Fantastic article. I`m destined to build one, just get started! My second bedroom is too small, my garage is renovated and I am very motivated to rent it out and it leaves just enough space in my back patio, assuming 1 tenant parks a car there but I digress. I always wanted to get my license, but having recently paid for 1 flight hour (1 flight hour and 3 hours instructor time!), which is somewhat understandable given the ground training, I was able to build this aircraft before I could afford to complete my pilot training. That`s not to say I don`t enjoy private pilot training very much, I`m sure I`ll continue to increase my hours over the years, especially in an LSA rating at a minimum, but the honest truth is that the complexity and cost of an LSA rating is so prohibitive that it drives the majority of the public away from general aviation. Which is a real shame! When I first heard about ultralight aircraft and saw this legal eagle powered by a VW, I knew it was one. I had a sand rail and I like to remember (or so I tell myself) when I got stuck in a bowl near the dunes of Pismo (mostly crappy bare tires…) and the carburetor cover came off one of the carburetors and sucked sand into the engine and grabbed it. Long story short, VW engines are ridiculously easy to use and I remember an old friend and I holding the engine on either side while my mom took a picture. It was the good old days, but I want more good days and I am convinced without a doubt that I have to build this plane. There`s a full range of features to explore, even if it`s at speeds and altitudes that aren`t common with the motorhome. I spent several hundred hours in light aircraft, but the last 1100 hours were exclusively in the RV-6. Therefore, I was only partially prepared for the amazing lightness of the eagle. Although the XL-58 is flown with controls familiar to a Champ or Cub pilot, the ultra-low wing loading and in-flight weight allow for a dilating transition for the eyes, which is accustomed to aircraft that weigh hundreds of pounds heavier than the Eagle.
A stiff breeze is not a challenge to fly; It`s a challenge when you ride! And flying in the midday turbulence brings a new appreciation of how our atmosphere is made up of invisible vortices and eddies. Although the XL has a traditional plane shape, the ultralight pilot needs to know how to affect the performance of the aircraft with low weight and high drag to avoid causing problems if the aircraft is mismanaged due to a rapid drop in speed. But after a few hours of acclimatization and shakedown flights, I learned to appreciate the classic features of my Eagle and how well suited it is for its intended use. The Legal Eagle is an honest aircraft: it will reward the pilot smoothly and embarrass the ham fist, and this is where the key to the satisfaction obtained through the demonstration of good flying skills lies. The Eagle pilot is reminded that only coordinated flight can keep the ball where it belongs. Flying a passage over a rural runway and watching the eagle`s wheels gently rush into the grass without touching the earth is a simple pleasure for which this aircraft is perfectly suited. Some of the most enjoyable planes I`ve ever experienced were shared with a 1940 J-3. The Cub revived the very reasons I wanted to fly, and the economics of the operation led to guilt-free theft. It was the desire to return to Cub Scout flying that led me to include the Legal Eagle in my hangar, not dissatisfaction with the RV. The two aircraft complement each other perfectly and offer access to opposite corners of the performance spectrum. The only time a slide would be practical is in the event of a massive structural failure (i.e.
The wings fall off) otherwise the thing just flies to the ground. With the glide ratio of this little bird, you can travel another mile per 1000 altitudes. If you are 2000` AGL, that gives you almost 2 miles to find a place to put it. That`s a safe margin for me. Many Eagles are built and flown regularly, without structural failure. People fly every day in planes without parachutes. I guess every man for himself, but I guess it`s a bit like a 90-year-old gentleman still wearing a condom. The chances are slim that it will one day come out of the packaging. Check this out. I gave up.
It`s time for professional training! LOL Clutch is more than I want to do. $520.00 if I buy coins. That`s how I saw it. Mine had a moving ratio of 13:1. When the engine was dipping, you had time to find a seat. In the Alaskan bush, a man`s status is tied to the size of his garbage pile.