| If you have made up your mind about learning to fly | | | | ground in a tail down attitude as it has two main |
| ultralight airplanes, you must be now standing at the | | | | wheels in the forward and a light tailwheel at the back. |
| cross roads unable to make up your mind on what | | | | It should be remembered that learning to fly a heavier |
| kind of ultralight aircraft you want to fly! This is a very | | | | machine can become a handicap later if you want to |
| important decision and it should be made with some | | | | buy a hang glider (trike) or even a traditional style |
| thought. The training you undertake will entirely depend | | | | machine. If you plan to go in for a heavier machine |
| on the type of ultralight aircraft you want to fly. So it | | | | later, you could still train on a traditional style machine |
| would be wise to pause and consider well before | | | | and migrate to the heavier machine with ease. It is a |
| launching yourself on your course. | | | | mater of personal choice and each student must |
| Ultralights can be categorized into 3 axis control | | | | choose for himself. |
| aircrafts and weight shift control aircrafts. The 3 axis | | | | If you visualize yourself flying a Jabiru 3-axis ultralight |
| control aircrafts have stick, ailerons and rudders to | | | | airplane then, obviously you will be dissatisfied with |
| control the direction of flight. Weight shift control planes | | | | flying a trike! You cannot also decide to fly a trike |
| are controlled by the pilot moving his weight relative to | | | | because you have a flying school nearby which |
| the wing of the airplane. | | | | teaches you to fly it or vice versa. It is interesting to |
| Weight shift control planes include powered hang | | | | note that a large number of flying schools prefer to |
| gliders(trikes) and powered parachutes(Aerochutes). In | | | | teach 3-axis ultralight planes. There are very few |
| this type of ultralight aircraft the crew pod and engine | | | | schools which teach trike flying or parachute flying. |
| are suspended under the wing. The control of this | | | | If your flying school offers you a variety of choices, |
| aircraft is largely physical and consequently they are | | | | you could try flying in each of them before making up |
| slow. | | | | your mind on which type of ultralight aircraft you want |
| 3-axis ultralight airplanes are 'traditional style' ultralights | | | | to fly. However, not all of us have the luxury of this. It |
| or 'de-facto GA' types. The former have high drag | | | | will have to be a considered decision for most of us. |
| and low inertia and the latter are larger, heavier and | | | | We will have to rely on the experience of others and |
| very expensive. These aircraft are further classified | | | | also focus upon our own fears and phobias before |
| irrespective of their price or size as nosewheel and | | | | making up our mind whether we want to fly in an |
| tailwheel ultralight airplanes. Nosewheel aircrafts are | | | | exposed aircraft or a closed aircraft; one that is light |
| supported on ground levelly by a largish nosewheel | | | | on the hands or one that is heavy! |
| and two mainwheels in the aft. The latter sits on the | | | | |