Hi, everybody,
I know it's a bit off-topic but there's a guy going around the world in an ultralight motorglider. His goal was to finish it in 60 days but due to some issues (he got arrested in Russia because his permit to enter the airspace expired) he will have to extend it for a couple of weeks. He's flying in a Pipistrel Sinus 912 (weigth 450kg, glide ratio 1:28). I saw the plane and the pilot today at Boundary Bay airport in western Canada just before he left for California. An interesting chap and a very interesting plane.
Based on his web site "to date, no one has rounded the globe in a microlight aircraft without a co-pilot and without airborne support. Microlight aircraft are, in general, relatively slow and therefore more sensitive to wind and turbulence. These aircraft are handicapped by having only a short range due to the small amounts of fuel on board, so they need more thorough and frequent pit stop landings. This, together with weather factors, can easily lead to severe problems."
Check his diary and other info at
http://www.rtvslo.si/protisoncu/ -- you'll have to click on the Union Jack to switch to English. And drop him an email of support at
[email protected] -- he's pretty lonely on his way, but he does get occasional email access.
Klaus