How safe is flying ultralights and recreational aircraft. I was perusing a magazine recently and came across an article on general aviation safety. It was quoting statistics from various publications and the EAA and made arguments that while general aviation did not share the high safety stats that commercial aviation did, it was better than automobile stats. I did some Internet searches to try to and grab more info on aviation safety and could not find any clear and definitive answers to how safe recreational flying might actually be. There are arguments that the saying “the most dangerous part of the Saturday flight is the car ride to the airport” is simply not true. Statistics are a funny thing and I have heard that the interpretation of statistics can twist the truth.

I don’t know if you have heard the most dangerous statement a pilot can make is “I will be there Sunday the 6th at 5 PM”. Using recreational aircraft as a means of transportation is where the average Sunday pilot can run into trouble. When the average recreational pilot has a bad case of get-home-itis, all kinds of bad things can happen. This is one of the things that kept running through my mind about the delivery of the Avid. A trip to Brandon in an ultralight is something that is on my bucket list (actually, I want to go to Northwestern Ontario) but trying to do this in a single day means about eight hours in a small cockpit with three or four one hour stops. A twelve-hour day might not be survivable by this old body. And fatigue is one of the contributing factors to aviation accidents.

My research shows that accidents are usually attributed to many little things compounding to add up to a bad outcome. So, let’s see, we have a long trip, (fatigue factor) with weather that might be unpredictable (second strike) and a pilot with little cross- country experience (strike three). I was somewhat relieved although disappointed when the purchaser offered to pick-up.

So how safe is ultralight flight.

Ever hear the expression “Ultralights fly just fast enough to almost kill you”

You will find the fatality rates for ultralight flights are much lower than general aviation. While the typical ultralight lands at 35 MPH or so, most general aviation aircraft are well above 60 MPH. Ultralights also slow down much quicker than general aviation planes because weights are far less. Not trying to be one of the guys from Big Bang Theory but E=MC2 , so as speed and mass increase the impact also increases exponentially ultralights hit the ground with much less force and incidents tend to be more survivable than in general aviation planes. Of course, depending on the aircraft, some provide better protection to the occupants. (Does this follow that the heavier the occupant the worse the impact?)

The big advantage that ultralight pilots have is, we look at the sky think, “it’s a good day to fly”. We take to the air, knowing if the weather looks good, we are probably not going to fly far enough to fly into bad weather (Please make sure you check your METAR’s and TAF’s). If the air is bumpy or the wind too much, most just return to the runway and wait for another day.

With general aviation aircraft you may end up flying into a weather system that you should not because of the increased range and speed of the aircraft you are flying.

So with the two leading causes being weather and pilot error it is easy to see that flying the ultralight can present you with a safe alternative for recreational flying.

The only other thing that should be mentioned is the 2-stroke engine and failure rates. The 2-Stroke engine can be a reliable means to power an Ultralight aircraft but there are some rules that must be followed. The biggest single thing that can improve 2-Stroke reliability is a good warm up. Don’t trust just a CHT or EGT to determine warm up, although those gauges are a necessary place to start.

Remember that the 2-Stroke is made up of many different parts, made of many different materials. The pistons are aluminum, the case is aluminum, but the rings and piston sleeves are steel. These parts warm at different rates and expand and contract at different rates. Allow at least eight minutes of warm up to be sure all parts are ready to go. (I prefer 12 minutes) Even if you have been running the motor for a flight and shut down for five minutes as you landed to talk to your buddies, it is wise to re-warm for at least five minutes. Some even say that the throttle should be added to keep the motor warm on a long descent. The big thing for 2-Strokes is to make sure it stays warm and within the operating parameters.

There are a number of other things that are important with 2-strokes, from keeping the crankcase seals in good shape, keeping the carb rubbers good, fuel delivery system clean, proper operation of the Bing carbs, needles and jets and the list goes on. But the number one thing that needs to be watched at all times if your motor is running well is the temperatures, and a good warm up time.

So, in closing “How safe are ultralights” I think a large part of the equation is the pilot and his habits. There are many that are so eager to fly that there is little thought about safety, there are some that just have bad piloting skills, and there are those that fly in conditions that are beyond their abilities, but overall, I believe Ultralights give us a freedom to fly at a reduced cost, in safe and reliable aircraft. So, in closing let’s check our habits and go over the plane once more. Maybe have someone else do your pre-flight for a fresh set of eyes. Build a new checklist and use it. As much as I enjoy the media attention I don’t want to have to explain to media why we have had three accidents in a short time again this summer.

Guest speaker this month is our man Stu Simpson giving tips on video production for aircraft. The month of May will see us review the self-study program so we can attach to the logbooks and June’s meeting will feature an evening Barbecue to kick off the summer.

My wife Judy is quite artistic and a member of the Lettering Arts Guild. I have attached a painting that Judy did for my Birthday, and it shows a combo of my favorite style plane (early Sopwith type with the raked tail) with C-IJIJ lettering.

Till next time… Good Lies and Smooth Skies.