEROLITE 103 Builders Vlog difficult for me to judge from the video. In terms of training, all UK microlight / ultralight to you, must complete a license there are minimum hours 25, exams (Nav, weather, human performance, engines/airframe) plus a skills test. It means all pilots are in a place to handle the unexpected if they stay current. I appreciate this caught you out, but there was some basic things going a bit left, not correcting the swing of the Center line, cross control, poor circuit, poor approach etc. a wee bit more instructor time backed up with a bit more time in your own aircraft will get that ironed out. In the end it’s about being safe enough to enjoy the wonderful aircraft you have built

Not here in America, Neil. No license for Part 103 here. Just a Driving license in good standing works here. My instructor can NOT help me with my own aircraft. That's entirely on me, mate! Stay tuned, my UK friend. It's all going to turn out just fine and I will have a great time developing my skills in MY own single seat aircraft, as I go. There's an old saying: "Airspeed. Altitude. Brains. One needs TWO of the three to survive." Cheers!

My lanyard has a blue key fob on it with the saying; "Keep calm and fly on!" on it. I've been reading that thing for 3 years and it finally "sunk in", I guess. lol Thanks for following my exploits. :)

Thank you, Jack, for sharing your experience with us. So you can relate, huh!!? Running out of room was my issue and if I had tried to stop at the end of the runway I'd have gone off the asphalt for sure and been left with hauling it up and out of the embankment at the end of the runway. Embarrassing. It was easier to just "go for it". Blue skies and tail-winds to you!!!

Have you read "Stick & Rudder" yet, Phil? (It's a must-read for pilots!)

Yes. Thanks for the comments.

Thank you. I wanted laser-tuned observations and you hit it on the head with everything I went thru. Like you were there (which I know you have, just saying). Just from watching. I'll heed your very sage advice. I want to be a proficient and skilled pilot so I can keep out of the danger zones. Onward & Upward!

Thanks for the kind words. I am feeling much more accomplished, but definitely in need of way more skills and experiences. In time the proficiency and skills will come. "Practice makes Perfect".

Yep. I think that was what I felt when trying to turn right. Newbie mistake and lots of adrenaline due to the surprise takeoff. Instructor said I did good when he saw vid. Just need more time and experience around the pattern, but after inspecting controls for possible cable mis-routed to right aileron. Self grounded till I inspect it closer. Might have to remove wing. We'll see.

I appreciate the advice and comment, Tyler. Truly. My 'comfort level', though, was taken by surprise and I went into "fly the plane" mode. The plane was giving me signals something wasn't right and THAT is what you guys saw. My instructor saw this vid too and said "well done" except for the unintentional departure. But that was the ONLY choice at that moment - or crash off the end of the runway. So, you got to see some gonads whether it looked like I was scared - or not. I know my airplane and that motor has 30 hours on it without so much as a hicc-up. I knew she'd stay running and fly but was confused, over the aileron issue and battling my own cross-control. I "gut it out", because that was the ONLY course of action in that situation - and I got her down safely - and can do it again safely. Stay tuned.

Hey Richard. Sorry it took a month to reply. To my knowledge there are no hangers 'open' and available at the moment. I have heard of one that might be going to auction due to a pilot's recent passing away from natural causes. His hangar and immaculately restored Piper 'Cub' will be auctioned off at Modesto Airport (KMOD) but I am not sure of the date. It's possibly already happened. All that said you might just want to call the Oakdale city offices and speak to a gal name 'Debbie' about possible hangar openings at Oakdale Muni (027). Their telephone number is; (209) 845-3571. Good luck!

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 thanks Phil for the reply. Would like to stop by sometime to talk about our 103s. You could probably give me some points of view. I have a good friend at that field who has an RV6 who I’ve flown with. You might know Dennis Bailey. I took a lesson with Bill in an ultra lite at Lodi a number of years ago.

@@rjmoreci Dennis' RV6A is awesome. At the last 'Young Eagles' event I had an opportunity to go up with him and he let me fly it. It's an awesome plane. But all of VANS planes are awesome. :) He just got his new panel put in and he's 'glass' panel now. I'd love to meet up so when you feel like coming down for a visit hit me up and give me an ETA and we can do that. Bill Bardin is a great guy, too, by the way. "Blue Skies and Tail Winds" to ya. ;)

Richard. I have good news. There's a hangar FOR RENT. No price shown on the sign though. The contact number is (209) 652-3486 and Ian is the person to talk to. Hope that helps. Good luck!

@@aerolite103buildersvlog8 I can’t believe it. We have more in common then I thought. I didn’t say but had an opportunity to fly his plane as well. He picked me up in Columbia and we flew around the area. I had the controls for about 20 min. Awesome plane to fly and just an awesome plane. Couldn’t land obviously but it flies like easy. I have probably 25 hours flying and navigating a 172 Cessna through a company I worked for. Would take the controls while the boss slept. I got to know Denny from my wife who had a relationship with him before me through school and we have done things together as couples. He’s a great guy. We’ll have to hook up.