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"Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines"
From the dawn of the aeroplane there have been many who have yearned to fly but
have been balked from doing so by the expense. The more ambitious built their
own machines, treating the work as a labour of love, and thus they avoided the
substantial cost of a production aircraft.
However, such a dedicated mortal in not the �man in the street� who perhaps does
not have the ability to undertake such a task, he or she merely wants to fly.
Gliding was to many the opportunity to fly less expensively but as this too
began to grow in terms of financial demands, the early 1970s saw determined
enthusiasts on the west coast of America strapping all sorts of odd shaped wings
on to their backs and leaping from sand dunes and occasionally arriving intact
on the beach below. Hang gliding was born.
But, as with gliding, the desire to go from A to B at will could not be realised
and it was not long before hang-glider pilots who wanted this facility began
adding small engines to their gliders. So the Microlight was born.
In the UK as in Malta, once an engine is attached to an aircraft it becomes an
aeroplane or �flying machine�, and this requires both pilot and aeroplane to
comply with aviation laws which are both strict and complex.
However, by judicious and realistic negotiation in the early 1980s, the
Microlight pilot and aeroplane avoided the full impact of the existing
legislation and became subject to rules more meaningful to their nature and
purpose; that of recreational flying.
Perhaps unique in flying circles is the distinct differences in types of
Microlight available to the would-be enthusiast. There are two: the variation is
readily identifiable by shape, with the other difference being the form of
control system.
The Microlight resembling the delta-shaped hang glider format is controlled by
the movement of the whole wing itself. Colloquially this type is known as the
�trike�. The other more resembles the traditional aeroplane configuration
and conventional controls are used; this type is commonly called a �three
axis� machine.
Many pilots fly both types, although the control inputs are entirely opposite to
each other. The novice will learn according to the type selected but there is a
tendency for those with previous conventional flying experience to opt for
three-axis, where they feel more at home. Certainly any change from one to
another warrants a pilot undergoing conversion training.
Today the sport has developed beyond recognition, with the availability of
aeroplanes which many outsiders doubt are actually Microlights. Indeed, in terms
of machines, performance, safety record and sensible control, the UK can be said
to lead the world. Malta will soon follow. Click here to read further on the subject. |