The Fly Hard Trikes SkyCycle was an American

ultralight trike An ultralight trike or paratrike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift control, weight-shift. These light-sport aircraft, aircraft have a fabric Rogallo wing, flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fusel ...

, designed by Mike Theeke and produced by Fly Hard Trikes of

Wildwood, Georgia Wildwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the northeastern corner of Dade County, Georgia, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 382. Description The community is close to the Tenness ...

. The aircraft was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft and several hundred were completed and flown.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 212. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X Production ended with the owner's death in 2020.

Design and development

The SkyCycle was designed to comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...

rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of in its "S" model. It features a cable-braced or optionally a

strut-braced In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

-style

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

, weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit with a small

cockpit fairing An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

and a single engine in

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

. The aircraft is made from bolted-together

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

tubing, with its single surface wing covered in

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...

sailcloth. Its span wing uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a twin cylinder, air-cooled,

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

, single-ignition

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and developme ...

engine or the twin-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke Kawasaki 340. With the Kawasaki 340 engine the aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload is . A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including the strut-braced

North Wing Maverick III North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

and the

Airborne Sting 175 Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

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

Operational history

The aircraft has won many awards including, 2007

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Intern ...

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.

Variants

;SkyCycle S :Model with the Kawasaki 340 powerplant,

strut-braced wing, cockpit fairing and an empty weight of . ;SkyCycle Firefly :

Nanotrike A nanolight is an Australian class of ultralight powered aircraft. It was originally defined as a powered hang glider with an empty weight, including both wing and power system, of less than . A nanolight may be launched on foot or using a wheeled ...

version with the

Zenoah G25 The Zenoah G-25 is a single cylinder, two stroke, carburetor, carburetted aircraft engine, with optional fuel injection, designed for use on ultralight aircraftCliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page G-8 Cybair Li ...

engine, the

wing, instrument pod only in place of the cockpit fairing and an empty weight of .

Specifications (SkyCycle S)

References

External links