Fabiano,

I'm interested in a powered harness too and I've been doing a bit of
research into them. I flew the Doodlebug attached to an Aeros Target a
week ago. The Doodlebug is the only one of the powered harnesses to
feature the 'supine' or seated position. My impression was that the
wing does make a big difference on the speed that you can fly. Just
because you have an engine behind you does not mean that you can get
great performance out of a single surface wing. I suspect it will just
make take off and landing a bit easier.

The target was easy to fly with the bug and I felt no adverse effect
from the engine. I made some 360's on full throttle, half throttle and
engine off. I didn't experience any difficulty, nor did I feel that
the wing was winding into the turn as I'd been led to believe it
would. I suspect that a higher performance wing would be more liable
to winding in but I don't go along with Mark's assertion that to fly a
higher performance wing would be tantamount to 'suicide' After 5 mins
on the slower wing I was wishing that I had more performance and I
will very definitely be using a higher performance wing when I do buy
a powered harness. My impression of the Doodlebug was that it was more
like driving across the sky rather than flying. You just point it
where you want to go and sit back until you get there. It is totally
different from hang gliding in as much as you don't worry about
looking for lift. You just adjust the throttle to gain height.

Landing with the Doodlebug is easy and I would imagine that all
powered harnesses are the same in that respect as they are all really
just clones of each other, using the same engine etc.

I'm going for a 'Wasp' harness. See http://www.waspsystems.co.uk They
seem to be well made and you fly in the 'prone' position which I
prefer.

John"Mark Jones" <heliosstudios@att.net.NoPhuqenSpam!> wrote in message news:<CPd89.20283$Ke2.1646148@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
> "Fab N1" <marusco@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3d5e5d1b_4@news3.prserv.net...
> > Hello all:
> >
> > I am a former hang-glider who used to fly in Rio de
> > Janeiro Brazil on sea-breezes (lift) conditions mostly.
> >
> > I am currently working on the country side of Brazil in
> > a place where there are no hills at all but the
> > conditions are excellent with great thermals year-round.
> > Recently I found out about the mosquito powered harness
> > and I got greatly interested in the apparatus.
> >
> > Can anyone describe or comment on the mosquito?
> >
>
> Hi Fabiano, I too am very interested in the Mosquito. I've read a lot
> about them and think I can give you some relatevely accurate information.
>
>
> > - is it safe?
> >
>
> Safety, as any seasoned pilot will tell you, is mostly totally depends
> on the pilot's outlook. If you plan your day, perform thorough preflights
> and inspections, and analyze your flying site and LZ before launch, you
> will drastically increase your chances for an uneventful flight.
>
> About the Mosquito in particular, yes they seem to be quite safe. But of
> course the safey margin becomes tighter once you add a 15-horsepower
> motor to your backside. As long as you take the necessary precautions,
> adding a powered harness is no more dangerous than riding a bicycle or
> scooter compared to walking.
>
>
> > - what kind of accidents can it cause?
> >
>
> Most powered-hg accidents involve the propeller being destroyed. They
> aren't cheap either.
>
>
> > - is it very different from "normal" flying?
> >
>
> YES, it can be. for one, there is a heavy weight added to the harness,
> which causes a weight imbalance. The hang strap MUST be moved to
> compensate, and even then, the thrust vector causes all kinds of strange
> things to happen. Since you are literally being "thrust" through the
> control frame, expect some back pressure. But unlike typical flight,
> minimum stall speed is HIGHER with the added weight, and because of the
> thrust vector, the bar trim position will be substantially further toward
> your chest.
>
> I do not have hands on experience with these things and would therefore
> highly suggest yoy talk with a pilot who flies them.
>
>
> > - what is a good intermediate glider to use with the
> > mosquito?
> >
>
> Since performance is all but meaningless to a powered wing, use a
> single-surface beginner glider. You will gain lots of control authority
> and stability. Putting a powered harness on a high-performance wing would
> be suicide.
>
>
> > Thanks very much!
> >
> > Fabiano - Brazil
> >
>
> Hope I helped.
>
> Regards,
> Mark - USA

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