By : David Bremner

In common with thousands of other pilots, David Bremner made his annual pilgrimage to the International Airsports Exhibition.

Outside, the weather was uninviting: Saturday provided a low 500ft overcast with sleet showers, and Sunday provided a deep frost sufficient to chill the enthusiasm of all but the most masochistic flyers but for this one weekend in the year, microlighters didn’t care. They (along with many other hang gliders, paragliders, and members of the general public) turned up in their droves to Telford for the Airsports Exhibition and AGM.

First of all, an apology. For those who came expecting to see the Jora, of which much was hoped, I hope you were not too disappointed. Unfortunately the Jora was plenty to see, and though there were no radical new departures, the developments of existing technology were sufficiently mouth-watering to send many of us home to rewrite our letters to Father Christmas.

On the weight-shift front, the most exciting development was undoubtedly the Jabiru-engined Medway EclipseR. Seen in prototype form at last year’s show, this year’s offering was very much refined, and, most important of all, sporting the all-important type approval certificate which allows it to be flown under the current regulations.

For your £20,000 inc VAT you get a 2,200cc four-stroke direct-drive engine turning a variable pitch propeller. All round suspension and hydraulic brakes should ensure a comfortable ride on the deck, and that lazy direct-drive engine keeps things relaxed in the air.

If it gets a bit boring, there are more instruments than you can shake a stick at, and the 42 litre tank should ensure that the fuel gauge does not monopolise your attention.

The Raven wing may not be new, but it has been extensively developed over its 10-year life, and there are unlikely to be many surprises as far as handling is concerned. Speed ? The Raven was always a quick generation of competitors indeed the Vne is quoted as 100 mph.

The styling may not be to everyone’s taste it could hardly be called understated but with its maroon plush velour seats and striking colour scheme, you will hardly be ignored when you arrive in one of these. The swing-over seat back which provides lumbar support for either occupant looks comfortable, too.

The angular fuel tank, slung underneath as an apparent afterthought, spoiled its otherwise clean lines, but there may be good practical reasons for this. The trike frame is little altered from its predecessor, and lacks the sophistication of a `ground-up’ design such as the Quantum. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it is hoped to flight test this machine in the very near future.

Medway is re-launching in no uncertain terms, as there are two more models based on the same trike unit. The CobRa was also on the stand and is basically the same trike with a Rotax 503 and conventional wooden propeller.

The Mainair stand had no new technology, but it was a remarkable achievement to be there at all in the circumstances, said it was certainly doing brisk business throughout the weekend. Colin Bodill was there with his England-Australia blade, looking as if it were fresh off the factory floor.

At Pegasus, the HKS-engined Quantum was also new. The installation looked very neat, and if the fuel consumption is as claimed, this should prove a popular touring machine. Pegasus was also (understandably) concentrating on its long-distance flights, with Rory Jeffes’ India-England machine and Brian Milton’s Global Flyer parked proudly alongside one another.

Brian, too, was on the stand, signing books and answering endless questions about his extraordinary flight.

On the three-axis front, as I said, many were disappointed by the lack of a Jora, but not half as disappointed as Tim Cripps, who had been hoping to have it on display. In the end, after a mad dash across Europe, it became apparent that the cost of obtaining the necessary approvals was simply uneconomic, so there are no immediate plans to import it.

But it was good to see Angus Fleming back with the Chevvron after a couple of year’s break, and full of enthusiasm for the new Italian owner of König engines. He is hoping to have available a fully mapped electronic ignition in the near future, to increase the horsepower.

For the other three-axis machines, too, the changes were mainly under the bonnet, with the 582-powered Rans S6, Jabiru-engined Bantam, now called the Bantaroo (geddit?) and the HKS-engined Thruster T600 all champing at the bit for the 450kg limit. The Bantaroo installation promises to have 80hp of get up and go, and could deliver tons of hush, too, with a direct-drive engine and large silencer.

Coming in well under 390kg is the new BFC Challenger II with increased wingspan, modified struts and very smart new Dacron covers for the flying surfaces all of which leaves you with a lighter airframe and the capacity to use a larger engine, more fuel or baggage capacity. The Jabiru attracted a lot of interest as usual, and is all set to appear on the microlight market as soon as the regulations change.

The foot-launched market had nothing new on display Light Flight had the Mosquito there to cater for hang gliding fans, and both Sky Systems and Northern Paramotors were showing their well-established range of paramotors. Sky Systems director Michel Carnet is looking forward to the arrival of his first dual paramotor unit, although this wasn’t on display.

For those who think that paramotors aren’t cross-country machines, think about this : Quentin Rees is claiming an unofficial UK distance record on a Northern Paramotors Revolution Spirit with 10 litre of fuel of 132.3 km (over 82 miles) and this on a day with no thermal lift. I make that over 30mpg.

Another Revolution Spirit was used by Frederic Jacques for the distance record on unlimited fuel, when he achieved 262.3km (163 miles). Jolyon Harrison of Northern paramotors is promoting a cross-country league to exploit this potential.

Virtual flying was in increasing trend, with a Red Arrows flight simulator and a hang gliding simulator which enabled you to see the results of waggling the control bar on a flight simulator.

Overall, the Telford show is a continuing success, with attendance estimated to have exceeded last year’s. Each year the scope of the fair increases; this year the British Gliding Association was present as well as the British Model Flying Association and the Popular Flying Association.

Telford is increasingly being seven as the winter focus of sport aviation, and it is set to expand again next year, possibly taking over all three halls and including paratrikes, parachuting and even human powered flight, although the size of these aircraft is such that they will require a hall of their own !

(Reproduced by permission from MF Jan/Feb 1999)