2 minutes ago, leprechaunlive said:

Geez, aviation authorities always have to make things more complex than they are. And its true in just about every country.

Your not kidding. This is a summary of the Aussie rules stolen from Holbrook Ultralight Club website, makes your head spin just trying to read it:

 

Quote

In Australia it is a powered aircraft intended to be operated for experimental, educational or recreational purposes and is registered with RA-Aus. An ultralight aircraft is generally restricted to a single engine and may have one or two seats. It must have a maximum takeoff weight of less than 300 kilograms, in the case of a non-certified single seat aircraft that has been designed and built by the owner, less than 544 kilograms, in the case of amateur built and certified two seat aircraft and less than 600 kilograms in the case of light sports aircraft.

Ultralights may be conventional three-axis aircraft, weight shift aircraft (trikes and powered hang gliders) or powered parachutes. In Australia ultralights are categorised into groups that are usually labelled with the title of the CAO under which they operate. The various groupings are:

95.10 - This category is for the true enthusiast and the experimenter. This class is for single seat home built non-certified aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) not exceeding 300kg and a wing loading of less than 30kg per square metre. This category allow more freedom for the home builder than any other experimental category anywhere in the world and enjoys an excellent safety record. There is no restriction on the number and type of engines, the flight control systems and the type of undercarriage. 95.10 category ultralight aircraft carry the registration 10-xxxx.

95.25 - This category has been superseded by 101.55, however ultralight aircraft built to this specification can still be obtained. It is, or was, essentially a category for two seat factory built training aircraft with similar flight characteristics to 95.10 aircraft although the category also permitted factory built single seat aircraft. 95.25 category aircraft carry the registration 25-xxxx.

95.32 - This category covers single and two seat weight shift controlled aircraft such as trikes, powered parachutes and powered hang gliders.95.32 category aircraft carry the registration 32-xxxx.

101.28 - This category covers single and two seat amateur built aircraft constructed under the supervision of the Sports Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA). Aircraft in this category have a MTOW of 450kg (480kg under certain circumstances) and the builder must have constructed at least 51% of the aircraft. 101.28 aircraft carry the registration 28-xxxx.

101.55 - This category covers two seat aircraft that have been built in a factory, in Australia or overseas, where the manufacturer holds a certificate of approval to manufacture the aircraft issued by CASA. Aircraft in this category have a MTOW of 450kg and approved maintenance and flight manuals must be provided. Aircraft in this category can be used for training and 101.55 aircraft carry the registration 55-xxxx.

Factory built aircraft - CAO 95.55 also provides for the manufacture of factory built two seat aircraft with a MTOW of 544kg (614kg for a seaplane). The manufacturer of aircraft in this category must hold a type certificate, a certificate of type approval and a production certificate for the aircraft. Aircraft in this category can be used for training and carry the registration 24-xxxx.

Amateur built aircraft - This category provides for single and two seat amateur built aircraft that are intended for educational or recreational purposes. Aircraft can either be built from scratch (i.e. owner designed or built from plans) or from a kit, where the kit is deemed eligible. The major portion of the total construction of an aircraft in this category (i.e. at least 51%) must be by the owner. Aircraft in this category have a MTOW of 544kg (614kg for seaplanes) and carry the registration 19-xxxx.

Light sports aircraft - LSA is a new category of two seat sport and recreational aircraft that is available to both the general aviation and ultralight industry. LSA does not replace any existing categories and it is not intended to apply to aircraft already operating in an existing category. Aircraft in this category can be either conventional three-axis aircraft, weight shift aircraft (trikes) or powered parachutes and have a MTOW not exceeding 600kg (650kg for seaplanes).Aircraft can either be factory built with a special certificate of airworthiness (S-LSA) or kit built aircraft of the same make and model as a production aircraft with an experimental certificate of airworthiness (E-LSA). The 51% 'major portion rule' does not apply to E-LSA aircraft, so the manufacturer can supply a much more advanced E-LSA kit than could be provided under the amateur built category. However kit built E-LSA aircraft must be inspected and issued with an experimental certificate of airworthiness by a CASA authorised person before it can be registered. S-LSA category aircraft carry the registration 24-xxxx and E-LSA carry the registration 19-xxxx.

 

12 hours ago, leprechaunlive said:

Thanks i missed this one (Its a port from FSX right?)

As far as I can tell, but for low and slow it fits right in with MSFS and doesn't seem out of place. If there were any faults with it to me it would be the sound. While not bad, at certain speeds it gets a noticeable loop.

Also, the cockpit could look a little nicer, but all the gauges work and it's livable.

Edited November 28, 20205 yr by Phantoms

I’ve been having a blast with the aerolite 103. I’ve wanted one forever and finally found one I could afford. Just speaking for myself. I think it was worth the price and I’ve found it to be a great way to really enjoy this scenery we now have.

The problem with very light aircraft in a sim, is that the effect of wind on them is likely to be very un-sim-like.  The overarching concern when flying any very-light is wind velocity and direction. Light-weights can actually have better control responses than standard AC, but no matter the degree of control surface authority, past a point - the wind simply blows you away. A good way to test the condition of your heart is to find yourself 20 miles from your field (most flyers don’t go very far from home) and on the way back you check AWOS on your radio and hear that what was a 7 knot crosswind when you departed, is now gusting to 27!  You then find out how good a pilot you really are, because you have no choice but to land in it. And if you’ve ever been up in a very-light in even moderate turbulence, you find yourself asking why ANYONE would call this fun. 

Picked up the VGP Power Solo earlier, and it is a super little aircraft. Flies beautifully, and is an absolute joy in VR.  Bunny-hopped it all the way to the coast, and haven’t yet encountered a single bug or niggle.  Had a grin like a Cheshire Cat for most of the journey.  Well worth the €14.

https://secure.simmarket.com/v.g.p.-powersolo-msfs.phtml

So picked up the Aerolite 103 off the Market place , basically because no point buying scenery right now with the current bug, and I was bored 😄

Bit pricey but it is what it is.

• model looks quite good
• has few oddities like you can kill the engine with mixture even though it has no mixture.
• view downwards as expected is excellent
• FM is sort of OK but not amazing. yoke turns oddly past halfway
• hard to keep out of reverse command curve and gain height and then suddenly with a bit more speed climbs at 500' a minute (may be realistic)
• drops a wing and stalls in turns really easily (that may also be realistic)
• engine sound is rattily and loud (again may be realistic)

Overall impression ? Ok but not wonderful.

Will be useful for when I want a good view below me in conditions like high winds to get waves where the Bleriot will probably just crash, inspecting and taking videos of new scenery for example.

Edited February 13, 20215 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

Update:

Did a two hour flight down Everest from Lupa in live weather. It struggles at 9000 feet and does not like turbulence 😄

• Great scenic views
• like a lot of MSFS addons the FM is OK as long as you stick to sane relatively normal flight
• throttle is backwards compared to other aircraft (but may be correct)
• slip indicator is odd, probably working backwards, but you cannot really see it anyway
• depending on the runway it can spawn rolling
• if you have a gear lever on your HOTAS make sure it is set to down, the aircraft does not have RG but behaves like it is retracted if you accidently "retract" it
• Vne is quite low, maybe around 65 to 70 knots (but may be correct)

Overall, a touch pricey with some weirdness but great for scenic tours  -  not an aircraft to buy if your a person who minor glitches like the slip being backwards are going to irritate you, but if you do not mind the odd thing out of place and want an ultralight,  actually overall not too bad ... not fantastic but quite acceptable and certainly the visuals are better than the other current ultralight options, it looks good in game.

Edited February 14, 20215 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

OK short video demonstrating:

• unusual reverse throttle
• backwards slip indicator
• position of flap lever
• a few minutes flying about the Gold Coast Queensland to give an idea of the feel of the thing and the cockpit view with trackIR

 

 

Edited February 14, 20215 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

OK , one more point.

The "invisible retractable gear" issues also effects the aircraft if you spawn in the air but not on approach.

If you spawn near a random POI for example the gear is "retracted" and trying to land afterwards will have one of two effects:

• if crash detection is on it will crash on landing as even though visually the gear is fixed and down the sim thinks it is up
• if you are in dev mode or have crash detection "off" the plane will belly in and come to a quick sudden stop with the wheels partially under the ground

So a little video to demonstrate why, despite all the bugs and glitches, I actually like this thing.

It is just crazy good at low slow "check out the scenery" stuff.

 

 

Edited February 16, 20215 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

Just bought the 103. Nice aircraft but how the word not allowed did the accelerating backwards on launch bug, make it past either the developer's or Asobo/MS (for the Marketplace) QA?