Salutations from Northern Arizona!

[Kaveman]

Greetings all!
I'm Kaveman, an arborist from northeast Arizona. Not to bite any one, but I've dreamed about a UL from an early age. I had a neighbor, east of Snowflake AZ, who owned what I can only assume is an aerolite or some such. It had a fabric wing and he hung in a tricycle with a fairing and windshield. It was white with red stripes, that's about all I can tell you about it. He flew it from the dirt road in front of his house, but I also heard he had his own little air strip. I had about a two mile walk home after the bus dropped me off, and he would escort me from the air. 5-7 year old me though he was the coolest guy ever, as I waved and jumped excitedly, both hands flailing, total dork-mode. Some times I'd run as fast as I could in an attempt to race him. He buzzed my parent's vehicle anytime I waved from the passenger window. The whole neighborhood loved him.

Then one day, my grandmother told me he had died. Hit a fence in his Ultralight. I'm not at all sure what happened, just what Lane told me back in 98. Maybe he had an engine out and ate a neighbor's barbwire. Maybe he caught a hard crosswind gust that pushed him into a fence on his own property. Maybe, maybe. I don't know, and I don't even know how to investigate the issue. I know that despite not knowing his name, his absence left a mark.

Fast forward not so long for some, and I'm 33. I've a decade and a half of building houses and climbing trees. I'm on my second marriage, the first to a woman worth the ring. Our second daughter recently turned a year old, our oldest is fixing to turn six. I've a pair of square body Suburbans, an 85 Bronco II, and Gertrude, my 85 F250 work truck. I've also managed to finagle the newest vehicle, a 2018 John Deere 1025 compact tractor, with backhoe and all the grading goodies to build my own airstrip. I also have five acres to play with. Oh, I also have an aging Hyundai, that happens to be a one family car since new. That's it's own saga.

I resolved years ago, that I wanted a UL, but I wouldn't bother with a tricycle under a hangglider! Awhile back I happened across both the Badlands and the Merlin, (Thanks ByDanJohnson) and my wife asked me to make a choice. The Merlin is very appealing, being all metal, fully enclosed, etc. The Badlands however, can FOLD ITS WINGS! It can go from one of my shipping containers and onto my trailer in seconds! Ready to head to the nearby White Mountain Lakes Airpark, in literally minutes! From opening the container doors to on the airstrip is under 20 minutes. It also seems that I can put doors on the aircraft! From what I understand, because it doesn't need the doors to fly, it can be weighed with out them, or the seat cushion, etc. I only weigh 160, so I'll be well within gross, pretty much regardless of which F series I choose. That means I can fly pretty much year round using my heated motorcycle suit, while not being miserable!

What I really need to get squared away, even before I worry about financial issues, is training. I can kinda fly a paper airplane. That's where my qualifications end. My first question to the forum is, should I seek out UL instruction, or find a CFI with a Kitfox, since that's the aircraft the Badlands is based off? There's not much in the way of UL instructors, but I'm sure I could learn from a Kitfox pilot, maybe even if he's not a CFL. As scary as that may seem to some of you, I've learned that qualified personal are often qualified at filling out blanks on paper, and lack in the doing. In other words, "certified" has layers of meaning. Anywho, I don't want to endanger anyone, including myself, so I would like some decent training. I guess ideally maybe Badlands could offer a "No-Crash-Course"!

Thanks to any who bother reading this, and I'm sure to bother you all further. Y'all want forum engagement? Hi, I'm Kaveman, and I have all the questions!

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

I resolved years ago, that I wanted a UL, but I wouldn't bother with a tricycle under a hangglider! Awhile back I happened across both the Badlands and the Merlin, (Thanks ByDanJohnson) and my wife asked me to make a choice. The Merlin is very appealing, being all metal, fully enclosed, etc. The Badlands however, can FOLD ITS WINGS! It can go from one of my shipping containers and onto my trailer in seconds! Ready to head to the nearby White Mountain Lakes Airpark, in literally minutes! From opening the container doors to on the airstrip is under 20 minutes. It also seems that I can put doors on the aircraft! From what I understand, because it doesn't need the doors to fly, it can be weighed with out them, or the seat cushion, etc. I only weigh 160, so I'll be well within gross, pretty much regardless of which F series I choose. That means I can fly pretty much year round using my heated motorcycle suit, while not being miserable!

What I really need to get squared away, even before I worry about financial issues, is training. I can kinda fly a paper airplane. That's where my qualifications end. My first question to the forum is, should I seek out UL instruction, or find a CFI with a Kitfox, since that's the aircraft the Badlands is based off? There's not much in the way of UL instructors, but I'm sure I could learn from a Kitfox pilot, maybe even if he's not a CFL. As scary as that may seem to some of you, I've learned that qualified personal are often qualified at filling out blanks on paper, and lack in the doing. In other words, "certified" has layers of meaning. Anywho, I don't want to endanger anyone, including myself, so I would like some decent training. I guess ideally maybe Badlands could offer a "No-Crash-Course"!

Thanks to any who bother reading this, and I'm sure to bother you all further. Y'all want forum engagement? Hi, I'm Kaveman, and I have all the questions!

Hello and welcome. That was a long and detailed intro! Here are some answers to your questions and comments, as best I can provide.

Many of us have looked around for a UL aircraft that doesn't look like a lawn chair strapped to some wings, so we know what you mean about the tricycle under a hang glider. I was also looking at the Merlin. I like the all metal build. There are however the parts I don't care for - 1) The Merlin is at max allowed weight (and the BRS must be included to make that weight). This doesn't leave a lot for cargo or much else. 2) I don't care for the design from the cabin back to the tail. There's just something about the look that doesn't sit right with me. On the positive side, the Merlin does get excellent flight time for the 5 gallons of fuel UL's are allowed to carry. However, the look of the Badland (in my opinion) is more of a conventional aircraft and those folding wings are also a big selling point to me. Hanger fees are crazy high, so towing the plane home makes more sense to me. My eventual goal is to have a grass strip on my own property, but for the time waiting for that to happen, folding wings are the answer. Correct on the doors and other items that are not permanently mounted to the plane, they are cargo and can be removed. Remember though on your heated motorcycle suit that the generation of power by the engine on most UL's is very low; usually just enough to power the instruments that need power and provide a light charge to the battery. You'll need to test it all out, but there are many ways to stay warm when flying in cold weather. Most of us here highly recommend some flight training. I would highly suggest finding at minimum, someone to take you up (even in a Cessna) and teach you basic flight. Realize that your UL is going to be a lot more sensitive than a Cessna, but this'll get you comfortable with how a plane reacts. They all have their own little quirks, but much is also similar. After you're comfortable with basic flight, find yourself a CFI that will teach you how to take off/land and fly a tail dagger. Note that you'll most likely run into a lot of CFI's that don't want to have anything to do with UL's. This is not always because they just don't like UL's, but more because many private CFI's are building hours to apply to their own career advancement, mostly into the commercial industry (getting their certifications for airlines and such). However, if you are persistent, you can find CFI's that will help and possibly a few that are able to assist with UL flight. Such as I'm moving to Florida soon. Just north of where I'll be living is a small business that has a two seat ultralight that is registered as an LSA aircraft. It is of the tricycle gear type you mention, but is closer to a UL than most other aircraft. I'll be starting my training in it. Once comfortable, I'll switch to their other plane, a (I think 1947) Cub. This'll be my tail dragger training, getting me accustom to taking off and landing this type of plane. The only training I have is from 1999. I was flying a Cessna 152 and 182. Chris at Badland's isn't a CFI so technically he can't train, plus he has zero free time. I'm not sure when he even sleeps, if he does at all! One thing about finding a CFI – make sure you check online ratings. There are plenty of good CFI's, but there are also those that just want your money. You will want to look for someone that will no only teach you how to fly during normal days, but also how to fly when things go wrong. The first step in all of your training should be to ingrain into your brain the following - Aviate - fly the plane, navigate - find a place to get on the ground as safe and as soon as possible, communicate - announce over the radio the issue and intentions. These are the three most important rules to remember and to do when something goes wrong. Bring on the questions and welcome to the forum.

Todd

[LA F2 Flyer]

Welcome to the group Kaveman! Your story sounds similar to mine in many regards, including the Hyundai saga. In my case it's a Mitsubishi Eclipse, the only car I've ever bought new, and still my daily driver (out of the four cars and several motorcycles I own) with over 313k miles on it. I intend to drive it until the wheels fall off...we've been on too many adventures together for me to give up on it anytime soon.

I settled on the Badland (F2 in my case) for the same reasons most people seem to - folding wings, easy transport and the ability to store it in my garage. As a hobby, I don't want to incur any costs beyond the necessary...no hangars, etc. I'll be trailering mine from the outskirts of Los Angeles to a dry lakebed about 90 minutes away.

As for flight training, I think this is the struggle of anyone getting into ULs. Thankfully, I found an instructor I really like. She was actually unfamiliar with ultralights, but seemed quite interested when I explained the category to her and told her about my build. Also, unlike most, she's not looking to build hours to go commercial, but rather has lived that life (including floatplanes, seaplanes and bush planes) and is retired and wanting to share the gift of flight with others. The Cessna 172s I am training in obviously won't fly like the Badland, but the Badland is less "draggy" than the flying lawn chairs you refer to, so it might be a closer comparison than it would be to a two seater lawn chair. From what I've been told, the Badland is also pretty docile as far as taildraggers go, thanks to larger control surfaces. Some (no names mentioned) made a clean transition from a Cessna and lived to tell the tale. In fact, they didn't even bend the plane!

I'm honestly not overly concerned about the transition to tail dragger; I think their reputation is a bit overblown...when you think about it, in the early days of flight there were no tricycle gear options...you trained in a tail wheel airplane (or even earlier, a tail SKID airplane). I thank as long as you're not too ham fisted and able to stay on your toes, all will end well. (At least that's my hope for me...haha)

You might consider playing around with RC planes. Find a decent foam kit that isn't too expensive and you don't mind bending a little - it'll give you a decent taste of the fundamentals, and will likely also help with reaction times and controlling your inputs. ("Small corrections!", as my first flight instructor thirty years ago used to bark at me.)

As for real planes, I would say grab enough hours in whatever is available, learn the sight pictures when landing, learn to scan the instruments and ingrain the importance of stability and airspeed in your mind, and go from there. Once you have the basic muscle memory, transition to a plane that's closer in style to the Badland. As Todd mentioned, it might be a struggle to find an instructor who doesn't look down their nose at you (or won't train you at all), but if you do, run with it, and get up in the air whenever you can.

Once you jump in the Badland, start with taxi testing and familiarizing yourself with the handling characteristics on the ground until you are comfortable...and slowly go from there.

At any rate, I am looking forward to hearing where this journey takes you!

[Kaveman]

I do love a warm welcome! Thank you guys!

Todd I agree fully with you about about the Merlin. The cabin to tail transition looks like it would concentrate the stress at the small joint. But what do I know, Draco seems a good plane. Plus it is really pushing on the weights. I was looking at the line drawings and images of the "cargo" area, and it seems like a lot of wasted space! Maybe they need that section bulkheaded off for structural rigidity? There's enough room back there for my Rottweiler, if that stupid shelf wasn't supporting the seat back. (not that I would want my Rotty in a plane of any kind!) Also every rivet I could see was the cheap auto shop type. Combine that with a great number of them being in places that are both critical, and nearly impossible to inspect. Or at lear a few have to be right? I mean just look at the thing! And not to be over critical but the interior looks unfinished to the point of dangerous, with the jagged ends of pulled rivets poking out all over. There's probably a few pounds in extra material on all those rivets throughout the thousands holding it together!

Training really does seem to be the biggest barrier to entry. But that's why I joined the forum, I need an entry point somewhere. It's going to be a few years before I order my kit, that gives me time to learn as much as possible between now and then. I'm not so foolhardy as to try to fly with no actual skill, there's too much at stake for that. My goal is to become a proficient pilot, not a past tense one. Got a wife and two little girls after all lol. Speaking of, seems I may need to go kill a tree...

[bobmeister]

Welcome Kavaman!

Thanks to you I'm no longer the newest kid on the block. That distinction lasted about 24 hours.

I took a look at the Merlin Lite and, while cute in appearance, the FOLDING WINGS on the Badland F-series are the huge selling point for me. Here in Utah, and probably everywhere else, hangar fees are pretty steep if you can find hangar space at all. There has been such a hangar shortage that there is a large project to build 138 hangars at the Spanish Fork, UT airport which is a 10 minute drive from my house. These are going to be very nice, high-end hangars so they'll be pricey. Having been in the hot air balloon world where you store your balloon in an enclosed trailer paying for hangar fees was never an issue so I'm spoiled. The only way for flying to become a reality for me (economically) is to have an airplane that I can store in my garage at home. I have a 3-car garage and only 2 cars so there's just enough room for a folding-wing single seater. In fact, just yesterday I took a tape measure out to the garage and measured to verify that a Badland F-series would fit. Surely that's a sign of impending flight addiction!

I agree that at least a little experience in a tail dragger would be a good idea. I have exactly one taildragger landing under my belt. My uncle owned a Cessna 120 and took me flying one day and allowed me to perform the landing (I had my Private Pilot certificate). Even with the attentive supervision of my uncle I came close to ground-looping the plane. The thing you have to know about taildraggers is that most of the mass of the plane is aft of the main gear. That's why the tail wheel rests on the ground. What this means is that when you're landing the part of the airplane behind the main gear wants to be in front if at all possible because it's more stable to be pulling wheels behind you instead of pushing wheels in front of you. From what I hear the Badland is a very forgiving taildragger so hopefully I'll be able to make the transition without a mishap. Practicing taxiing would be an excellent idea, particularly taxiing "tail high" and then setting the tailwheel down and keeping it straight would be an excellent exercise before going up for your first solo flight. But what do I know, I'm just a computer geek.

Anyway, welcome again!

[ksatter26]

Welcome.

Get on the hangar list early!!!!! This is my 4th homebuilt project. My nearly complete 75 hp Franklin FlyBaby was washed out to Lake Pontchatrain via hurricane Katrina. I sold my ultralight MiniMAX 1103R after numerous hangar problems 40 miles away across Dallas ( after a 2-year wait-list and A/C #12 in the huge hangar). My folding-wing Zenith 701 is still in the 30' x 40' hangar shop that I had built with my retirement place here in North TX (with still unimproved 700' strip). FAA medicals put the 110hp STOL project on hold in favor of the F -3.

Hangar space here, as everywhere, is at a premium. 2-3 year projected waiting lists. There are new, very high-end home/hangar- on- the-airport projects, but way to expensive for most of us.

The folding-wing/ trailerable Badland is a great solution.

My F-3 is almost complete. I'm working out the no-spark 303 problem now and my Oratex covering materials are due via FedEx this afternoon!