Info: Frequent Flyers Ultralight Club, phone: (603) 464-5407.

The final rule was released without prior notice and prior public comment. Based on secret information possessed by TSA that considers a pilot a security risk, that agency can force FAA to revoke the pilot's certificate. Here's what will happen:

* TSA will notify an individual that he or she has been determined to pose a security threat and to advise FAA of its determination. One process applies to U.S. citizens; the other to non-U.S. citizens. Under both procedures, the individual is served with an Initial Notification of Threat Assessment.
* The individual may then respond in writing to this notification and provide any information the individual believes TSA should consider.
* In the case of a non-U.S. citizen, TSA's Deputy Administrator either finds the individual does pose a threat and will be issued a final Notification of Threat Assessment, or isn't a threat in which case a Withdrawal of Initial Notification will be issued.
* A U.S. citizen will face the same procedures with one exception. TSA's Under Secretary will also review the matter before a Final Notification of Threat Assessment is issued. If the Under Secretary determines the individual poses a security threat, the Under Secretary issues a Final Notification of Threat Assessment.
* At the time TSA issues its notifications, FAA is advised of TSA's decision with regard to individuals who hold or are applying for an airman certificate.

"FAA will suspend an individual's airman certificates after receiving the Initial Notification of Threat Assessment from TSA," according to the rule. "Suspension is appropriate in this circumstance, because TSA's initial assessment is still subject to review by TSA's Deputy Administrator, and, for U.S. citizens, the Under Secretary, and may be reversed."

Whether you hold a pilot's certificate or not, this rulemaking ought to make you sit up and take notice. The person(s) under scrutiny has no recourse but to go to the very agency accusing him or her of being a security threat. There is no due process. "If someone really is a terrorist, they shouldn't have a pilot certificate," says Phil Boyer, president of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which has almost 400,000 members. "And frankly, we should take stronger action than just lifting a license. But any American so accused must be guaranteed their basic constitutional protections to due process, and that includes the right to appeal to an independent adjudicator.

"Our goal is to sensitize members of Congress to the issue," continues Boyer. "Everyone we've talked to so far agrees. While they share our concern for security, they also think these rules appear to violate due process, and that a pilot should have an avenue of appeal to an independent party, not TSA.

"We cannot, we will not give up our basic rights to protect us from some vague and secret 'threat'. We are demanding that the government suspend enforcement of these rules and recraft them to protect national security and citizens' rights."

In a recent readership survey, 30% of Ultralight Flying! readers indicate they operate with a FAA pilot's certificate when flying their ultralights.

Readers who wish to view the entire rule can go to http://dms.dot.gov . Search for docket number FAA-2003-14293.

Quad City Ultralight Aircraft, manufacturer of the Challenger line of single- and 2-seat ultralights and light aircraft, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Started in 1983, Quad City is one of the oldest ultralight companies still under the same ownership. Company president Dave Goulet, who is also codesigner of all four models of aircraft, and vice president William Ehlers say the numbers speak for themselves. "Today, with nearly 3,000 Challengers flying, we're one of the very few manufacturers to achieve such longevity," says Goulet. "The entire Challenger staff takes pride in a job well done."

Information: Quad City Ultralight Aircraft, PO Box 370, Dept. UF, Moline, IL 61265. Phone: (309) 764-3515 * Fax: (309) 762-3920.

20 Years in Production

Ultra-Prop propeller manufacturer Competition Aircraft, in continuous production since 1982, has moved to a new 5,600-square-foot facility. Company owner and president Bob Davis says, "The new location will give us plenty of room for continued research and development on propellers and other ultralight products. And, to commemorate our 20-year anniversary, we're offering our line of 2-, 3- and 4-blade Ultra-Props at 1982 prices until June 1, 2003."

Competition Aircraft says they introduced the first successful composite propeller in 1982 and has manufactured more than 14,000 units. "We are the only company that uses thermoplastics to make propellers," says Competition Aircraft. "About 50,000 blades have been injection molded from one mold. This process and careful quality control means that all blades are interchangeable, even with parts that are 20 years old."

Other composite props, including Competition Aircraft's high-performance Brolga blades, use thermosets ­ a wet, hand-laid-up process with epoxy resins, requiring a family of many molds and oven cure. Each blade has to have a final balance and usually is one of a match set. This process makes a great blade, however the method is very labor-intensive, says the company. A variety of blades can be easily manufactured since the tooling is relatively inexpensive.

Contrast that with an injection mold that cost the company $50,000 in 1982 but can make a perfect blade every 3 minutes. "That cost is probably why no other propeller company has used thermoplastics," says Davis. "The prop hubs and pitch blocks are also injection molded. We plan to further develop a new process that will use thermoplastic impregnated glass and carbon fibers to make prop blades."

The company is also working on a twin-engine ultralight helicopter.  

Info: Competition Aircraft, 10925 Shire Ct., Dept. UF, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Phone: (888) 634-9839 * Fax: (530) 268-2321 * e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Benchmade Knife Company Enters "Rescue Market"

Benchmade Knife Company's Rescue Hook safety knife is machined from high-quality 420HC steel with a satin (right) or black oxide finish and comes with either a soft belt sheath (shown here) or a molded plastic "snap fit" hard sheath (not shown).

Say you're flying your ultralight over a large lake and suddenly the silence is deafening. Your engine has unexpectedly quit. You are now flying a glider.

You've planned ahead for this possibility, so you have enough altitude to glide engine-off to the other side of the lake, but as you approach the shore, you see there are no suitable emergency landing areas there. You're not flying an amphibian or an ultralight with floats, so a water landing near the approaching shoreline may be your best (or only) option. You check your seat belt in preparation for what may be a hard landing and sudden stop in the water.

You're prepared, right? But what if, once you've touched "aqua firma," your safety harness release fails or you fumble and waste precious time as your ultralight sinks below the surface. In aviation, pilots rarely have to consider the risk of drowning, but you are now suddenly faced with exactly that possibility if you can't undo your seat belt before your plane sinks.

You say you never fly over water (perhaps preferring to fly around it)? Well, there are other circumstances that may require a quick exit from your cockpit. What about the risk of fire after a crash?

A rescue hook knife could save your life by quickly and easily slicing through your webbing seat belt. Any time you have to quickly get out and away from your ultralight in an emergency situation, a rescue hook knife offers great "just in case" insurance to overcome a stuck seat belt release mechanism.

"The Model 5 Rescue Hook is razor sharp and will cut through fibrous material like a hot knife through butter," Benchmade says. "All without danger of inadvertent blade exposure to any surrounding items ­ including the user's fingers. It is small enough to attach to your gear or flight suit to be there when you need it." Benchmade Knife offers both hard (molded Delrin® plastic) and soft (nylon fabric) sheaths for their hook knife. The soft nylon sheath features a hooded pocket with Velcro® closure for easy belt carry, while the hard sheath snap-fits over the Rescue Hook's cutting end.

"The Model 5 Rescue Hook offers the ideal means to readily slice through security belts, rope (up to 3/8-inch diameter), webbing, clothing, as well as a multitude of other fibrous materials," the company says. "Its unique design serves to provide an extremely sharp cutting edge in situations where using a knife would either pose a safety issue or simply slow the reaction time for efficient rescue.

Benchmade's Rescue Hook knife also has a lanyard hole (for the break-away tether for neck carry, provided standard), and the finger hole doubles as a handy bottle opener. For emergency medical technician (EMT) use, the Model 5 also features a built-in oxygen bottle valve wrench.

Benchmade Knife Company is well-known to knife collectors, and has at least several of their knives in the 12,000-piece cutlery collection of Chattanooga, Tennessee's National Knife Museum. The company was founded in California in '88, and since '96 has had their corporate offices and manufacturing plant in Oregon City, Oregon.

The sample Model 5 Rescue Hook knife sent to UF! was a high-quality (I would say even heirloom-quality) example of what the specialty knife and cutlery company produces. Suggested retail price for Benchmade's Model 5 Rescue Hook knife is $25 (with either the satin or black oxide finish and the soft sheath), or $35 (with either finish and the hard sheath).

- Buzz Chalmers

Uses 25.5-Horsepower Simonini 2-Cycle Engine

Right: GT Manufacturing's redesigned SkyCycle trike (called the Xtralite SkyCycle), flies below the ridge of Lookout Mountain, world-renowned for soaring. Shown here, the Xtralite is fitted with a state-of-the-art Wills Wing double-surface "topless" (no kingpost or upper rigging) Fusion 150 hang glider for its wing. Below: The single-seater features the 25.5-hp Simonini Mini Plus 2-cycle engine spinning a 2-blade wood prop as standard. Other engines are available on the Xtralite trike.

It began as the Freedom Machine,* a lightweight single-seat trike ultralight designed to be capable of using actual hang gliders for its wing (as opposed to most trikes which employ hang glider-type trike wings specifically designed for heavier trikes). Soon renamed the SkyCycle trike by GT Manufacturing designer and owner Matt Taber, the single-seater appealed to hang-glider-pilots-turned-trikers and other ultralighters looking to soar high in thermals without having to make a long drive to the mountains just to find the best launch site to foot-launch their hang gliders. GT Manufacturing is a sister company to Taber's Lookout Mountain Flight Park, the number-one training center in the U.S. for graduating mountain-qualified hang glider pilots. The SkyCycle's claim to fame may well be its ability to "thermal" like a hang glider ­ to turn the engine off and rely on Mother Nature's natural elevator to the heavens, riding the rising air currents to cloudbase.

At first, the SkyCycle used the 22-hp Zenoah G25B-1 single-cylinder 2-cycle engine from Japan for its powerplant (still available as an option). But Taber redesigned the SkyCycle and cut 20 pounds from the weight by utilizing thin-walled TIG-welded 4130 chromoly steel for the trike carriage and employing a lighter (and more powerful) 25.5-hp Simonini Mini Plus 2-cycle engine from Italy. Electric start is a standard feature on the Simonini engine. The lighter weight of the new model ­ called the Xtralite SkyCycle ­ enhances its ability to soar (gain altitude engine-off in rising air).

"This is a true lightweight portable soaring solution," Taber says. "The idea is to fly this machine into the sky and find a thermal, then turn the engine off and challenge yourself to stay up using no engine power." The total (gross) weight of trike carriage, wing, fuel and pilot is important in soaring ­ and the less weight the better. GT Manufacturing lists the empty weight of their Xtralite SkyCycle trike carriage at 80 pounds, and the weight of the Xtralite including a typical wing as 135 pounds.

"The Xtralite weighs in at an incredible 80 pounds, not including the wing," GT Manufacturing says. Pilots can use the hang glider of their choice as the Xtralite's wing. To be used, most modern hang gliders require no modification except beefing up the side wires, GT Manufacturing indicates. The company will assist in fitting each Xtralite pilot to the best choice of wing for their trike.

"Many people are concerned with buying the fastest wing," Taber points out. "But that's not the most important feature of a wing. Most soaring pilots wish to be in the air with an easily controlled and forgiving wing to have fun, not just cover the most distance. Ease of flying and stability of the wing are more important to the typical soaring trike pilot."

GT Manufacturing also touts the portability of their Xtralite SkyCycle. "The unit will fold down into an easily managed structure on wheels, which fits in the bed of a pickup truck or inside a minivan," the manufacturer says. "Most hang glider wings fold up in 15 minutes and will easily transport on an auto roof rack."

What about performance? "The Xtralite packs plenty of power for any pilot," the company says. "Pilots must choose a wing which will accommodate their weight plus the 80 pounds of the machine.

"Performance characteristics with most recreational hang gliders used for the wing are very impressive," GT Manufacturing claims. "The Xtralite trike with the standard Simonini engine requires only 75 feet of runway to take off, and can crank out 500 feet per minute of climb."

Standard features of the Xtralite include: Simonini Mini Plus 2-cycle engine with electric start and 2-blade wood prop, foot throttle, custom GT 5-point shoulder harness pilot restraint, comfortable GT fabric sling seat and removable 3-gallon polyethelene fuel tank.

Options include a fiberglass fairing package (for the trike carriage), fiberglass wheel pants, instruments (EGT, CHT, tach, hourmeter), faired GT saddlebags (designed to fit a hand-deployed emergency parachute), hand-deployed parachute or ballistic BRS emergency parachute, and custom floats.

The price for GT Manufacturing's single-seat Xtralite SkyCycle trike (without wing) is $5,500. "The friendly folks at Lookout Mountain Flight Park will help fit each pilot to the best choice of gliders," GT Manufacturing says.

*See "Industry Watch: Freedom Machine 'Soars' on the Market," July '98 Ultralight Flying! magazine

­ Buzz Chalmers