Badland Part 103 Pilots and Builders Forum

I recently took a PPG demo flight, and while I know flying solo with the ability to get low and do such maneuvers as wingovers would be more fun than the dual flight, not to mention overall portability and store ability, I wasn’t thrilled and I think a fixed wing is still my choice. However, the flight did get me to question my presumption that I would want my Badlands fully covered and with doors. Now I’m thinking half naked may be the way to get closer to nature. Granted the cruise speed is significantly higher and therefore the wind (and noise) would be more intense. I haven’t looked into the weight and cost differences since I’m still far from ready to call Chris and place an order. What do you all in the gallery have to say?

As someone who went with the "1/4 naked" look, I say "go for it"! But I may be a bit biased.

The weight difference is likely only a few pounds in my case, since I went with the Oratex covering, which is quite light. Not having flown my UL yet, I can't speak to the wind noise. But from my understanding, the windscreen is quite effective, and I imagine the sound of the 2 stroke engine will defeat any wind noise (assuming you go that route). But that's just an uneducated guess on my part.

One benefit to no doors is that you can coordinate your turns based on the breeze on your elbows.