Getting into the air by my own efforts
Having reached my mid forties, and having had a lifelong dream of learning to fly, I’ve decided that now is the time. However, due to financial reasons the normal route - joining a club, paying for lessons by the hour etc - isn’t an option, and probably never will be. So I’ve started investigating ways of getting into the air by my own efforts.
The advantage I have is that I work in aerospace, so I do things like aerodynamics, structures, stability and control etc on a daily basis. This will help greatly with any self-design / self-build option.
However if I’m going to avoid the costs of training or licensing or registration, while still staying legal, then I’m looking at a foot-launched microlight, i.e. <60kg fully fuelled, <10litres fuel, <35kts stall. As I understand it, this category contains (almost exclusively) paramotors and powered hang gliders. However for various reasons those things have never appealed; my intention is three-axis control - I’m imagining something similar to the Mike Sandlin airchairs with a paramotor engine (like the "Bloop" aircraft but 3-axis instead of 2), but much lighter, foot-launched (obviously), and in a form that can be folded to fit on a roof rack. Would something like that still satisfy the legal definition as long as weight, stall etc were within limits?
If so, I already have some ideas in that direction, which I’m currently working on.
As well as the technical challenges, I also need to figure out where I can fly from. I live in a very crowded (and hilly) corner of South-East England - plenty of greenery, but no wide flat spaces where you can just turn up and do what you want without someone else’s say-so. We do have some long stretches of beach nearby, and if you walk far enough along them (with a 60kg bundle on your shoulder!) you’ll find long, deserted stretches - could that be an option? I also see paragliding / hang gliding on the South Downs - though I guess those areas are rented by or otherwise exclusively reserved for certain clubs, who wouldn’t take kindly to someone just turning up with a three-axis home-built? Alternatively I could bribe a farmer with suitable field... Seriously though, what are the limits on just driving into the countryside and picking a spot to fly from?
If anyone has covered this ground before (existing designs, viable locations, etc) then I’d be grateful for any advice.
Cheers,
F.