Highest Altitude/Level in a trike?

[Beefmaster]

Hi guys,

I have noticed that there're guys who are wary of flying low and guys that are equally wary of flying high. I consider myself as being a lover of both. Lower flying to see things clearer on the ground and higher flying to get further from the taxman and other native criminal elements. (Dont know how much more politically correct I can get) I'm curious as to what the highest altitude/level is that you have flown in your trike. Include the routes you flew as well, and type of trike, and tell me what your performance and fuel consumption was like at altitude.

I'm not licenced yet (Done 5:41 of training so far), but when I do get there, would like to experience high altitude in a trike. I've heard of guys flying FL130 down to the lowveld. Sounds like it could be a fantastic view of lowveld mountains from up there!!

Lets hear it!

Chrs!

[D2O]

One day when I have enough hours and I'm brave enough, I'd like to attempt an altitude record.
BTW, anyone know what the current record is for high altitude flying in a microlight that's oxygen assisted?
It's on my bucket list, so that's waaaay in the future!

Never been higher than 6500ft myself

[Koevoet]

Thick jacket, I think u gonna need it. Enjoy, and keep it safe.

[kloot piloot]

Current FAI records:

Pilot only: 9 720m (that's roughly 32 000 ft)

Pilot plus pax: 8 072m

[Beefmaster]

Holy cow!! Imagine that! "Microlight XXX, Johannesburg Area: Look out for traffic type 747 passing below" Heehee!! @D20: This is what i find interesting is that you say when you have enough hours;) Okay tell you what, when I have my hours and lic I'll fly some extra tanks up there for you Where you flying from?? 6500ft would be low in the highveld but high enough on the coast!

@Koevoet: On a day like today in Middelburg we're thinking freezer jacket anyway! Without flying at all I think you're right, double freezersuit and thermal jocks!!

I saw a clip once of some guys in a trike flying around the peak of Everest, fascinating!! Goes to show it can be done

Anyone been up to our VFR limits here in SA??

[Bundy]

Current FAI records:

Pilot only: 9 720m (that's roughly 32 000 ft)

Pilot plus pax: 8 072m

Holy S#!t

To be honest, having only accumulated 50HRs so far, I think the highest I've ever been was 8000? And I only did that once for no real particular reason.
Never really felt the urge to go any higher. I'd also like to know what its like up there! You should know Kloot, having hang glider experience?

I would imagine that flying cross country somewhere, it would be quite nice to take advantage of the stronger wind speeds up there? Dunno.

Beefmaster I think at this stage of your training, it will be far more important to learn from your instructor in Re to the dangers of flying low! It can certainly be done safely but there is a hell of a lot that can go wrong at low altitude. I normally cruise at around 700 to 1000ft off the ground. The view is great and at least I have a little bit of time (IE height) should I run into a problem. Almost all the trike pilots I know cruise at a similar height.

Enjoy your training! Pity the weather looks kak for this weekend

[D2O]

Holy cow!! Imagine that! "Microlight XXX, Johannesburg Area: Look out for traffic type 747 passing below" Heehee!! @D20: This is what i find interesting is that you say when you have enough hours;) Okay tell you what, when I have my hours and lic I'll fly some extra tanks up there for you Where you flying from?? 6500ft would be low in the highveld but high enough on the coast!

@Koevoet: On a day like today in Middelburg we're thinking freezer jacket anyway! Without flying at all I think you're right, double freezersuit and thermal jocks!!

I saw a clip once of some guys in a trike flying around the peak of Everest, fascinating!! Goes to show it can be done

Anyone been up to our VFR limits here in SA??

I fly from Rhino Park near Dronkwordspruit (hehehe, that never gets old ), so I'm in Special Rules East mostly. Can't really go more than 6500ft around there, otherwise you end up in ORT TMA
I'm a very low hour pilot & I think I need to do a lot of research and get lots of experience before I start looking at the really high altitudes, as issues such as hypoxia and engine mods needed for air intake boosting & preventing carb icing are just a few things that spring to mind.
I'm currently without a plane, so just fly circuits & in the GF in the Rhino Park area with the flying school's plane until I can get my plane fixed, then I'll venture out to other airfields where I can climb to higher altitudes.

[Beefmaster]

@D20: Oh okay, ofcourse the TMA will be problematic there! Well you could always hop over here to Middelburg and enter inner orbit here

@Bundy: Ja we havent done any cross country yet and have only been in and around the circuit at Witbank so far (training at Boris Benic's place 2nm from FAWI). 700 to 1000ft sounds hi to me at this stage because we fly our circuits at only 250ft or so there. Must say I think it would be difficult for me to descend from any higher in the circuit, as sometimes even on a normal length final i have to cut throttle altogether almost to get down!! Once I go solo I'll venture further skyward I think. Pondering on a cross country to Groblersdal in which case I'd wanna clear those mountains by as much as possible!! Scared of rotors now I know what they are, after what happened to those guys that went down at Piet Retief. Eish!!

[vernon11]

Here at the coast, my highest was 4200ft. Did not enjoy it one bit. I love the lower hights. In my Savannah I have been up to 8000ft. did not enjoy that either. I like to beable to see the ground passing.
Vernon.

[kloot piloot]

Bundy wrote:

You should know Kloot, having hang glider experience?

Highest I got in a hang glider was 16 800 ft ASL between Machadodorp and Badplaas over the Ndubazi forest. Take-off at Ndubazi was 3 720 ASL. The thermal topped out at about 18 000ft (veld fire smoke at Carolina levelled out at that height) but I chickened out. Die grond raak baie ver ! In Spain in the Pyrenees I got 14 900 ft.

A thermal is more oxygen rich than surrounding air. Once on the glide towards Barberton, and out of the thermal, I had stages where a bit of oxygen-lack plays part with your judgement, but soon you are in the 10 000 ft areas and that is OK.

But strangely, I don't like huge altitudes in the microlight ? I love the 500 ft - 1000 ft AGL (4200 - 4700 ASL) where we fly in the Brits Bushveld area. Yet on our way to Zwartkops it was fun looking at Pretoria CBD from 7500 ASL just under the TMA.

Bottom line: The height of the tailwind detemines my altitude !

[Beefmaster]

Bottom line: The height of the tailwind detemines my altitude !

Seems a good way to do it!! You know of anywhere else other than weathersa where one can find wind info at the different levels?? Dont wanna sound like a cheapskate not wanting to pay the R250/mo for weather, but that to me is almost half an hour of flying!! Better spent in the sky thanks

Here at the coast, my highest was 4200ft. Did not enjoy it one bit.

Did you find that it was windy or bumpy, being the reason or just slow scenery?? See i've never been higher than 1000ft in the trike, so wouldnt know... I'd have to give it a bash though to see what its like!!

[Bundy]

Bundy wrote:

You should know Kloot, having hang glider experience?

Highest I got in a hang glider was 16 800 ft ASL between Machadodorp and Badplaas over the Ndubazi forest. Take-off at Ndubazi was 3 720 ASL. The thermal topped out at about 18 000ft (veld fire smoke at Carolina levelled out at that height) but I chickened out. Die grond raak baie ver ! In Spain in the Pyrenees I got 14 900 ft.

A thermal is more oxygen rich than surrounding air. Once on the glide towards Barberton, and out of the thermal, I had stages where a bit of oxygen-lack plays part with your judgement, but soon you are in the 10 000 ft areas and that is OK.

But strangely, I don't like huge altitudes in the microlight ? I love the 500 ft - 1000 ft AGL (4200 - 4700 ASL) where we fly in the Brits Bushveld area. Yet on our way to Zwartkops it was fun looking at Pretoria CBD from 7500 ASL just under the TMA.

Bottom line: The height of the tailwind detemines my altitude !

Thanks Kloot, interesting!

I must admit, I have a very limited understanding of thermals so could you elaborate on the point you make re the oxygen content of the air inside the thermal? I would have thought the ozygen content would be lower due to the fact that it is warm (IE less dense) rising air? Please educate me!

I do agree with you though, I am almost always at around the same cruising level as you. As said earlier, when i climbed in the GF to 8000ft, I acctually chickened out as I was more concerned with the Carb Icing possibility on the descent!
Was lekker up there though, very smooth on that particular day but I have seen upper wind forecasts of up to 40knts so I generally remain a lot lower... ha ha.

Where do you get your upper wind forecasts from? I refuse to pay weathersa for info that I feel should be free to pilots I find windguru to be the most accurate in terms of the lower wind forecasts and general precipitation but I'd love to find an easy reference to the upper wind forecast?

[Beefmaster]

I find windguru to be the most accurate in terms of the lower wind forecasts and general precipitation but I'd love to find an easy reference to the upper wind forecast?

Ditto. Could the more experienced guys around here help us out with this one??

[D2O]

Where do you get your upper wind forecasts from? I refuse to pay weathersa for info that I feel should be free to pilots I find windguru to be the most accurate in terms of the lower wind forecasts and general precipitation but I'd love to find an easy reference to the upper wind forecast?

vfrplanner.co.za has a neat thing on their website where you can not only plan your flight, but you can click anywhere on the map & get a weather report on it including upper wind forecasts. I've done one for this morning at Rhino Park. Upper winds 34 knots at the moment at 6500ft

upperwinds.jpg (73.84 KiB) Viewed 3933 times

[Bundy]

Thanks D20, I'll check it out!

With that forecast... I presume you are staying on the ground? ha ha