Electric ultralights

[Kogs]

As I am fed up with the red tape associated with flying LSA I am looking at single seater electric powered ultralights which don't attract the same restrictions. Are there any of these aircraft in use in SA and if so who are the agents if any? What are the regulations and weight MTOW limits? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[gertcoetzee]

Hi,

The answer is the ZEE - contact Johan Anderson.

I have one, but stopped flying it for the simple reason that I have a bad back and when there is a breeze the wing wants to fly and you need strength and a good back to control it. It is a tandem hang glider wing, attached to a mini-cart, with a paraglider motor. Great for taking thermals, gliding and flying around locally.

Mine is for sale, but look at the posts here, and elsewhere. Johan Anderson (in Wilderness) will be able to tell you more, do the training etc. Although you will need a conversion, and a yearly licence renewal (via post), the Zee itself has NO PAPERWORK.

Johan manufactures the ZEE cart, add the enjin and imports the wing. I went through all that, but as I said, when you rig/de-rig, you need a good back.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20053&p=194194&hilit=Zee#p194194

Gert Coetzee

[Kogs]

Thanks for that info Gert. Like you I have a bad back. I should have been more explicit. I was looking into 3 axis. There are Ultralights like the SWAN where the pilot sits in a pod on a trike undercarriage. Also comes with an electric motor.

[justin.schoeman]

Thanks for that info Gert. Like you I have a bad back. I should have been more explicit. I was looking into 3 axis. There are Ultralights like the SWAN where the pilot sits in a pod on a trike undercarriage. Also comes with an electric motor.

South Africa does not have the American Part 103 ultralights. About the closest you can get in South Africa is a 'powered hang-glider'. There is nothing that prevents you from making a 3-axis powered hang-glider, but I do not think there are any in SA (the odd requirement that the undercarriage be 'detachable' makes things interesting).

I have occasionally been tempted to contact SAHPA to find out about the process of building a BLOOP or similar, but have never gotten around to it.