Transporting ultralight

I also made a 500 mile trip with an enclosed homebuilt trailer that was
constructed by a good builder who was not a good trailer engineer. This
one had a Vne of 50 mph and swayed dramatically whenever we were passed by
a Semi.

Classic! Thanks for the laugh.


Because the weight of the aircraft will usually be far less than the
trailer's capacity, it will ride stiffly. Use lots of cushioning under
the aircraft. We used some dense foam. I recommend you use twice as much
packing and tie downs as you think necessary. Stop and check after a few
miles, then every 30 minutes for a while, then every 60, etc. Stuff will
shift. Take lots of duct tape.

I also recommend that you take a co-driver and switch off regularly.

- John Ousterhout -

Consider buying plywood and other lumber and making braces and stands that
hold the plane and parts in place. Make sure you leave room for the padding
when you cut them. There should be no shifting if do this right. Of
course, using foam and rechecking may be less costly in time and money, or
it may not.

John Ammeter wrote:

OK, John, now tell the rest of the story...

BTW, you HAD a co-driver but he never drove. Simply sat
there like a lump tolerating your 200 CD's of "music".

Was that the trip that we drove into Tonapah doing a good
example of a lowpass with smoke??

What happened crossing that raised section of road in SE
Oregon? Remember the left quartering wind and the icy
road??

Remember having to add a five gallon bucket full of dirt to
the front of the trailer because the CG was too far aft??

I'd forgot the CG adjustment.

You were along for moral (or immoral, after all it was NV) support.

The engine problem that required a forced landing in Tonapah was not
related to the trailer Driving on icy roads with a nasty crosswind was
bad judgement on my part.

Remember the trip towing the Gyrocopter where we told people that asked
"What it that?" that it was a lunar lander simulator?

- J.O.-