Flying Inflatable Rib
 

Does anyone know what kind of micro licence would be needed to operate one of these in the UK?

Could it be SSDR?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...obalID=EBAY-GB

I have a plan.... :-D

The official CAA document defining what constitutes an SSDR is here.

A quick perusal suggests your plan will fall foul of the maximum takeoff mass limit of 330kg for amphibious craft (the FIB 582 is shown as having a MTOM of 406kg).

Also remember that the SSDR exemptions are only concerned with airworthiness; they do not extend to crew licensing, registration or insurance - you will still need to register it with the CAA, arrange suitable insurance and meet the applicable pilot's licence and medical requirements.

The cynic in me suggests that ebay ad is an accident waiting to happen.

It has 2 seats so I doubt it. They look fun though.

I've never been THAT desperate to fly.... ;)

I'm not desperate to fly, but for a bit of fun, it fits well with two private locations I frequently go between. :}

Further perusal of the regs would suggest it might be possible to do this if you remove/disable the second seat and declare the MTOM to be 330kg. Don't just take my word for it, though.

I doubt there's much hope of it being SSDR, but if you can get hold of a weight schedule for it, I can have a look for you and give you a reasonably expert opinion.

You could import it as a homebuilt - which would mean disassembling the whole thing, drawing it up, doing appropriate tests and report writing, and agreeing with BMAA compliance with Section S and a build plan.

In my opinion, you'd be far better off if you bought it, flogging the wing off to somebody in Italy where they can use it, buying a suitable UK flexwing, then going for the "trike" as a mod to the existing approved aircraft. That would be about 10 times easier in terms of paperwork, time, and probably still cheaper - as you'd not be trying to get UK approval on anything BUT the RIB trike.

You'd need an NPPL(M) + seaplane rating, or normal PPL + microlight differences on flexwings + seaplane.

Would be a hell of a lot of fun.

I've never tried flying such a beastie (more's the pity), but I've read up on them and talked to people who have in the past. I'm told that it's a bit like trying to fly two aircraft at the same time, which might not necessarily be trying to go in the same direction at the same time.

G

Licencing
We have never needed any kind of licence as we flew her in Greece.?????

As the current wing appears very similar to the venerable Pegasus "XL", and is presumably a pretty docile, slow flying example, you are going to have problems finding a Section "S" approved equivalent. No current UK built flexwing would be comparable (speed being the thing these days), and all the existing XL's are getting very long in the tooth. One of the French UK legal trikes has a similar wing, but I don't think there are many of them about.

You might spend more time and money trying to make a combination than getting the current machine past Section "S". There's more to it than just bolting an alternative wing on. The position of the wing base tube relative to the trike and pilot is important - having flown a Pegasus "Flash 2" for nearly 20 years, I'm familiar with the very different handling this can lead to. I think the single main flying wires need doubling up, which shouldn't be that difficult, but otherwise the rest looks OK. It would be worth seeing if Polaris could be persuaded to supply some stress calculations.

I don't think you would have a hope in hell of getting it down to SSDR weights - the Rotax 582 is a hefty lump, and this one appears to have a battery for electric start. The fuel tank also looks substantial. All the SSDR trikes are of very minimal construction, and many only have simple single cylinder engines.

TFP

But regulations are not always observed or enforced.

Ironing board licence would also be useful.

And a Competent Crew and Day Skipper tickets!

The CAA will make you put floats on it... :E

I don't think that "docile" is the issue, I think that stall speed is probably the issue.

I imagine that if you asked P&M nicely they'd still build an XL for you - they're certainly still supplying spares, and it's easy and cheap to buy a second hand one. But, it hasn't got the MTOW you'd need for this.

I'd go for a Quantum - it's got the structural lifting capacity, good handling, stalling speed only a few mph above the XL. A quick look on AFORS shows a Quantum 912 for £11k and a 503 for £5k.

Offhand if you had this, the £5k Quantum 503, so long as it's got the 409kg structural mods would maybe need a few hundred worth of parts to marry it all up, after which it's just skilled work - and you'll get a few thousand back selling the unwanted 503 engine and trike parts.

G

I've flown one of these in Turkey - absolutely hilarious!


Not sure it's worth £12K though...?


Fly safe, have fun (in that order I guess)

I was in a boat, moored at one of the very small islands off Hvar, Croatia last week. There was a big (40-50m) motor yacht moored nearby with this as one of the toys. The pilot spent 3-4 hours flying around the outside of the small islands - landing every half hour or so for a refill (sorry, meant refuel). Classic rich toy, which looked like a lot of fun to fly.