The Sylphe has a welded tubular framework and a short ducted fan. The canopy is of Voilerie Soubeyrat design.

Empty weight: 85 kg
Wingspan: 11 m
Wing area: 36.5 sq.m
Fuel capacity: 20 lt
Engine: Rotax 447, 40 hp
Seats: 1
Max speed: 50 kph
Cruise speed: 42 kph
Min speed: 22 kph
ROC: 3 m/sec
Fuel burn: 12 lt/hr
Price (1998): 64 000 Fttc

A small single-seater built of TIG welded tubing, circa 1998.

Empty weight: 65 kg
Wing span: 12 m
Wing area: 14.8 sq.m
Fuel capacity: 8 lt
Engine: Vitorrasi 80, 14 hp
MAUW: 180 kg
Seats: 1
Max speed: 85 kph
Cruise speed: 55 kph
Minimum speed: 32 kph
Climb rate: 2 m/s
Fuel consumption: 4 lt/hr

Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
HP range: 52-100
Height: 5 ft
Length: 10 ft
Wing area: 554 sq.ft
Fuel capacity: 5 USG
Empty weight: 328 lb
Gross weight: 700 lb
Cruise: 28 mph
Rate of climb: 800 fpm
Takeoff dist: 100 ft
Landing dist: 40 ft
Service ceiling:8000 ft
Seats: 1-2

The Ultrasports/ Southdown Sailwings Puma 330 is a weight shift tandem two seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with fin. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with >75% double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; no suspension on any wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium tube trike unit, without pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller. Aluminium tubing to British HT30TT specification, anodised. Wing fittings made from stainless steel. Wing fabric Dacron.

The Puma in both 330 and 440 forms was obsolete by 1982. Consisting of an Ultrasports two-seat trike unit and the Lightning DS wing of Southdown Sailwings, the Puma was introduced early in 1982 and was by no means the first two seat trike. It was, however, the first to use a floating cross tube double surface wing and quickly became known for its vice free handling, good performance and reliability.

The Ultrasports/Southdown Sailwings RB1/Lightning DS is a single seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with fin. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with > 75 % double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; optional steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller. Trike unit has pod.

The RB1/Lightning DS was constructed specially for an attempt on the world microlight altitude record, it consists of a specially lightened Tripacer trike unit with a big Southdown Sailwings Lightning DS wing, more usually found on two seaters.

The engine, an experimental unit from British Robin importer Nicklow Engineering, consisted basically of two Robin 250 cc barrels on a 440cc crankcase, giving the benefit of 488cc without expensive machining. To in-crease the power still further, the cooling fan is removed, the engine relying on free air cooling.

Even in its original form the trike did the job it was designed to do, taking Bob Calvert to a new world record of 19,250ft (5900m) off the Lan¬cashire coast on 19 February 1983 and breaking by over 3000 ft (900 m) Bob’s own record set a year earlier in a Mainair Tri Flyer 330.

Engine: Robin EC488PM, 65 hp at 6500 rpm
Prop¬eller diameter and pitch 60x30ft, 1.52×0.76m
Toothed belt reduction, ratio 2.8/1
Max static thrust 350 lb, 159 kg
Power per unit area 0.33 hp/sq.ft, 3.6 hp/sq.m
Fuel capacity 4.8 US gal, 4.0 Imp gal, 18.2 litre
Wing span 32.0ft, 9.75m
Chord at root 8.0ft, 2.44m
Chord at tip 3.0ft, 0.91m
Dihedral 0 deg
Sweepback 30 deg
Total wing area 175 sq.ft, 16.3 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 5.8/1
Height overall 11.0 ft, 3.35 m
Empty weight 231 lb, 105kg
Max take off weight 531 lb, 241kg
Payload 300 lb, 136kg
Max wing loading 2.72 lb/sq.ft, 13.3 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 8.2 lb/hp, 3.7kg/hp
Load factors +4.0, 2.0 design; +6.0, 3.0 ulti¬mate
Never exceed speed 65mph, 105kph
Max cruising speed 50 mph, 80 kph
Economic cruising speed 40 mph, 64 kph
Stalling speed 28 mph, 45 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 1700 ft/min, 8.6 m/s
Min sink rate 300 ft/min at 32 mph, 1.5 m/s at 51 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 6/1 at 35 mph, 56 kph
Take off distance 30ft, 10 m
Landing distance 40ft, 12 m
Range at average cruising speed 345 mile, 555 km

The Ultrasports/Solar Wings Panther 250 is a single seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with 80% double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; optional steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

Ultrasports’ Tripacer trike unit is a simple mono pole design and can be found attached to a wide variety of wings, the Hiway Demon being a particularly popular choice. Ultrasports teamed up with British hang glider manufacturer, Solar Wings, to market its trike units as complete aircraft under the name Panther.

The cheapest Panther is the 250, which consists of a combination of the Tripacer 250 trike unit and Typhoon S wing. The trike unit has been updated for its new role by the addition of optional front suspension, and if required can still be bought without wing, either complete or as a kit. Power comes from a single cylinder Robin engine of 250 cc, driving through V belts. At one time all Ultrasports trike units used V belt transmission, but by 1982 all but the 250 have been engineered for toothed belts.

A glass fibre and nylon pod is optional.

The Ultrasports/Solar Wings Panther 330 is a weight shift single seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with 80% double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; standard steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

The Panther 330 was Ultrasports’ main single seater. Although structurally similar to the Panther 250, the twin cylinder model has been considerably updated for 1983. Not only does it include as standard the trailing link and coil spring front suspension which is optional on the 250, but a new engine mounting system has been devised, placing the Robin ‘right way up’ and thus giving much more clearance between propeller and ground. It also eliminates plug fouling when the aircraft is left standing. A further change is the use of a stronger rear axle, of 11/8 inch (29min) diameter.

Like the Panther 250, the Panther 330 is sold as a complete aircraft and uses the Typhoon S wing. However, it too can be bought without wing if desired, in which case the trike unit reverts to its original name of Tripacer 330. A pod is optional.

The Ultrasports/Solar Wings Panther Dual 330 is a weight shift tandem two seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with 50% double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes.
Aluminium tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

The Panther Dual is Ultrasports’ replacement for the Puma. As with the single seat Panthers, the Panther Dual in both 330 and 440 forms uses a Rogallo from Solar Wings, in this case the Typhoon XL model. The change from a Southdown wing, is not, however, likely to radically alter the flying characteristics of the aircraft, as the wing areas are identical and both are concealed floating cross tube designs. The Typhoon XL is a little heavier (122 lb, 55 kg against 106 lb, 48 kg) and has less double surface and a conventional keel pocket rather than a fin. With British airworthiness regulations in mind, the XL has been static tested to 1.85 Imp ton (2.07 US ton, 1.88 tonne), a load which produced no permanent deformation of the structure.

The trike unit is similar to that used for the Puma but has been updated in a parallel fashion to the single seater, with front sus¬pension by trailing link and coil spring and an engine mounting ‘right way up’. Toothed belt transmission is standard. A pod is optional.

The Ultrasports/Solar Wings Panther Dual 440 is a weight shift single seat single engined flex wing aircraft with weight shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross tube construction with 80% double surface enclosing cross tube; preformed ribs. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; standard steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

Panther 250
Engine: Robin EC25PS, 18 hp at 6500 rpm
Propeller diameter and pitch 54 x 27 inch, 1.37 x 0.69 m
V belt reduction, ratio 2.3/1
Max static thrust 150 lb, 68 kg
Power per unit area 0.10 hp/sq.ft, 1.1 hp/sq.m
Fuel capacity 2.6 US gal, 2.2 Imp gal, 10.0 litre
Length overall 12.0 ft, 3.66 m
Height overall 10.0ft, 3.05m
Wing span 32.0ft, 9.75m
Chord at root 8.0ft, 2.44m
Chord at tip 3.0ft, 0.91m
Dihedral 0 deg
Sweepback 30 deg
Total wing area 175 sq.ft, 16.3 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 5.8/1
Wheel track 5.0 ft, 1.52 m
Wheel. base 6.0 ft, 1.83 m
Nosewheel diameter overall 12 inch, 30 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 12 inch, 30 cm
Empty weight 180 lb, 82kg
Max take off weight 380 lb, 172kg
Payload 200 lb, 91kg
Max wing loading 2.17 lb/sq.ft, 10.6 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 21.1 lb/hp, 9.6kg/hp
Load factors +6.5, 4.5 design
Max level speed 50mph, 80kph
Never exceed speed 60mph, 97kph
Max cruising speed 45mph, 72kph
Economic cruising speed 40mph, 64kph
Stalling speed 20 mph, 32 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 400 ft/min, 2.0 m/s
Min sink rate 275 ft/min at 25 mph, 1.4 m/s at 40 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 5/1 at 30 mph, 48 kph
Take off distance 100 ft, 30 m
Land¬ing distance 50 ft, 15 m
Service ceiling 7000 ft, 2130 m
Range at average cruising speed 115 mile, 185 km

Panther 330
Engine: Robin EC34PM, 32 hp at 6500 rpm
Propeller diameter and pitch 54x30inch, 1.37×0.76m
Toothed belt reduction, ratio 2.5/1
Max static thrust 225 lb, 102kg
Power per unit area 0.18hp/sq.ft, 2.0hp/sq.m
Fuel capacity 2.6 US gal, 2.2 Imp gal, 10.0 litre
Length overall 12.0 ft, 3.66 m
Height overall 10.0ft, 3.05m
Wing span 32.0ft, 9.75m
Chord at root 8.0ft, 2.44m
Chord at tip 3.0ft, 0.91m
Dihedral 0 deg
Sweepback 30 deg
Total wing area 175 sq.ft, 16.3 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 5.8/1
Wheel track 5.0 ft, 1.52 m
Wheel. base 6.0 ft, 1.83 m
Nosewheel diameter overall 12 inch, 30 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 12 inch, 30 cm
Empty weight 202 lb, 92kg
Max take off weight 444 lb, 201kg
Payload 242 lb, 110kg
Max wing loading 2.541b/sq.ft, 12.3 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 13.9 lb/hp, 6.3kg/hp
Load factors +6.5, 4.5 design
Max level speed 55 mph, 88 kph
Never exceed speed 65 mph, 105 kph
Max cruising speed 45 mph, 72 kph
Economic cruising speed 38 mph, 61 kph
Stalling speed 22 mph, 35 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 700 ft/min, 3.6 m/s
Min sink rate 350 ft/min at 28 mph, 1.8 m/s at 45 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 5/1 at 30 mph, 48 kph
Take off distance 75 ft, 23 m
Landing distance 50 ft, 15 m
Service ceiling 12,000 ft, 3660 m
Range at average cruising speed 115 mile, 185 km

Panther Dual 330
Engine: Robin EC34PM, 32 hp at 6500 rpm
Propeller diameter and pitch 54x30inch, 1.37×0.76m
V belt reduction, ratio 2.5/1
Max static thrust 225 lb, 102kg
Power per unit area 0.16hp/sq.ft, 1.8hp/sq.m
Length overall 13.0 ft, 3.96 m
Height overall 11.0ft, 3.35m
Wing span 34.0ft, 10.36m
Chord at root 10.0ft, 3.05m
Chord at tip 3.5ft, 1.07m
Dihedral 0 deg
Sweepback 30 deg
Total wing area 195 sq.ft, 18.1 sq.m
Wing aspect. ratio 5.6/1
Wheel track 5.0 ft, 1.52 m
Wheelbase 6.0ft, 1.83 m
Nosewheel diameter overall 14 inch, 36 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 14 inch, 36 cm
Empty weight 280 lb, 127kg
Max take off weight 634 lb, 288kg
Payload 354 lb, 161kg
Max wing loading 3.25 lb/sq.ft, 15.9 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 19.8 lb/hp, 9.0kg/hp
Load factors +6.5, 4.5 ultimate
Max level speed 55mph, 88kph
Never exceed speed 65mph, 105 kph
Max cruising speed 45 mph, 72 kph
Economic cruising speed 38 mph, 61 kph
Stalling speed 22 mph, 35 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 300 ft/min, 1.5 m/s
Min sink rate 350 ft/min at 28 mph, 1.8 m/s at 45 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 5/1 at 35 mph, 56 kph
Take off distance 150 ft, 45 m
Land¬ing distance 75ft, 23m
Service ceiling 15,000ft, 4570 m
Range at average cruising speed 60 mile, 97 km

Panther Dual 440
Engine: Robin EC44, 50hp at 6500rpm
Propeller diameter and pitch 60 x 30 inch, 1.52 x 0.76 m
Toothed belt reduction, ratio 2.8/1
Max static thrust 320 lb, 145kg
Power per unit area 0.26 hp/sq.ft, 2.8hp/sq.m
Fuel capacity 2.6 US gal, 2.2 Imp gal, 10.0 litre
Length overall 13.0 ft, 3.96 m
Height overall 11.0ft, 3.35m
Wing span 34.0ft, 10.36m
Chord at root 10.0ft, 3.05m
Chord at tip 3.5ft, 1.07m
Dihedral 0 deg
Sweepback 30 deg
Total wing area 195 sq.ft, 18.1 sq.m
Wing aspect. ratio 5.6/1
Wheel track 5.0 ft, 1.52 m
Wheel¬base 6.0ft, 1.83 m
Nosewheel diameter over¬all 14 inch, 36 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 14 inch, 36 cm
Empty weight 292 lb, 132kg
Max take off weight 730 lb, 331 kg
Payload 438 lb, 199 kg
Max wing loading 3.74 lb/sq.ft, 18.3 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 14.6 lb/hp, 6.6 kg/hp
Load factors; +6.5, 4.5 ultimate
Max level speed 55mph, 88kph
Never exceed speed 65mph, 105 kph
Max cruising speed 45 mph, 72 kph
Economic cruising speed 38 mph, 61 kph
Stalling speed 22 mph, 35 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 600 ft/min, 3.0 m/s
Min sink rate 350 ft/min at 28 mph, 1.8 m/s at 45 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 5/1 at 35 mph, 56 kph
Take off distance 150 ft, 45 m
Land¬ing distance 75ft, 23m
Service ceiling 15,000ft, 4570 m
Range at average cruising speed 50 mile, 80 km

The Ultrasports / Southdown Tri-Pacer was manufactured in Britain. A variety of hang glider wings may be fitted.

Engine: Robin EC25PS (244 cc) 28 hp
Wing span: 9.75m
Length: 3.66m
Empty wt: 82 kg
Max wt: 172 kg
Max cruise: 72 kph
Range: 185 km