AirCreation Tanarg ULM

What has been happening at Aircreation

2011-07-24T16:28:00.000+02:00

Once again we are coming up to September. Many pilots know that this is the time for the biggest microlight show in Europe - Blois.
Aircreation will be there, as they always are, with a range of their products.
One thing that will be there is the Nuvix wing. This wing is the little brother of the BioniX wing, without the winglets, the vortex inducers and the pressure valves. It is meant for the lower powered trikes and the whole speed range is lower than the BioniX as is the VNE. The good news for many Aircreation owners is that this wing will fit the pre Skypper and Tanarg trikes, giving owners of the older machines the chance to fly a wing with a corset. This will breath new life into older machines.
It is also thought that the new podded version of the Skypper trike could be at Blois. The open version is fine for the general weather that we have in the south of France, but the version with a pod would suit pilots in colder climates.
Aircreation will, as always, have various trike, wing and engine options at the show for prospective customers to fly.
More details of the products can be found at http://www.aircreation.com.

Another Bionix

2010-12-20T11:59:00.000+01:00

Mike Gillam has at last got his BioniX wing. Mike flies in Thailand and has been emailing me with many questions over the past 8 months, but now he has the new wing he is as enthusiastic about it as I am.
Well done Mike, we are looking forward to the latest videos.

BioniX is selling

2010-12-08T15:32:00.000+01:00

The BioniX wing seems to be selling all over the place.
Mike in Thailand is waiting for his to be delivered. I will be be happy when he gets it as he has made some great flying videos, that will be even better with a wider speed range. See his videos on his blog at http://mikethaitanargadventures.blogspot.com/
Henry, in the US has had his delivered. Henry is another great video maker and editor. Henrys videos can be watched on www.trikepilot.com.
My mate Derek came over from the UK this summer to visit. He very kindly brought me a years supply of PG Tips tea bags (can't get them in France), so as a reward I took him for a BioniX flight. He ordered his within a week! He is flying it in New Zealand this very day. He still has his Tanarg/iXess in the UK, but that is because the BioniX is still not certified in the UK.
I have not heard back from the factory about the fuel gauge option. My email must be another of those that have disappeared into the ether!

Bionix SB

2010-11-17T16:48:00.000+01:00

There is a new service bulletin out for the BioniX wing. Please see http://www.aircreation.fr/anglais/Technical/Servicebulletins/tabid/155/language/en-US/Default.aspx for the English language version.

Fuel guages

2010-11-09T13:33:00.000+01:00

Now that Aircreation has the Skypper, complete with dashboard mounted fuel gauge, I thought it would be a good idea to investigate the chances of fitting the same to a Tanarg.
Many of the Top end Tanargs come with the Enigma EFIS dashboards these days, which come with a fuel contents display. This means that they must have a fuel sender in the tank. The sender that the Skypper uses will probably be no use on the Tanarg due to the different fuel tank shape. The gauge will fit though.
It is a pain to look down under the passengers leg to see the fuel tank contents. A gauge on the dash would be a good backup indicator of fuel contents.
I will report further when I get an answer to my email to the factory.

The Skypper

2010-10-06T12:56:00.000+02:00

Ok so you have seen the pictures, but what is it really like?
Well it is a similar sized trike to the P&M offering. The design is very light and strong with a modern looking welded steel structure. It is superbly configurable with the choice of 3 engines and many different wings. An option for a detachable full pod may be available in the future, making it suitable for climates like the UK. The small pod as fitted to the ones in the pictures on my last post is, in fact, very good. With the windscreen design there is very little buffeting or wind noise for the pilot at least.
Flying it seems very similar to the Tanarg with the same wing, but you can feel that there is less weight in the machine, and the 80hp rather then the 100hp of the Tanarg is not noticeable.
Production will start in November this year, there are still some minor modifications being made in comparison to the trikes in the pictures, Aircreation will not release anything until it is as perfect as they can get it!
The fuel tank has a sight tube on the side to easily read the fuel contents, but a fuel gauge on the dashboard is a factory option. The seating is not cramped at all, in fact I would say that it is less cramped than a P&M GT450, but it will be a better machine for flying instruction than the Tanarg due to the controls being in easier reach for the instructor. All the trikes at Blois had the dual controls fitted, and I assume that this is a factory option for the Skypper.
Prices have not yet been released, but I would expect that it will be about €10,000 less than the equivalent engined/wing Tanarg. If you want the prices then contact the factory or your local Aircreation dealer.

The new Aircreation Skypper

2010-10-04T14:15:00.000+02:00

The Skypper 582 fitted with the iXess wing.

The 582 again showing the sleek lines of the trike.

Rotax 582 engine fitted.

The 912 engine and Bionix wing version.

The same one again.

The Skypper and its big brother, the Tanarg.

The Skypper folded ready to fit a wing.

Very modern design of the Skypper front end.

HKS engine version.

Neat and tidy side view showing strong suspension.

BioniX wing showing the Kevlar band in the wing.

Brothers, both with BioniX wings.

Skypper 912/BioniX take off.

The design of the Skypper is very clean and modern looking. It is a bit smaller, and lighter, than the Tanarg, about the same trike size as the P&M range of flexwings.

It comes with a choice of three engines, the 65hp Rotax 582 two stroke, the 60hp HKS four stroke or the 80hp Rotax 912 four cylinder four stoke. Any of Aircreations current range of wings can be fitted, as seen in the pictures above.

More to follow!

BioniX and things

2010-10-03T02:26:00.001+02:00

What has been happening over the past year or so?
Aircreation launched the new trike called the Skypper at Blois this year, more about that later.
The Bionix is now a year old since the first sightings at Blois last year. The first service bulletin was issued at the end of July this year.
The problem stems from the plastic fairings that cover the A frame and kingpost. The velcro on the trailing edges of these fairings is not strong enough and can part. This leads to a very severe vibration trough the control bar at certain speeds.

The factory may have designed new fairings, and they are available for existing owners with the old fairings fitted.
I have had a few conversations with Tanarg pilots in the USA asking why Aircreation do not answer emails. The response is that I do not know! I don't work for Aircreation, but happen to know that they are having problems with the email at their end, a solution may be in the pipeline - watch this space.
If you need to contact the factory then phone them on a weekday morning and you should speak to Gabriel, who speaks English. Another option is to send a fax. Their numbers are on their website at http://www.aircreation.com/anglais.

The blog is back

2010-10-01T20:41:00.002+02:00

Thanks to those people who sent requests to view the blog. It was closed for personal reasons, but it is now back!

Still playing

2010-04-15T17:35:00.000+02:00

It has been a while since the last post and I have been getting a bit more time in with the wing.
While the BioniX is very easy to fly and land, I have found that it needs some practice to get the best out of it. The slow speed handling is fantastic, but on my short strip it needs some thought. I found that on a couple of landings, I was coming in too high. The natural thing to do is to pull the bar in a little, but what happens is that the speed increases and so does the lift. The trick is to push the bar out further. It will not stall in the same way as a normal wing, but will lose height and come down like a helicopter, with very little forward speed.
I have played a bit with the higher speeds, and have flown hands off at 80 mph (130kph). Even with the bigger windscreen this gets quite noisy and find that about 70 to 75 is more comfortable.
We flew back from Domme last Sunday afternoon. It was a hot afternoon after a very cool night. There was plenty of moisture in the ground and the cumulus clouds were building. Flying back at between 2000 and 5000 feet was very turbulent, but I can say that the BioniX is much better behaved than the iXess 15 was. Had we been flying the iXess then I suspect that my wife would have had me land at Gallinat halfway home as she does not like the bumpy air!

Thought I would throw this picture of the touchdown into the post.

My very own BioniX

2010-03-16T17:33:00.000+01:00

Flew the BioniX again today and I am blown away with the capabilities of the wing. It was a thermic day, but was not difficult flying, the wing handles the thermals much better than any wing I have ever flown before. The only other wing that I remember was better than most in these conditions, was the old Raven wing.
After racing around the sky at decent speeds, I set it up into the slow position for landing. I would think that the touchdown speed was not much more than 30 mph (50 kmh) and did not have the slightest hint of a stall. After touchdown I applied the three hydraulic disk brakes that my Tanarg is fitted with and stopped in about 20 metres. That was with 2 people and around 30 litres of fuel aboard - amazing.

Those who can see this blog are the chosen few at the moment, it will be open for all again in a couple of months.

The blog is back!

2010-02-11T16:54:00.000+01:00

Sorry if you have tried to see what is going on in my Tanarg world, but for reasons that I am not going to divulge, the blog has been locked for a while.
It will now be visible to selected people for a while and will be opened up for the world to read at a later date.
I should be taking delivery of the BioniX wing next week and will report further when I have it.

Flight test text

2009-11-29T16:23:00.001+01:00

As many people don't seem to want to register on the Av8magazine site, I have copied the text here:
This is going to be a very difficult thing to write about!
On Thursday the 19th of November I found myself at the Aircreation factory in Aubenas, France. The weather was a warm 16 degrees C with light winds. As I stood in front of the gold painted Tanarg fitted with the revolutionary BioniX wing, I thought that this was going to be one of those days that I would remember for a long time.
The Tanarg is the standard Rotax 912S engined flexwing, fitted with the Enigma dash and a ballistic parachute. The MTOW for this machine is 472 kgs here in France. There is very little difference between this and the Tanarg that I normally fly, apart from the parachute fitted to this one and the iXess15 wing fitted to mine. I had considered fitting an iXess13 wing to mine for a little extra speed, but would loose out on the short strip performance. Then there is the BioniX wing!
The BioniX incorporates a few bits of technology which are not normally seen on flexwing microlights. First is the “Corset” as Aircreation describe it. Instead of having a trim wheel on the right of the control bar, there is a handle to turn. This tightens the cables in the corset and changes the profile of the wing. On a standard trim wheel the wing is set up for a particular speed and any deviation from that speed, be it faster or slower, is a compromise. By changing the profile, as the BioniX does, the optimum speed is changed from slow to fast or vice versa, this means that in any position of the corset the wing is flying efficiently at different speeds. A conventional trim on normal flexwings pulls up the trailing edge of the wing and moves the bar forward or rearward so that the pilot does not have to hold any pressure to fly at differing speeds. The “Corset” changes the profile so that the control bar stays in the same position whether it is in fast or slow mode. This has the advantage of allowing full forward or rearward movement of the bar at any trim speed. The nearest comparison to this on military aircraft is the swing wing design.
Another interesting feature is that the wing has vortex inducers on top of the leading edge on the inboard part of the wing. Then there are the quick release baton tips on the trailing edge of the wing, which look more aerodynamic than the usual tied chords.
When it was time to fly the aircraft, the Aircration instructor sat in the back with me in the front and 40 liters of fuel on board. We taxied out to the short runway. After few checks, one to make sure that the handle was in the slow position, I pressed the throttle and within 60 meters or so was airborne. I climbed out at about 6 to 7 meters per second (1200 to 1400 ft/min), this was impressive compared to my wing. We leveled out at around 1200 feet and I played with the throttle. At a mere 65 to 70 kmh (40 to 45 mph) the wing felt completely in control, it was light in both roll and pitch and felt like it was flying rather than getting close to the stall – which it was not. I set the hand throttle at 4000 rpm and let it build up speed till it was straight and level at just over 80 kmh (50 mph). With the throttle fixed I turned the “go faster” handle and kept it level. When in the taught (fast) position it was flying at around 125 kmh (75 mph), the wing felt exactly the same as in the slow mode, very light and stable. At this point I opened the throttle and put a little back pressure on the control bar to keep the aircraft at the same level and found myself at just over 150 kmh (94 mph). The only difference was the buffeting around my flying helmet! It would have been happy sitting there all day. But speed is not what this wing is about.
We turned towards the airfield and slowed the machine down to 65 kmh again for the approach. It just floated toward the end of the short runway. There was no swinging about with the slight winds and the control felt very secure. Just above the end of the runway the instructor told me to push the bar out to the front strut, this is not something that I would normally do as a stall would result in a heavy landing, but not the BioniX, it just flew slower and slower until it touched down. I estimate the distance from rear wheels touching the runway to full stop as less than 30 meters.
We did not taxi back to the end of the runway for another take off, we just opened the throttle and were off again in no time. Aubenas is in a mountainous area with hills all around and I expected a little turbulence when flying low, but if there was any, the BioniX did not react to it at all.
On the second flight, I tried a spiral dive in the slow mode and the same in the fast mode, both felt fully controlled and as if the machine knew what I wanted to do before I did. To fly a fast, stable and lightly controlled microlight and then fly a slow stable microlight in one flight has to be a strange experience for any flexwing pilot.
I checked the fuel after the hours flight and would expect that it used around 10 liters per hour. This is on a par with the wing on my machine, but at a slightly higher weight. In normal flying, I would think that with less drag the BioniX may be a bit more economical than mine in the cruise.
The Tanarg has to be the most comfortable flexwing on the market with the large, well padded seats and the fully adjustable footrests, the BioniX wing is just the icing on the cake. The combination has now also become the most versatile. I can imagine that this would make an ideal aircraft wing combination for a small flying school where the instructor trains on the machine in the slow mode, and then goes touring in it too.
That afternoon, my wife went up in the back seat, she is not a pilot but a passenger, and has only been that for about 2 years. The instructor switched the engine off in the air and performed some manoeuvres to show her how it flies. They landed without the engine. She commented afterwards that it was the smoothest flight that she had ever had, and that it will be a great photographic platform for her due to the slow speed performance.
The instructor has a Tanarg of his own. He has two wings for it, an iXess 15 and a 13, one he flies in the Alps and one that he flies near Aubenas. His comment that he will sell both and have one BioniX, is testament that this is a very versatile wing.
It is very difficult to put the experience of this flight into words and I would encourage others to fly the BioniX to feel the difference between this and “normal” wings, I have not yet met anyone who has flown it and does not think that it must be the future of flexwing microlights.
Should anyone want to order a BioniX, it will fit any Aircreation Tanarg trike, but be quick because there will be a large order book.
Two interesting web pages about the BioniX can be found on the Aircreation website at:
http://www.aircreation.fr/anglais/Products/FAQBioniX/tabid/187/language/fr-FR/Default.aspx
and http://www.aircreation.fr/anglais/Products/Wings/BioniXWing/tabid/186/language/fr-FR/Default.aspx.

Flight test

2009-11-26T22:19:00.002+01:00

A flight test on the BioniX has been published in the online aviation magazine at www.av8magazine.com.
You have to fill out a quick registration to read the magazine, but it is not something that will lead to any emails other than a reminder every month when the new issue comes out.

Pictures of the BioniX

2009-11-23T12:04:00.005+01:00

This first picture shows a Tanarg with iXess wing landing. Note that the machine is being flown solo and the position of the control bar in relation to the front strut. This is the normal way to land a flexwing.

This one shows us landing in the Tanarg with a BioniX wing. We are two up, so heavier, and are probably flying much slower than the Tanarg in the first picture. Note that in this one that the control bar is just about touching the front strut, but the machine was very stable and sure footed, at no time did it feel that it was going to stall.

The picture above shows the point of touchdown when landing in the other direction. At this point the machine was flying very slowly. The photographer was standing at the edge of the runway.

This is the point of full stop! These last two pictures show that this wing is capable of landing in a very short space. This is a fantastic safety feature as the Tanarg is fairly heavy with two people, fuel and a parachute fitted. In an emergency, any small field would be enough for the BioniX.

Flying the BioniX

2009-11-23T11:59:00.002+01:00

The next edition of the online magazine, www.av8magazine.com, will have the flight test write up of my flight.
I will not post the full text here just yet, but have to say that it was very difficult to write what I experienced. What I will say is that I was blown over by the flight.
To fly a flexwing at 150 kmh and 10 minutes later, be flying the same machine at 70 ish kmh, was an eye opener!

Flight test day

2009-11-22T19:50:00.002+01:00

We flew the Tanarg/BioniX combination last week on Thursday. After lunch Franck, the instructor, took my wife for a flight in the back seat. She loved the machine and had great fun when Franck turned the engine off in flight.
Note how slow the BioniX is capable of flying, and how Franck can push the bar out to the front strut on the approach without any fear of the wing stalling.

First Englishman flies the BionIX

2009-11-21T16:14:00.001+01:00

I have at last flown the BioniX - on the 19th of November. You will have to wait for me to get off this high to see what I think!

The Bionix flying

2009-11-10T15:07:00.006+01:00

These pictures were taken after a day of waiting for the rain to stop and the wind to slow a little. We were at a small microlight strip to the south.

As the rain stopped but still with a cross wind, the Aircreation pilot took the Tanarg/ BioniX up for a weather check.

At the time Jude was sat in the car reading a book, but was quick with the camera when she heard the machine coming in to land.

I have uploaded the pictures in a decent resolution so that people can download them and use them as wallpaper on their PC desktop.

Click on the photos to see bigger pictures.

AirCreation website update

2009-10-22T13:28:00.002+02:00

The factory website has now been updated to give more English language content. the link is AC English website.
If you click on the part that reads "Corset presentation English A4" You will see the technical description of the corset in .pdf format.
The "CTP BioniX_en" now has imperial performance measurements as well as metric.

BioniX FAQ on the Aircreation website

2009-10-15T15:45:00.002+02:00

I have been asked many times about the technical details on the BioniX wing, but have not been able to answer everything without detailed information. The factory have also recognised that there are people in the English speaking world who want to know more, so they have created a FAQ page on their website for those of us who do not speak fluent French.
Here is the link http://www.aircreation.fr/anglais/Products/FAQBioniX/tabid/187/language/fr-FR/Default.aspx
Mike in Thailand, please note; do not believe everything that you read about topless wings, they are a fad.

Bionix is the name of excellence!

2009-10-01T12:26:00.004+02:00

Since the Blois show, my wife and I have been beside ourselves with excitement about the Bionix. I have not yet had the chance to fly the wing, but will do so on the "come and try it" day that Aircreation has arranged at the begining of November.
The first wings are going to be produced for dealers and instructors, so individuals, like me, will have to wait till early next year to take delivery.
At first there will be little colour choice as the factory produces enough wings to suit demand, but the yellow stripe on the under surface can be had in red for the two different Tanarg colour schemes. I would expect later production to offer the fantastic designs that the Ixess range of wings offers, but there is no firm information on this option at the moment.
Having spoken to a number of people who have flown the wing, it is very spectacular. A good description can be seen on the English part of the Aircreation website here.

The fast/slow handle

This wing can be adjusted by turning the handle on the right hand upright. As it is adjusted from slow to fast, the wing changes, and I am told that one turn makes it feel a different wing!

Vortex inducers

The inboard leading edge supports "vortex inducers" along the top edge. These will ensure that the top surface maintains its profile at all speeds and will make sure that the boundary layer effect of the air does not break away from the surface.
On the underside of the outer leading edge are what Aircreation calls "pressure valves", my aviation background makes me think that these would come into play at higher speeds and let the pressure differences equalise between the top, bottom and internal surfaces of the wing, therefore giving more stability.
I understand that turbulence has very little effect on this wing at high or low speed, and I am told that when flying in the low speed range, at all up weight, the wing is docile and light. It can land at extremely low speeds when loaded to 472kgs!
To see some of the pictures of the wing from the Blois show, go to Av8magazine and read the atricle, you will have to register at the site.

The BioniX is here

2009-08-29T22:25:00.006+02:00

We went to the Blois microlight trade show today for the official viewing of the BioniX wing. Not only have Aircreation released a technical masterpiece, but a few other things were worth noting too.

The BioniX is not designed to be the fasted wing on the market, but the most versatile. At maximum take off weight of the Tanarg BioniX combination (472kg), the wing is designed to offer fantastic slow speed handling. The stall speed at that weight is still only around 37 mph!

The BioniX design has a "Corset" built in that is capable of changing the profile of the wing from slow to fast and back again with a control on the A frame.
This is a major safety factor in that whatever the weight of the trike, an engine failure will still leave perfect slow speed handling for a short field landing.

The batton tips are also a new design. Gone is the old "bits of string" idea that has been used in all flexwing microlights up till now. In comes a new over center clip, which makes life easier.

Another new thing is that the Tanarg can now be seen in different colour schemes. Aircreation has had the gold version for a while as their factory demonstrator, but at the show there was a very nice black machine fitted with the BioniX wing, as can be seen in the top picture.

My next step is to test fly the new wing as soon as I get the chance and write a full flight test, before I place my order.

Click on the pictures to see a bigger clearer picture.

The new wing!

2009-08-18T13:06:00.004+02:00

A picture at last. The wing is called the BioniX. It is not quite a swing wing, but a variable geometry design. It has been patented by Aircreation and I still think that it is such a fantastic design that I want one. I will need to fly one first, but I am sure that it will be everything that I expect.
Click on the picture for a bigger clearer look.

Final cut for radio fit

2009-08-16T18:17:00.005+02:00

I have at last worked out the correct wiring loom for the radio fit. There is no need to connect to anything except the Flycom focus.

This has been designed by me with no help at all from Microair, who cannot even be bothered to answer emails.
Spot the deliberate mistake in the above diagram! The backlight cable should be wired to pin 8 on the M760 plug and not pin 15. Pin 15 is the speaker pin.

Update on the radio fit

2009-08-10T20:04:00.004+02:00

I have now got the radio fitted and interfaced with the Flycom Focus EFIS. The wiring diagram is as follows:

The alert messages come through the headsets still as they are still using the Flycom Focus intercom. The radio works well apart from some interference from the aircraft electrics.
To overcome this interference, I wanted to wire the power wire to the DB-15 plug on the Flycom so that there is a clean supply, but I cannot get any information on the Flycom Focus. The Aircreation factory tell me that Flycom is no longer trading and they have no wiring diagrams for the Flycom.
They also tell me that they will not need to worry about this combination as the Flycom will no longer be fitted to new aircraft.
I tried to find out where the facory fit Filser radio gets its power from, but that is proving elusive. If anyone out there has a Filser with the Flycom, could you please look at it and see where the power supply for the radio comes from, the Flycom or the fusebox.
Update 12 Aug: Aircreation have confirmed that when radios (normally Filser) were fitted at the factory, the power for the radio is taken direct from the Flycom. I will therefore sort out which pins on the Flycom plug will supply 12 volts and update the wiring diagram in the future.

A revolution in flexwings (Trikes)

2009-07-27T14:20:00.002+02:00

The Blois microlight show happens in France on the last weekend in August.
This years event will see the biggest innovation in flexwing (weightshift) microlights for many years.
Aircreation will show a new wing! we all know that there are new wings about, the Pegasus GT450 with winglets and the small fast QuiKR with its topless wing, they will fade into insignificance compared to what Aircreation will show.
The rumours are that it will be a swing wing, a design that should allow the machine to fly as slow as a large old fashioned design for short field performance, yet be reconfigured in the air to allow high speed cross country flying.
As I understand it is going to be possible to fit this wing to any Tanarg so should not put people off who have just bought, or are thinking of buying, a Tanarg.
I have no doubt that it will take time before this new wing hits all of the worlds markets, but I think that it will take the microlight world by storm.

A Tanarg for sale

2009-07-09T21:54:00.003+02:00

No not mine. The very pretty gold coloured demonstrator that you see at the factory on a previous post is for sale on the factory website. It must be one of the best looking Tanargs that I have ever seen and has all sorts of toys fitted to it. I believe the price is 41,000 Euros.
Edited 27 July:
Aircreation have now opened a website for second hand machines and parts at http://www.air-creation.com/. This is a good place to start should you be looking for something.
Thanks to Gabriel at Aircreation for the information.

How to fit the M760 radio to the Flycom Focus

2009-07-09T21:22:00.003+02:00

If the Tanarg is fitted with a Flycom Focus dashboard (EFIS) then the intercom is integrated into the Focus with the Push to Transmit (PTT) button on the headset connector. It is worth keeping this as it is so that you will get any warning messages from the Focus through the headphones.
The Microair M760 radio that I have used is a revision P with built in intercom, but that was no use to me.
After removing the complete dashboard, 5 self tapping screws along the bottom edge, I laid it on my lap to see what the set-up is. At the bottom of the rear of the dashboard there is a fusebox with spare connectors and one has a 3 amp fuse fitted to supply power to the M760. On one corner is the earth point for the earth connector from the M760.
One of the other leads from the M760 15 pin D connector was the back light cable which was wired to the on/off switch for the focus so that it is on when the Focus is switched on.
On the back of the Flycom Focus is a 15 pin D connector which is labeled "RADIO". Mine had a plug on this with flying leads to fit an Icom a3 radio. After stripping the pugs off I found that; the blue wire was wired to pin 1 on the Focus plug and is the headphone cable, the black wire was wired to pin 2 and is the earth cable, the red wire is wired to pin 3 and is the microphone cable and lastly the white wire is connected to pin 4 and is the PTT cable.
The 15 pin D connector on the Flycom Focus has a part number of A014765 on it which looks to me like an Aircreation part number. I was wondering if there is also a plug supplied by Aircreation that would have made fitting a little easier, but did not have time to ask the factory if they supply other options for this connector.
When every thing was soldered together and loads of heat-shrink and tyraps were fitted I tested the installation with my hand-held Icom A6 radio and the GPS switched on to check for interference. It sounded very clear, but I still have to test it in the air.
If anyone is going sown this same route then I would say that it would be easier to obtain a 15 pin D connector and solder the wires from the same connector on the radio to the pins as described above.
I also noticed that there are a row of small electrical jumpers on the back of the Flycom Focus and wondered if these might be the things that select the units of measurement for the display. I would hope someone will know and share that information with the rest of us!

A new radio for the Tanarg

2009-07-05T16:20:00.002+02:00

Microlights have normally used hand held radios such as the Icom A3 or A20. Icom no longer make these models and they have been superseded but the A6 and A24. The problem is that the new models are not authorised for aviation use in Europe. There is a version of the new models that are legal for use in France and are known as the A6FR and A24FR, but they are very expensive compared to the none FR radios.
For almost the same amount of money I have bought a Microair M760 radio, which is a panel mount. This will be fitted to interface with the Flycom Focus dashboard. The reason for doing it this way is to retain the intercom system in the Focus rather than using that of the radio, and so I will still get audio warning for oil pressure etc.
The beauty of the M760 is that it weighs around 500 grams but seems a very well built radio.
The downside is that there seems to be little support for the Flycom Focus dash and I will have to work out the wiring for myself.
I will update when I have the system working.
If anyone out there has any information of the workings and set up of the Flycom Focus, I would be forever in your debt if you can share that knowledge.

A video of the clouds

2009-06-07T21:01:00.001+02:00

We seem to be going through a spell of blue skies and little wind here in the Dordogne. Sunday was the first of those days and as it has been damp the week before there were a few clouds forming. Time to go flying.
We went over to the airfield and within 20 minutes had the Tanarg fuelled and checked ready for flight.
After take off we headed east and climbed, the clouds were getting a little thicker by the time we were at 4500 feet. The cloudbase was 4000 or so. The air was very smooth with a slight wind from the east. The temperature was around 5 or 6c at that altitude.
Jude started taking a video and we descended toward the cloud. Just before we were at cloud level we saw the circular rainbow in a cloud with the silhouette of the microlight in the middle of it.
Here is the video:

A visit to the factory

2009-06-06T15:35:00.001+02:00

This is a post copied over from my other blog as I thought it would be more use here.

We decided that we should go for a short trip (in the car) to Aubenas in the Ardeche region of France. It just so happens that the Aircreation factory is very close to Aubenas.
On Thursday morning we turned up at the factory unannounced. We were greeted by a lady just outside who I later found out was the wife of a man who I wanted to meet, Jean-Luc Tilloy. Jean-Luc has been very helpful to me in the past.

We were taken into the reception and introduced to Inma, one of the receptionists who speaks very good English. After being offered a coffee, we were taken into the factory itself and shown around. There is only a small workforce at AirCreation and the whole place has a family feel about it.

The first thing that we saw was a gold coloured Tanarg, very different to the red or yellow colours that this aircraft normally has. My eyes were immediately focused on the EFIS dashboard, and Enigma with full colour and integrated GPS. I am led to believe that this will become and option on the Tanarg instead of the Flycom Focus dashboard that is fitted to our aircraft.

A prototype wing was being tested at the time, which surprised me as the Ixess is a very good all round wing and would take some beating.

We also found that AirCreation stock a range of clothing, and ended up spending a few hundred euros.
The next area was the wing fabrication floor, where the ladies who make the wings, seats and other fabric parts were working away. All of these ladies have worked for AirCreation for many years and make every part themselves. Even the seat cushions are hand made! Due to their skills in this area, AirCreation can offer any design on the wing surface that a customer would want. There has even been one made with "missiles" sown onto the lower surface.

I went out to the front of the building to take a photo of the place and managed to catch the gold coloured Tanarg flying just above.

We ended up spending over two hours on our visit and enjoyed every minute of it. The only disappointment was that we did not get to meet Jean-Luc as he was away that week.
I have decided that I would like the new Enigma EFIS fitted to our aircraft and would also like the newer Ixess 13 wing too. The problem is that we would have to sell the Ixess 15 wing to make the change worth it. Another possibility may be to sell our Tanarg and buy a new one complete with the Enigma nad the 13 wing. We will see what happens.

Further to my last post

2009-06-06T15:30:00.002+02:00

I forgot to mention on my last post that there are also two deflectors which are with the kit. They fit either side at the rear of the radiator and ensure that there is enough air going through the oil cooler.
I had a nice surprise in the post today. The factory sent me a CD with all of the Tanarg technical documentation on it in PDF format. I will spend a few hours reading through it.

The oil cooler kit has arrived!

2008-11-04T13:06:00.003+01:00

The oil cooler kit is now here. It looks a very good quality and is larger than the old one. It came with the drawings that you see in the photos, and all the bit to fit it.
In the first picture you can see that one of the oil pipes is attached, that is because the attachments that were with it are ear clamps rather than jubilee clips. I did some research on the web and decided to use these as opposed to fitting jubilee clips.
This second picture shows one of the drawings that came with the kit. They are very high quality drawings and are a far cry from the aircraft engineering drawings that I have used all of my life. I also have photos of the kit installed on a trike at the factory which will help.
This last photo shows the complete kit.
I will get around to fitting the modification kit over the next few weeks. This morning I received another parcel from the factory containing the small spoilers to fit beside the water radiator, which were free of charge, thank you Aircreation.

Oil cooler modification kit

2008-10-22T09:48:00.002+02:00

I have now received the price list for the kit from the factory. The total cost of all the bits to fit myself comes to 236.72 euro. I phoned this morning and ordered it.
As the oil temperature is a known problem with some Tanargs, I think that this kit should have been a bit cheaper, but there is nothing I can do about that, it has to be fitted like it or not.
I will make a photo blog of the kit fitting for all to see when it arrives.
The other Tanarg problem looks like it will never be sorted. That is the Flycom Focus dashboard. I have the latest software update from AirCreation but my Flycom will not update as it should. The problem with the Flycom is that it never remembers the time and needs to be re-set every time it is switched on. The other problem is that it can switch itself off in flight. This means that I loose all instruments until I re-set it. That is one reason why the Enigma dashboard mentioned in an earlier post is so appealing.

How to fit the wing - a one man job

2008-10-18T18:56:00.005+02:00

First of all position the wing, on the trolley if you have one, in front of the trike.

Connect the upright to the wing using a bolt and washer then another washer and the wing nut on the end.

Here it is fitted waiting for the safety pin.

Push the trike backwards till the wing keel rests on the upright. At this point apply the parking brake.

Then back to this area.

Thread the safety wire over the wing keel and through the strap from left to right.

Then take around the back of the king post and through the strap from left to right again. Fasten it on the right side with the wing nut.

I need to remove the two velcro straps that hold the base bar to the trolley at this stage.

Now fit the nose piece. You must never fly without this fitted.

Fit the front strut to the bracket.

A final check to make sure that everything is fitted and locked.

With the front strut on your shoulder lift the base bar. This bit is why you need the parking brake on.
Lift as high as it will go.

Then push the front strut into the lower bracket without fitting the bolt.

Insert the two bolts that hold the frame together, this shows the left one fitted and the right one empty. There are two micro switch levers behind these bolts that put the light on on the dash if one comes out.
Here are both bolts in with the wing nuts and safety rings fitted.

Next fit the front strut lower bolt, wing nut and safety ring. The black box on the left is the GPS aerial.

The windscreen then needs to be fitted. It is held on by eight plastic Dzus fasteners.

Last bit is to fit the engine cowling. That should keep the oil cooler warm!

Here is the very simple wing trolley that I have made. It has two caster wheels under the base bar and one fixed wheel under the nose.
This little job takes about 10 minutes when you have done it a few times.

Oil cooler re-location kit

2008-10-17T17:48:00.002+02:00

I am still waiting for the information on this kit from the factory. It has been nearly 10 days since I emailed them asking for the kit price.
I had considered buying the Enigma dashboard for my Tanarg but would also have liked to but a new 13 square meter wing too. The cost of doing this would make it worthwhile selling mine and buying the new Tanarg 912ES. I will need to fit the oil cooler re-location mod before selling mine as I cannot sell an aircraft that has the oil temperature running over the limit all the time.
When (if) the kit ever arrives then I will do a photo blog on fitting the kit.

Some Tanarg features

2008-10-10T11:36:00.004+02:00

Unlike many trikes these days the Tanarg has many adjustable features to make the aircraft more comfortable for both pilot and passengers. Here are a few of them.
First picture shows how the pilots footrest assembly can be moved forward or backward to a number of positions to suit all sizes of pilots legs. It takes about 3 minutes to adjust. Also worth noting is that the Tanarg has full sized pedals at the front for the feet, rather than just pegs.
This shows the rear footrests in the rear position for short legged passengers. The pin on the floor is the bit that holds it into place. Note the cable that gives rear seat steering, this is now disconnected on my Tanarg and the rear pegs are non moving.
Here the rear pegs are in the forward position for log leg passengers. The adjustment takes minutes.
This shows the access to one of the small storage compartments, they are very good for gloves, sandwiches and small handbags.
The removable panel below the filler cap is another, larger, storage compartment. This is held on by 5 or six Dzus fasteners.
You can get access to the rear storage from behind, but the access is not as good. Note that the coolant level can be seen from here.
This shows the rear suspension. The Tanarg is very comfortable on the ground and also very stable due to the long wheelbase and wide track of the wheels. The center of gravity is also very low.
In this picture the top engine cowling is removed to show the location of the oil cooler on the top of the engine. This is a problem when carrying passengers as there is not enough cooling air going through the oil cooler due to the passengers shoulders.
If flying solo, the Tanarg can also have a tailor made luggage back fitted to the rear seat.

The spoilers next to the radiator

2008-10-08T10:16:00.003+02:00

I have just spoken to Jean-Luc Tilloy at AirCreation and found the reason for the spoilers.
My Tanarg has the oil cooler above the engine and suffers from high oil temperatures when carrying a passenger and using high power settings. To overcome this the factory moved the oil cooler to a position in front of the water radiator, this led to a slight reduction in cooling air flowing through the right side when a passenger is carried. The spoilers improve the airflow through the intake ducts and have totally eliminated any problems.
I have emailed Jean-Luc today to ask for the price of the oil cooler re-location kit.

A new dashboard (EFIS) for the Tanarg?

2008-10-08T09:06:00.000+02:00

While I was at AirCreation last week I saw the Stratomaster Enigma dashboard fitted to a Tanarg. These pictures do not really do the unit justice as it was switched off at the time. To see more pictures of what this unit is capable of then CLICK HERE.
The unit is very versatile and has built in GPS. The different screens can be customised on a PC running windows and save to an SD card for transfer to the unit. It seems that a PC running Linux is not catered for yet.
This system seems to be a great improvement over the Flycom Focus monochrome dashboard as fitted to my Tanarg, with the bonus of not needing a separate GPS.

The picture above is one that Mike sent me of the unit with power on. On this screen it is showing flight and engine instruments, but by pressing one of the 9 buttons on the right hand side the screen will change to any of the screens shown in the link above.
This picture shows the Flycom Focus and Garmin 296 GPS as fitted to my Tanarg. With the Enigma I can get rid of the Garmin and have a full colour dashboard.
The gauge to the left is the EGT gauge and is used in conjunction with the leaning lever below the gauge. The square back thing below the dash is the radio mount.

AirCreation France.

2008-10-08T08:52:00.000+02:00

The AirCreation factory has a website at http://www.aircreation.com/. It can be viewed in English by clicking on the flag in the top left corner of the first page.
After clicking on the British flag, you will be taken to a page with some news articles on the right hand side. One news item reads:
"New victory for Rob Grimwood and Chris Saysell in their Tanarg at the F.A.I. World Microlight Championship in Usti nad Orlici - Czech Republic, a third victory in as many years for the Tanarg 912 iXess, already world champion in 2005 and European champion in 2006. It is also the sixth victory in international competition for the iXess wing ... a perfect demonstration of its exceptional performance!".
This is the very aircraft that I now own. It has been re-registered in France with the registration 24PX rather than the old UK registration which was G-TARG.

Under the heading "Technical Data" at the top of the website you will find the service bulletins issued by AirCreation.

You will also find the phone numbers and email addresses for the staff on the website. Most of the people at AirCreation speak very good English.

Some more pictures from the visit

2008-10-08T08:33:00.001+02:00

These pictures show the new position for the oil cooler on the Tanarg 912. The ES has the cooler fitted below the water radiator, but the older version had this fitted above the engine, causing very high oil temperatures at high power settings in warm climates.
Below is a view of the new position looking into the starboard (right) side of the air intake for the water radiator. I understand that AirCreation will offer a kit to relocate the oil cooler in this position.
Note on the picture above, that there are now some small aerodynamic aids fitted to the rear of the pod at the sides of the radiator. I am not sure what these are intended to do, but the ES model has much larger ones than the standard Tanarg. The first picture also shows them. I will contact the factory and ask.
AirCreation have a huge stock of aluminium tubing for the manufacture of the wings. The metal stock seems to take up a large amount of space in the small factory.
In this picture you can clearly see the aerodynamic bits on the side of the radiator, these are the larger ones as this is a 912 ES trike.

A visit to the AirCreation factory

2008-10-08T08:32:00.001+02:00

We decided that we should go for a short trip (in the car) to Aubenas in the Ardeche region of France. It just so happens that the Aircreation factory is very close to Aubenas.
On Thursday morning we turned up at the factory unannounced. We were greeted by a lady just outside who I later found out was the wife of a man who I wanted to meet, Jean-Luc Tilloy. Jean-Luc has been very helpful to me in the past.

We were taken into the reception and introduced to Inma, one of the receptionists who speaks very good English. After being offered a coffee, we were taken into the factory itself and shown around. There is only a small workforce at AirCreation and the whole place has a family feel about it.

The first thing that we saw was a gold coloured Tanarg, very different to the red or yellow colours that this aircraft normally has. My eyes were immediately focused on the EFIS dashboard, and Enigma with full colour and integrated GPS. I am led to believe that this will become and option on the Tanarg instead of the Flycom Focus dashboard that is fitted to our aircraft.

A prototype wing was being tested at the time, which surprised me as the Ixess is a very good all round wing and would take some beating.

We also found that AirCreation stock a range of clothing, and ended up spending a few hundred euros.
The next area was the wing fabrication floor, where the ladies who make the wings, seats and other fabric parts were working away. All of these ladies have worked for AirCreation for many years and make every part themselves. Even the seat cushions are hand made! Due to their skills in this area, AirCreation can offer any design on the wing surface that a customer would want. There has even been one made with "missiles" sown onto the lower surface.

I went out to the front of the building to take a photo of the place and managed to catch the gold coloured Tanarg flying just above.

We ended up spending over two hours on our visit and enjoyed every minute of it. The only disappointment was that we did not get to meet Jean-Luc as he was away that week.
I have decided that I would like the new Enigma EFIS fitted to our aircraft and would also like the newer Ixess 13 wing too. The problem is that we would have to sell the Ixess 15 wing to make the change worth it. Another possibility may be to sell our Tanarg and buy a new one complete with the Enigma nad the 13 wing. We will see what happens.