HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The idea of a tow-only aerial vehicle surfaced years ago but dropped into the hidden waters of self-doubt and a sea of design challenges. Early in 2020 the not-for-profit Skonkwerks.org, was prodded by Rick Hayes (the then President of MULA) and Mark Solper (the then EAA Board Member/ Ultralight Chairman) to give the project another look. The ripples lingering in those quiet waters washed up on the shores of possibility, and Project First Flight was born.
It is difficult for even the most seasoned pilots to wrap their head around it. A Flying Machine that was engineered, designed and constructed — TO NOT FLY.
This is exactly the case with the tow-only, award winning First Flight Flyer, the SnapDragon1.0, and 1.1. If any one of these craft were pushed off a cliff, even the best of pilots could not coax them to fly.
“WHAT? Why?” You might ask.
Let’s first examine what the First Flight Flyer, and the SnapDragons are NOT. They are not airplanes, not gliders, and not trainers. By design — They are not capable of independent flight.
“Well, what are they then?”
They are tow-only aerial experience vehicles. Designed to give first timers a timely solo feel for flight.
The concept bucks the paradigm of what most people think they know about flight, aerodynamics, and flight safety.
“How does it work?”
On the ground with a 150# pilot the CG (Center of Gravity) is at about 50% - 55% of wing chord.
When straight line thrust (about 100#) is applied by the tow vehicle, as you can imagine, it comes off the ground fast…Of course it does! – The CG is at 55%. It comes off the ground like a homesick angel!
As it climbs the thrust vector changes. (Technically it could be considered a 4th and 5th axis, but we won’t go there right now.)
As the angle of the short tow rope becomes more acute, there is more and more downward force on the nose.
In effect, adding weight to the nose changes the craft’s dynamic CG.
As the tow-rope angle inclines, the CG slides forward. As the tow angle approaches 30° the CG has slid forward to a very happy + - 27% of chord. At the end of the short towrope, 10’– 20’ AGL (Above Ground Level), the craft ‘locks in’ and displays unbelievably stable flight characteristics. Any further back control input is simply ignored by the craft. It is however still responsive to yaw, roll and fore control inputs.
Normally the pilot is coaxed back to the ground via communication headsets worn by the Driver, the Flight Director, and the Pilot, a competent Flight Director can slowly reduce speed, (thrust) to get them down safely.
In an emergency release, as many first-time pilots require, the tow is released by the Flight Director during some very awkward flight attitudes. In most cases, the low mass craft instantly rights itself and noses up - forward penetration ceases — (low mass x low speed = low inertia). As designed, the craft flops to the ground with almost no ground roll. Ten inches of suspension and huge 24” mains, with big balloon tires assure the pilot arrives soft n safe.
