JoanW

It amazing to think that it's five whole years since the sad ending of this thread, and the last year has been one we'd never have predicted back then. Anyway, with reference to Ginge's blog about his Tiger Cub restoration which actually led me to this site in the first place, I've got round to cobbling together a crude way of viewing it via a Wordpress site. If you are interested, its at www.SaxonMicro.co.uk. It's rather clunky to view but it is at least accessible again. Keep safe everyone and don't get too social too soon. Joan

That is terribly sad news, and so quick too.

Rudder/elevator-only control is quite Ok as long as there's sufficient yaw/roll coupling in the design. Quite a few US ultralights are designed that way because it can simplify wing design, I understand. One of the microlights I use for training is a derivative of the early 'Weedhopper' design, via France, by the name AX3. I tell everybody that the name is because it's predecessor design didn't have ailerons - looking inside, I reckon they originally designed the stick to control the rudder, with the pedals just dealing with the nosewheel. Anyway, this design, as you can see in the video, uses leading edge sweep-back to give strong yaw/roll coupling and it can be flown satisfactorily without bothering with the ailerons. in fact the ailerons are very simple design and produce masses of adverse yaw, so if you use aileron for roll you need even more rudder to drive it into the turn. In that respect it's an excellent training machine because the pilot has to use rudder or the aircraft will just wander all over the sky - the aileron is just there to help balance the turn... Tom, that is one BIG beast. I'm sure you'll enjoy flying it. Joan

It was a delight meeting Mark (OP this thread) at a motorway service station halfway between our homes for Ginge to collect the original Tiger Cub's propeller. It is the intention that this prop is retruned to flight in Ginge's restoration project. Here it is being brought in to it's new home Apologies, by the way, to anybody following Ginge's project blog. Our web host has been sold and now we can't update it. I'm trying to move the site elsewhere (grr!) Joan Edited By JoanW on 29/05/2015 11:20:05

Hi again, also worth remembering may be the modifications made by Jim Romain and his son, John (now of IWM fame). **LINK** These apparently (according to test pilot Darrol Stinton) made the aircraft much sweeter to fly. Also the design changes resulting in their Cobra type, which used more conventional built-up structure. **LINK** Jim will be quite elderly now, if he's still with us, but John would doubtless be contactable via the IWM Duxford. There's also a thriving thread on deregulated single seat microlights in the BMAA forums which may be a useful source of ideas. I agree with others on here, a large-scale model of the Tiger Cub would fly very realistically and be great fun to watch Joan

PS. This You Tube video may interest too **LINK**

I recently came across this thread. It is my husband doing the restoration (currently stalled due other commitments) of the Tiger Cub that's mentioned two or three posts back. He has parts from several, and a complete one that fell, metaphorically, through the slats when the regulations were introduced. The one which is currently under reconstruction is G-MJSP, an example modified by Jim Romaine and his son John; John now runs The Aircraft Restoration Company and displays warbirds at Duxford. More importantly, and my reason for registering to post on here is that some of you may be interested in this announcement [link] on the BMAA website about the CAA's forthcoming deregulation of airworthiness of single-seat microlights. Although it is still to be announced formally, word on the streets is that they be implementing the proposal at the next change to the ANO, pencilled in for 1st April (yes, really). That means Tiger Cubs may fly again without all the associated airworthiness approvals and paperwork imposed by the current air law. (Pilot licensing and other air law still apply). Joan Saxon Microlights