We are delighted to announce that we can now offer Microlight training and hire in our very own Ikarus C42 Microlight which we have recently added to our fleet.
To help us celebrate and launch the new aircraft, the current Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Jennifer Gilmour, came to the airfield to cut the ribbon. This is a great day for us all and is culmination of a lot of work by our committee members, so many thanks to them!
What is a microlight?
For those unsure, our new aircraft is classed as a microlight, this determines that it must have a stall speed at or less than 35kts and weigh no more than 450kg. The Ikarus C42 can actually get a weight bump so our max weight is 475.5kg which gives a bit more space for fuel.
When most people think of Microlights they think of the trikes with a triangle wing on top, much like a large kite. There are many members that fly these but the other kind of microlight is what we have bought, a 3-axis aircraft.
These are flown and look like a “conventional” aircraft but for a much reduced cost. This is for several reasons such as running on super unleaded rather than aviation fuel, much cheaper maintenance costs and highly efficient engines with low fuel burn. These aircraft can also out perform many GA aircraft in terms of cruise speed, climb rate and are essentially STOL aircraft with the ability to land in small grass airfields.
Due to this, these aircraft are ideal for the pilot who wants to fly for fun or a hobby. You can’t fly at night or in poor weather (VFR only) but for the sport pilot this is perfect. If you’re interested give the club a ring (028 9181 3327) to arrange a trial flight or head to trial lessons to book online.
For our PPL pilots you can also log hours in this aircraft that count towards your PPL revalidation, therefor it is a great option to keep yourself current for a cheaper outlay. Speak to your instructor for full details of this.
Ikarus C42 Specs
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 1
- Length: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 9.45 m (31 ft 0 in)
- Height: 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 12.5 m2 (135 sq ft)
- Airfoil: NACA 2412
- Empty weight: 265 kg (584 lb) standard
- Max takeoff weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 50 L (13 US gal; 11 imp gal) with optional ferry tankage
- Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912UL 4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 59.7 kW (80.1 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Cruise speed: 175 km/h (109 mph, 94 kn) at 75% power
- Range: 695 km (432 mi, 375 nmi)
- Rate of climb: 6.7 m/s (1,320 ft/min) solo