Kestrel 4000 Weather Tracker

The Kestrel® 4000 Weather Tracker™ (shown here actual size) is Nielsen-Kellerman's latest pocket-size weather meter, providing measurements of wind speed, temperature, wind chill, relative humidity, dew point, barometric pressure, altitude, density altitude, wet bulb temperature and heat stress, plus a clock and calendar. The weather station's memory "allows users to log the environmental data for entire trips, expeditions, outings or flights," NK says.

Nielsen-Kellerman (NK), manufacturer of the Kestrel® line of pocket weather meters, has released "the next generation of weather-monitoring instruments - the Kestrel® 4000 Pocket Weather Tracker™," the company announces. "A complete hand-held weather station," NK says, "the Kestrel 4000 measures every major environmental condition: barometric pressure, altitude, density altitude, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind chill, dew point, wet bulb temperature and heat stress."

And the new weather meter does more than just display the current conditions. "The Kestrel 4000 is a tracking device that allows users to log the environmental data for entire trips, expeditions, outings or flights," NK points out. "The 4000's extensive memory and recall functions give anyone playing or working outdoors the ability to accurately watch and predict weather trends."

How often the unit will take regular measurements is set by using the easy-to-use customization menu, according to NK. "Once programmed, the unit 'wakes up' at the predetermined interval to measure and store all the readings," NK notes. "The data can then be reviewed in a graph with a scrolling cursor that tells the date, time and value for each reading."

The Kestrel 4000 has memory storage for 250 data points, recording up to 4 months of data, depending on the storage interval, according to NK. Other features of the 3.6-ounce Kestrel 4000 Pocket Weather Tracker include:
* Full portability
* Guaranteed accuracy specifications that ensure precise and reliable readings
* Large back-lit display for easy use in any conditions, day or night
* New humidity sensor that yields ±3% accuracy, and offers greater stability in extreme low-humidity conditions
* Unit can automatically store measurements (even when it is turned off), or you can manually store measurements with the press of a button
* Optional PC interface to upload data to a personal computer
* Flip-top impeller cover that protects the user-replaceable (without tools) 1-inch impeller while still enabling all other weather readings
* Rugged waterproof case
* Clock and calendar providing day, date and time of every reading
* Three user-defined screens that can combine readings for quick and easy reference
* Minimum/maximum/average screens that provide the historic minimum, maximum and average values for every measurement
* Automatic shutdown, either after 15 or 60 minutes of no button presses. "This feature can be disabled," NK says.
* Multiple language capability - English, Spanish and French
* Neck and wrist lanyard, soft carrying pouch and two AAA batteries are included. "Battery life is at least 400 hours," NK says.
* Assembled in the USA, with a 1-year warranty

Specifications include:
* Windspeed is measured in miles per hour (mph - range is 0.7 to 89 mph), knots (kt - range is 0.6 to 78 kt), meters per second (mps - 0.3 to 40 mps), kilometers per hour (kph), feet per minute (fpm) or Beaufort scale (Bft - a scale on which successive ranges of wind velocities are assigned code numbers from 0 to 12 or from 0 to 17).
* Temperature is measured in Fahrenheit (-20° F to +158° F) or Celsius (-29° C to +70° C), with an accuracy of ±1° C for temperature, ±2° C for wind chill, ±3° C (above 20% relative humidity) for dew point, and ±3° C for heat stress. Temperature range for normal operation is from -20°C (-4° F) to +60° C (+140° F). "Below -20° C (-4° F)," NK adds, "accurate readings may be taken by keeping the unit warmer than -20° C and exposing it for less than a minute - the minimum time necessary to take a reading."
* Relative humidity is measured in percentage (5 to 95%), with an accuracy of ±3% and a calibration drift of ±2 % over 24 months (can be field calibrated).
* Barometric pressure is measured in millibars (mb) with a range of 870.0 to1,080.0 mb, inches of mercury (inHg) with a range of 25.70 to 31.90 inHg, pounds per square inch (psi) with a range of 12.66 to 15.72 psi, or hectopascals (hPa) which is a measurement in hundreds of pascals (1 pascal is equal to 1 newton per square meter). Accuracy of the barometric pressure measurement is ±3 hPa (between -10° and +60° C).
* Altitude and density altitude are measured in feet (range is -1,500 to +30,000 feet) or meters (range is -500 to +9,000 meters) with an altitude accuracy of ±30 meters (98.4 feet) at standard atmospheric conditions, and a density altitude accuracy of ±75 meters (246 feet).
* Dimensions are: 12.7 by 4.5 by 2.8 centimeters (5 by 1.8 by 1.1 inches).

Retail price of the Kestrel 4000 Weather Tracker pocket weather meter is $329, "available at national retail and catalog outlets or directly from NK," Nielsen-Kellerman notes.

"Nielsen-Kellerman is known worldwide for waterproof speed measurement, timing and audio systems for competitive rowers," the company says. "Virtually every rowing shell at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia carried NK equipment."

- Buzz Chalmers

Phantom Aircraft - manufacturer of the venerable single-seat Phantoms (the enclosed-cockpit Phantom X-1e model is pictured here) - has now made it easier on their customers by building seven subassemblies at the factory (at no additional charge), reducing kit build time by an estimated 25%, according to Phantom Aircraft.

After completing a labor cost study on building and assembling certain components of their Phantom ultralight kits, Phantom Aircraft - manufacturer of the venerable Phantom line of single-seat ultralights - "was surprised to find it only cost us $37 more to assemble the components for our customers [compared to bagging, marking and grouping the same components]," reports Phantom president Pat Schultheis. "All Phantom kits now have seven different assemblies done for the customer at the factory at no extra charge." Phantom expects the net result of these kit changes to be some very happy customers.

"We now give the customer the lower cage all framed, the tail assemblies built (the customer still covers them with fabric), the control stick assembled, the ailerons framed and covered, the fiberglass pod body has the mounting holes cut out, the keel tube comes with all the brackets mounted, and the motor mount has the main brackets installed," Schultheis elaborates. "This should save the customer about 25% of the assembly time." The open-air Phantom X-1 has an assembly time listed as 125 to 150 hours, and the enclosed-cockpit Phantom X-1e is listed as 90 to 180 hours. Those assembly times should be reduced 25% due to the extra assembly now done at the factory.

"By adding his wheels to the landing gear," Phantom Aircraft says, the new Phantom owner "can sit in his rolling cage in his living room that first night, making vroom vroom sounds." That is, "if he or she has an understanding spouse," Schultheis quips. "We found that customers needed an incentive to get started on their building project, so we made it very easy for them."

- Buzz Chalmers

Swing Wing Option on GibboGear Trike Wings

GibboGear's new Swing Wing option is shown here on a BabyButterfly trike wing mounted on the BB Trike imported from Hungary. The braced "nose post" (sticking up above the wing's nose) and extra pair of top wires support each leading edge as the wings are swung open or closed.

Mark "Gibbo" Gibson's trike wing manufacturing company, Butterfly Wings by GibboGear, is getting a reputation for innovations in trike wing design and convenience. Identifying a "niche market" for a stable trike wing with easy and predictable handling characteristics, Gibson began making and marketing his Butterfly trike wing. Gibson used his experience as a World Class hang gliding competition pilot and hang glider designer to develop the single-surface Butterfly trike wing,* designed for stability in turbulence as well as easy and predictable handling during takeoffs and landings. The Butterfly trike wing continues to be the company's "bread and butter" product, according to Gibson.

Located at the Lake Wales Municipal Airport (XØ7), Butterfly Wings by GibboGear's product line has expanded rapidly since Gibson started manufacturing trike wings in '99. The company's products now include the single-surface Butterfly trike wing (in three sizes - the original 21-meter Butterfly trike wing, the 17-meter BabyButterfly** and the just-released 15-meter MiniButterfly), the faster double-surface Firefly trike wing*** (a higher-performing trike wing for more experienced trike pilots), and the BB Trike****( a top-of-the-line fully loaded trike Gibson imports from Hungary). And now, GibboGear has released their patent-pending Swing Wing - an innovative option to speed the time-consuming chore of many trikers who set up their trike wings (usually a 20- to 30-minute task) each time before they fly and break them down again at day's end.

"Have you ever dreamed of a trike wing that would just swing open?" GibboGear asks. Well, Gibson did, and now he has designed and developed one, available on all GibboGear trike wings.

"Using a small braced 'nose post' [similar to a kingpost] and an extra top wire, we are able to swing the wings' leading edges open and closed like a gate with the aid of a 2-to-1 pulley system attached to the pull-back [wing tensioning] cable," GibboGear explains. "The Swing Wing comes with a special protective bag that covers the folded wings, allowing the still-attached control bar and lower (flying) wires to stick out, so the entire trike and wing can be trailered."

Word of the Swing Wing option already has spread among trikers and potential trikers. The Swing Wing option is being ordered on 30% of GibboGear's trike wings, Gibson claims.

Price for GibboGear's Swing Wing option is $400.

- Buzz Chalmers

*See "Industry Watch: ...And Now, a Trike Wing Kit," January '01 Ultralight Flying! magazine **See "Industry Watch: BabyButterfly Trike Wing," November '01 UF! magazine
***See "Industry Watch: In the Works - New FireFly Trike Wing," September '01 UF! magazine
****See "Industry Watch: GibboGear Offers BabyButterfly BB Trike," December '01 UF! magazine

Info pack: free. Butterfly Wings by GibboGear, 260 S. Airport Rd., Hangar 1, Dept. UF, Lake Wales, FL 33853. Phone: (863) 679-6383 * e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On land or on the water, the new Kalypso amphibious trike is "designed with ease of use and total enjoyment in mind," says Bob Bullock of Water Trikes. With the new Swing Wing Butterfly trike wing (note the new "nose post" forward of the kingpost on top of the wing), the Kalypso claims a 5-minute setup. And with its Krücker floats and standard 50-hp Rotax 503 dual carb 2-cycle aircraft engine, the Kalypso also claims 5-second water takeoffs, according to Water Trikes.

We've said it before - Bob Bullock isn't bashful when he boasts about the ultralight products he sells. His company, Water Trikes, is the U.S. importer of the Canadian-made Krücker floats,* designed specifically for trikes, and Bullock absolutely raves about their performance, as well as water-based amphibious trike flying in general.

And now Water Trikes has joined the ranks of ultralight manufacturers, and Bullock has a new product to brag about - the Kalypso amphibious trike, which he boldly claims is "the definition for amphibious trike." And his brash statements don't end there. "The Kalypso is the first truly functional amphibious trike," he enthuses, "designed with ease of use and total enjoyment in mind." How so? Bullock backs up this claim with another: "With the new Swing Wing from Butterfly Wings by GibboGear you can go from trailer to trike flying in just 5 minutes.

"The Kalypso is a complete departure from other float trikes," Water Trikes explains. "Designed around the Krücker floats, the Kalypso has the ability to get two large trikers off the water with [less] horsepower because the floats don't get 'on step' like '3-axis floats' do. They act like a ski and [plane on the water's surface] with 70% of the float riding in the water to give unparalleled stability while the patent-pending design seemingly has no resistance."

The Kalypso combines the latest design of floats, trike wing and powerplant "to make float flying as enjoyable as you dreamed it would be," Bullock goes on. "From floats designed specifically for trikes to the Swing Wing designed by Mark 'Gibbo' Gibson at Butterfly Wings by GibboGear, you'll enjoy 5-minute setups and 5-second takeoffs. If you ever wanted to fly an amphib, now you have a reason."

Standard features of the Kalypso include: 50-hp Rotax 503 DCDI (dual carb, dual ignition) 2-cycle aircraft engine, Zanzottera MZ 3.11-to-1 reduction drive (with clutch) or Rotax B gearbox drive, 67-inch Hotprop 3-blade composite scimitar propeller, GibboGear's single-surface Butterfly** trike wing with the Swing Wing option, electric retractable wheels (with manual backup), instruments (dual EGT, tach and Hobbs® hourmeter), and protective covers for the instruments, engine and prop.

One Kalypso standard feature not usually included in the price of other amphibious ultralights is the Kalypso's custom trailer, which Bullock added to his list of standard features after a trucking company wanted to charge him more than $1,500 for shipping just the floats after the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon. Now the fully assembled and ready-to-fly Kalypso comes to customers "on its own wheels." Customers can either pick up the Kalypso on its trailer at the factory, or Water Trikes will deliver the trike and trailer to the buyer (for an additional fee).

Options include: Other engines, other trike wings (by BB Trikes, GibboGear and North Wing Design), and a ballistically deployed BRS emergency backup parachute.

Construction of the Kalypso is an all-aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum frame with stainless steel components, stainless steel cable and AN hardware, according to Water Trikes.

Price for the complete ready-to-fly (and factory test-flown) Kalypso amphibious trike (with 50-hp Rotax 503 DCDI engine and Butterfly trike wing), including custom trailer, is $21,995.

- Buzz Chalmers

*See "Industry Watch: Water Trikes Imports New Krücker Floats," November '01 Ultralight Flying! magazine
**See "Industry Watch: ...And Now, a Trike Wing Kit," January '01 UF! magazine

Swinging in the Wind

Flightline Paraflite's 2-axis powered parachute simulator allows pilot training to continue regardless of wind conditions. The simulator is also claimed to reduce airborne training by 1 hour.

Flightline Paraflite - Hank Austin's West Michigan powered parachute dealership and training center - is touting a new simulator they claim is "the world's first 2-axis flight simulator for powered parachutes."

Austin says the new simulator allows training to continue regardless of wind conditions. "A major factor in training time for new students is wind," Austin notes. "A 5-mph wind can substantially prolong training, while stronger winds will stop powered parachute training altogether. The new simulator allows powered parachute training to continue regardless of wind velocity."

Average student flight training times at Austin's Shelby Paraflite School in western Michigan normally run 4 hours using SYCON-Aircraft's Chiron elliptical canopy wing, according to the company. "Our airborne training time is now reduced by 1 hour because of the simulator," Austin reports.

"Only one other powered parachute simulator exists in the U.S.," Austin claims, "and it is a single-axis unit. Flightline Paraflite's 2-axis simulator is the first of its type in the world."

Flightline Paraflite's trainer simulates the yaw and pitch axes. (The training center reports they use other training aids to simulate the roll axis.) "The beauty of our simulator is it can be used on windy days, and it can be used with any existing powered parachute," Austin says.

Austin says he has been active for 4 years in developing powered parachute training, including producing the 2-hour How to Fly a Powered Parachute video, as well as other training videotapes. Among his accomplishments Austin claims the first comprehensive flight training syllabus specifically for powered parachutes, and importing and establishing the use of elliptical canopy wings in the United States. He also developed the amphibious Explorer powered parachute.*- Buzz Chalmers

*See "Industry Watch: Buckeye Powered Parachute 'Explores' Water," April '97 Ultralight Flying! magazine

Info: Flightline Paraflite, 4670 W. Woodrow Rd., Dept. UF, Shelby, MI 49455. Phone: (231) 861-7279 * e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Stratman Returns

Mike Stratman's popular column, "The Proper Care & Feeding of the Rotax Motor," will return every other month beginning with the April '02 issue of Ultralight Flying! magazine.

It's been 5 years since Rotax engine expert Mike Stratman wrote his last article about Rotax engines in his long-running Ultralight Flying! magazine column, "The Proper Care and Feeding of the Rotax Motor."

For those of you looking for the latest on Rotax engine development and maintenance, be sure to check out the April '02 issue of Ultralight Flying! magazine. You'll find Mike Stratman's premiere comeback article in "The Proper Care and Feeding of the Rotax Motor" series, which will be published every other month beginning with our April issue.

"I'm basically doing this for one main reason," says Stratman, who's been a Rotax engine distributor since '84. "To get understandable information out there so guys can use it. When we get phone calls at California Power Systems dealing with technical problems, we need to direct guys to that reference."

Stratman has been president of California Power Systems, an after-market parts supplier, since '80.