The Seagull Sierra, designed in 1980 by Tom Peghiny, was Seagull’s only double-surface glider. It was never offered for sale, as Seagull went defunct before the glider was HGMA certified. A few prototypes were flying in 1980; these were reported to have good performance but poor handling characteristics.
A 1980 hang glider.
Wing area: 16.5 m²
Aspect ratio: 6
Hang glider weight: 25 kg
Nose angle: 127°
A 1980 hang glider.
In 1969, Mike Riggs founded and operated for nine years what became one of the largest international manufacturers of hang gliders and accessory equipment. In 1981 Riggs designed, built and flew an aircraft prototype intended to fit the then new FAA Part 103 Ultralight Rules. He is a founding member of the United States Hang Gliding Association, and he has served as a director of that organization. He is also the co-founder of the United States Hang Glider Manufacturers Association (HGMA), responsible for establishing aerodynamic and structural standards for hang glider aircraft.
Michael Riggs holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Design. His experience includes 25 years in consumer product development with annual line responsibilities reaching more than $400 million. He has achieved executive management at the vice president level. He has designed, built and flown several aircraft. He is a highly decorated Army gunship pilot with two Vietnam tours.
The company was taken over by Don Whitemore, later sold and Mike Riggs was no longer running the show and the company lost its innovation and its market. It is sad it owed about $3400 to Hang Gliding magazine and was not able to pay on demand.
The company was sold to a Canadian in 1980.
Mike Riggs went on as President and Founder of Seagull Aerosports.
Manufactured by Seagull Aerosports, the Escape Pod is the first fully enclosed trike with retractable landing gear. According to Michael Riggs is President and Founder of Seagull Aerosports the Seagull was designed “starting from a clean piece paper, trying to change the trike genre.”
Developed by Michael Riggs, Riggs’ company Seagull Aerosports, will fully build the Escape Pod and its unpowered sibling, the Pod Racer, buth weight-shift control with a fully enclosed cockpit. Since empty weight is well under Part 103’s 254-pound limit, ready-to-fly construction is completely proper.
The fuselage, or “pod,” is made from composite foam sandwich construction of PVC and graphite prepreg materials. The shape is vacuum-bag molded and oven cured for minimum weight and maximum strength. The complete lower shell and main structural bulkhead weigh only 16 pounds out of the mold, and the entire trike chassis weighs less than 80 pounds with engine and parachute. The bottom of the fuselage is flat so that if an outlanding is necessary and terrain does not encourage use of the gear, a belly landing can be made. In addition, the shape of the nose will prevent shoveling and possible flipover. A foam crush zone forward of and under the pilot adds another layer of protection as does a four-point seat restraint system.
The tricycle gear is fully retractable, which were allowed under Part 103 though not for LSA. Maingear legs are made of a filament wound graphite, and the gear is retracted using racing catamaran hardware.
Abandoning the forward tube, the Escape Pod uses a streamlined, tapered composite mast that has enough vertical area to provide yaw stability for high performance hang glider wings.
The Pod has been designed for full enclosure in a molded acrylic canopy with graphite frames. To facilitate control movements, the triangular control bar passes through a Neoprene-covered slot running fore to aft in the canopy following the control bar’s arc, thus accommodating a full range of motion.For summer use or if customers prefer, a shorter summer windscreen was also to be available. The fuel tanks are mounted internally and the engine is fully enclosed.
A rocket-deployed parachute is mounted on the rear of the main structural bulkhead and fires through a hatch on the side. The handle is on the floor between the pilot’s legs (and emergency responder labels.
The Escape Pod is powered by a 25-hp Cors-Air M-21Y and Powerfin three-blade propeller. An unpowered variation, called the Pod Racer, is also available and is launched via a winch or aerotow.
The powered Escape Pod and unpowered Pod Racer can be used with any hang glider wing that will accommodate the weight of chassis, pilot, engine, fuel and parachute system.
Like most trikes, the Escape Pod can be broken down small enough for storage in your garage or in the corner of your hangar. Its light weight will allow loading to trailer or pickup.
Riggs was anticipating that the Escape Pod would fly by the fall of 2004
Michael Riggs is President and Founder of Seagull Aerosports. He holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Design. His experience includes 25 years in consumer product development with annual line responsibilities reaching more than $400 million. He has achieved executive management at the vice president level. He has designed, built and flown several aircraft. In 1969, he founded and operated for nine years what became one of the largest international manufacturers of hang gliders and accessory equipment. In 1981 Riggs designed, built and flew an aircraft prototype intended to fit the then new FAA Part 103 Ultralight Rules. He is a founding member of the United States Hang Gliding Association, and he has served as a director of that organization. He is also the co-founder of the United States Hang Glider Manufacturers Association (HGMA), responsible for establishing aerodynamic and structural standards for hang glider aircraft. He is a highly decorated Army gunship pilot with two Vietnam tours.
Piedmont (Oakland), CA.
USA
Marshal T Seagrave built the Seagrave 1, registered N310H.
The desire to have a four-seat amphibian led to the development of the Seaflight Shearwater ZK-SFA. Designed by Bill Townson over a three-year period via a series of 1/5th scale models
Construction began in 1997 and incorporated a PZL-built development of the 210 hp Franklin pusher engine mounted lower than normal. This required a lower, cut down rear fuselage. The aircraft is equipped with a V-tail.
Registered ZK-SFA, the Shearwater first flew in November 2001, piloted by Andrew Buttle.
First flown in September 1997.
Engine: Zenoah G50, 42hp
HP range: 21-65
Gross Wt. 550 lb
Empty Wt. 289 lb
Fuel capacity 5 USG
Wingspan 26.5ft
Length 17.3ft
Wing area: 109sq.ft
Height: 5.8 ft
Seats: 1
Top speed: 63 mph
Cruise speed: 63 mph
Stall: 24 mph
Range: 90sm
Climb rate: 1100 fpm
Ceiling: 19,000 ft
Takeoff run: 101ft
Landing roll: 169ft
1997: PO Box 360, Cobbs Creek, VA 23035, USA.
Airplane builder
