Astra Trikes -Weightshift Aircraft

Astra Trikes -Weightshift Aircraft Astra Trikes - custom building Weightshift aircraft in Bloomfield Indiana

My workshop is pretty full at the moment working on 3 new Astra T2 builds. The yellow one is nearly ready for engine tes...
04/03/2018

My workshop is pretty full at the moment working on 3 new Astra T2 builds. The yellow one is nearly ready for engine testing, so some more pics coming soon.

Adding some bling to the T2! A new Scimitar propeller. I'm in the process of flight testing, with very encouraging initi...
06/16/2016

Adding some bling to the T2! A new Scimitar propeller. I'm in the process of flight testing, with very encouraging initial results. The white tips are part of the gel coat and the leading edges are reinforced with stainless steel.The prop tips are just very slightly upswept. This is a very efficient and quiet propeller, boosting T2 top speed to 95 mph. Maximum solo climb rate achieved was 1600 feet per minute with a density altitude of 2300 feet.

The famous Bill Sherlock doing his best impression of Robocop while flying the T2. He was very complimentary about the f...
05/14/2016

The famous Bill Sherlock doing his best impression of Robocop while flying the T2. He was very complimentary about the flying characteristics of the T2, He managed to wind it up to 92 mph flying straight and level, and did some nice low passes to let me see how it looks in flight. Thanks Bill Sherlock!

03/13/2016

This is a flight above a layer of thin clouds. There was an overcast above this, so we were in between the layers. We didn't fly over this low level stuff as they were in the process of forming, and we kept in the clear so we could descend rapidly if need be.

03/05/2016

Test Flying the Astra T2: Foley Alabama and Mobile Bay

03/04/2016

Took the T2 to Foley Alabama for some additional test flying in February

12/10/2015

T2 first test flight results:
This wing is really very good. It handled a 10 mph 90 degree crosswind without any issues. Rotate speed is 45 mph and climb out is at 65 mph at around 600 feet per minute with two on board. The prop is presently over pitched and that will be adjusted in later flights.
Stable in turbulence, it bumps around as you pass through, but little input is required for corrections. In turns up to 45 degrees there is no tendency to ‘tuck in’. I have yet to go to 60 degree bank angle - proceeding conservatively at present. It does not appear to need much forward or rearward movement of the control bar to co-ordinate a turn. It will do a shallow turn hands off and it stays where you leave it. Rolling forces are not noticeably heavy.There was no tendency observed for the trike to move to the left, either on climb out or at any speed up to 90 mph. I have not gone beyond 90 mph as yet. The trike hangs where it should in left or right turns. There is no adverse yaw in the trike as it turns left or right.Trim speed is currently 55 mph to 86 mph cross checked by GPS. The ASI is over reading - indicating 60mph and 90 mph respectively. I was planning for 50mph to 80 mph, so I am very happy with what I’m getting.
The wide windshield with the pop out flaps (to allow full forward movement of the control bar) is working very well - no vibration or chatter of the hinged flaps at any speed, and there is no wind blast behind the screen for pilot or passenger. Only the hands get wind blast where they hold the bar outside the shielding of the screen. This is not noticeable when wearing gloves.
The aerodynamic shock covers appear to be doing a good job. They are fixed with different angles of attack to generate rightward forces as the trike speed up and they are doing this exactly as anticipated, so they counteract any left turning forces in the trike.
More test results to follow as weather permits.

At Last! The Astra T2 becomes reality! Test flying to begin shortly. More posts to follow.
12/08/2015

At Last! The Astra T2 becomes reality! Test flying to begin shortly. More posts to follow.

Here's the entry for the WUFI (World Ultralight Fly In) Guinness Book record attempt yesterday October 10, 2015. The sha...
10/11/2015

Here's the entry for the WUFI (World Ultralight Fly In) Guinness Book record attempt yesterday October 10, 2015. The sharp eyed observer will see that it was in a Pegasus 912. Unfortunately the Astra T2 - coming soon - was not ready for flight. That's Shawnee Field in the second Pic and the third one is a high performance decent to land..

Astra trikes have been busy this year with a new sail being made and flight tested. This is a picture of the prototype s...
10/06/2015

Astra trikes have been busy this year with a new sail being made and flight tested. This is a picture of the prototype sail during the testing phase. It all turned out brilliantly with some minor cosmetic fixes required. The production sails are now available, so if your wing is looking tired and you want a replacement at a great price give me a call. As always, custom colors and patterns are available.

A picture of the Astra HQ Hangar, taken from the front seat of the trike, having landed just after sunset
10/06/2015

A picture of the Astra HQ Hangar, taken from the front seat of the trike, having landed just after sunset

10/06/2015

Welcome to the page of Astra Trikes, custom building weightshift aircraft in Bloomfield, Indiana. I will be publishing the latest developments at Astra Trikes as new things happen. Keep checking in...

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