Fly Hard Trikes SkyCycle explained

The Fly Hard Trikes SkyCycle is an American ultralight trike, designed by Mike Theeke and produced by Fly Hard Trikes of Wildwood, Georgia. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft and several hundred have been completed and flown.[1]

Design and development

The SkyCycle was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 2540NaN0. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 2050NaN0 in its "S" model. It features a cable-braced or optionally a strut-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit with a small cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its single surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 32.91NaN1 span wing uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, single-ignition 400NaN0 Rotax 447 engine or the twin-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke 320NaN0 Kawasaki 340. With the Kawasaki 340 engine the aircraft has an empty weight of 2050NaN0 and a gross weight of 4000NaN0, giving a useful load of 1950NaN0. With full fuel of the payload is 1650NaN0.

A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including the strut-braced North Wing Maverick III and the Airborne Sting 175.[2]

An electric-powered version was reportedly under development in 2011.

Operational history

The aircraft has won many awards including, 2007 Sun 'n Fun Best Type Trike Ultralight, 2008 Sun 'n Fun Outstanding Weight Shift Ultralight, 2009 Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion and Best Commercial Ultralight, 2010 Sun 'n Fun Best Type Trike Ultralight and Best Commercial Ultralight, 2011 Sun 'n Fun Best Type Trike Ultralight and 2012 Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion.[2]

Variants

SkyCycle S
  • Model with the 320NaN0 Kawasaki 340 powerplant, North Wing Maverick III strut-braced wing, cockpit fairing and an empty weight of 2050NaN0.
    SkyCycle Firefly
  • Nanotrike version with the 240NaN0 Zenoah G25 engine, the Airborne Sting 175 wing, instrument pod only in place of the cockpit fairing and an empty weight of 1100NaN0.[2]

    Notes and References

    1. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 212. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
    2. Web site: Sky Cycle . Flyhardtrikes.com . 2013-07-11.