Author: JoeO

Powered Paraglider pilot since 2005

APCO Lift EZ … First Flights 802 to 804



The LIFT EZ is APCO‘s latest generation of reflex wings designed as an “all round” wing for beginner or experienced pilots.  Mine arrived fresh from the factory via Terry Lutke who declined to demo the wing even though he had my blessing.  Terry claims that he wants me to have the honor of the first flight and that’s very nice of him…. But….I think he just didn’t want to take the chance blending it.  To that I say….ah Heck… It’s going to be up close and personal with Elizabeth sooner or later.   CHICKEN!!

The first thing I noticed was the fabric was lighter than my previous wings and it has been chemically treated giving it a slicker feel.  APCO claims it will increase lifespan by reducing UV damage and abrasion.  They also claim zero porosity over the life of the glider.  This wing is the large model measuring 29.2 m and 25 m projected area.  It’s rated to 407 lbs. all up, so we are right at the top of the placard.  The Brasiliera color scheme I selected is Red Yellow and Green, it is vibrant and totally out of character with the Falcon… But… I like it.  

The trimmer range is several inches longer than I’m used to and the hatch marks span both positive and negative trim.   It’s been suggested that the negative trim would be helpful when adjusting for crosswind flying or possibly anti torque.  It’s unknown territory for me.  I’ve requested info from APCO and would like to start a discussion of trim and characteristics on Facebook.   Hopefully I’ll be able to do an intelligent report on glider behavior with this wing. 
The manual says it is safe to fly at any setting, so I assume it is ok to fly with the trim fully closed.
I don’t know what to expect because it kites like a power mattress with trims fully closed.
Stay Tuned….



There are several safety features.  The SRS Stall Recovery System is a clever riser design that allow the A and the C and D risers to slide in opposing directions.  If the wing were ever to go into a parachutal stall the load would shift elevating the C and D risers and pulling the A riser down, accelerating the wing back into a flight.  Since I tend to fly like an old lady, I’ve never experienced  a  parachutal stall.There is also a series of valves at the top of the leading edge.  When the wing is in reflex and the Angle of Attack is lowered these HIT valves open up increasing internal pressure.  This feature really becomes important when using the speed system.  The tip steering is also a little different.  Instead of just pulling down the stabilo line the WSS Wind Scoop System cups the wing tips, creating drag without lift.  

For the first flights, I set the trim to neutral, the take offs and landing were clean and uneventful.  Climb is good in neutral but goes down fast in reflex.  At one point I was climbing at 250 fpm but the average seems to be around 175 fpm, descent was around 500 fpm.  Turning with the tip steering is smooth and requires minimum pull.  I did notice that we were losing altitude in turns and I’m going to experiment with different thrust to figure out what makes for a flat turn.  Turning against the torque is discouraged and when it’s also against the wind, the wing resists greatly.  It reminds me of the way the power play swing used to react.
Both days there was building wind and it was hard to judge the speed but I don’t think it’s any faster than I was with the Eden III, probably 30 mph.  I might think about the speed system

There were a few annoyances….
Its hard to see the scale marks on the trim tabs, and when closed, the loose webbing can get in the way.  These things are probably no big deal and after 10 flights I won’t even notice but right now, they  complicate the flight.
But I Really liked….
The new magnets, they really grab the toggles.
The Flexon Battons that shap the cell openings.
The butt holes to keep my wing clean.  🙂

Overall it’s a nice wing.  The flight characteristics are predictable and benign but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s clearly suitable for a beginner and I think the huge speed range possible with this wing will keep me interested for awhile.


799 Fun and Sun

 Mike Lange and I got up at O dark thirty and drove to

Lakeland for the Fun and Sun Aviation Expo.  
Fun and Sun is one of the largest Fly In and Expos in America, second only to the big one at OshKosh.  It fills the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport and hosts a tremendous number of vendors and a huge diversity of aircraft including a fine showing of vintage airframes, including warbirds.  

When it got too hot to wander around the field, Mike and I sought shade at the Aviator booth.  Eric  Fairwell was a great host.  Not only did he provide all the water we could drink, he also hooked us up with passes for the gate.  Eric is the Nirvana dealer and has done a great job promoting the product and the sport.  When my friend Rex Mangurian mentioned that he didn’t get a copy of the bible during his training, Eric promptly gave him a copy which Jeff Goin happily autographed.  Great Guys, I wish them the best.


Planet PPG had a booth and Paul was in his element, giving seminars and demo flights.  Paul has recently gained control of the Pine Island Airstrip and has been busy clearing trees and making it into a premier PPG school.  


Rob Catto was there with his excellent PPG simulator, the Virtual Foot Flyer. I was impressed with how real the experience was.  Unlike a video game where the control inputs are buttons and joysticks, the Virtual Foot Flyer has you in a harness, pulling brakes and using weight shift. It allows you to swivel your head and see where you are looking. There is a turbine blowing wind in your face and the sound effect include a sub woofer that feeds vibration thru the harness.  The whole experience was increadably realistic.  When it was over, I exclaimed, “When I’m ninety,  I want one of these things”.
  


I also met Nick Reed who is building the V Twin Flyer.  Nick is a past student of Terry Lutke and is building an airframe along the same lines as the Falcon.  He has made a few changes, primarily a large castered nose wheel which I’m sure improves ground handling.  The fit and finish is very good  and his pricing is competitive.  Terry is supplying some key parts of the redrive and in typical Lutke fashion, he has given Nick his blessing.  It’s good to see that another builder sees the value of this design.  

A real blast from the past was Randy Schlitter, the president and founder of RANS Aircraft.  Thirty years ago Randy owned a small bike shop in Hays Kansas and I was a manufacturers Rep selling bike parts.  Once a month I would make the trek to Kansas City and along the way I would visit every small town hardware store and try to sell a few bike parts.  I fancied myself as the Campagnolo expert and my sample bag was full of high dollar racing parts.  The reality was….I was lucky to sell a few boxes of Wald bearings and maybe a sissy bar or some inner tubes.
Randy’s shop was one of the few real bike shops between Denver and KC.  It was just a small space with limited inventory but Randy was the real deal. He read the trade magazines, followed the trends and dreamed big.   Even then, he was interested in manufacturing.  I proudly carried a RANS belt pack that he developed when he was looking into the bike pannier business.  It was ten cents of quilted fabric with a couple of belt loops sewn on.  I’ll never forget the logo. It was done in that weird ballooned font of 1970 computer culture.  Eventually he designed and produced the RANS Recumbent, which was the most affordable recumbent available. Quickly, the RANS Recumbents became a true player in the industry, with significant production and good distribution.  
I remember sitting in his kitchen one morning and asking about the drawings of  aircraft that were laying around.  Some were conventional looking aircraft and some were futuristic lifting bodies similar to the modern stealth fighter.  Randy calmly told me, that someday, he was going to build airplanes.  
NOW…. THIRTY YEARS LATER…. RANS is a leader in light sport Aviation.  

There we were, two old guys, sitting in the shade of his exhibit, chatting about the “good ol” days and all the changes we’ve seen.  He told me that he had recently sold the recumbent manufacturing business but still kept his hand in as a consultant.  We talked about the Aviation business and how it was starting to come back from the recession.  I was happy to learn that Randy is still sailing, he is looking for a new boat like the Hunter 26.5 I left in Colorado.  We made plans to hook up in Punta Gorda and sail together.

Paul C. Enlisted me to fly a demo tandem with him during the evening flights.  I was pretty nervous,  its been years since my last foot launch and I think the last tandem was with Moe Sheldon at the Salton Sea more than 5 years ago.  I was worried that my knee would fail and I’d end up embarrassing Paul by face planting but we launched and landed without incident.  Thanks Paul.
Here is a video of the launch….

Photo by Eric Fallwell

After dark there was an excellent aerobatic show with lots of LEDs smoke and magnesium flares.  Mike and I hiked back to the car with our heads on a swivel.

798 Shell Creek

Nice calm flight.  After I landed I ran the tank dry doing taxi practice.  I’ve installed night eye brand cord ratchets on the A assists and it is a real improvement.  Instead of trying to move the tiny cam release on the old ratchet all I have to do is pull the cord and it releases.

793 k794

Two quick flights at Shell Creek.  Calm air with light ground fog.  25 mph smooth winds at 700 feet.

No drama.
Spoke with the airstrip manager and got permission for Tom Spears to land and leave his trile at Shell Creek when he comes to visit.