The following
have been taken from various posting over the internet:
I
can not verify how accurate they are:
Wizards were very flimsy due to missing tubes, wires, etc.
The larger leading edge was a marketing gimmick just to
exceed the well designed diameter of the quicks of the
time.
Since they kept the small compression struts, they were
actually weaker since QS sleeved and then increased the
diameter of theirs.
The controls would get sloppy after a while due to the
drilled holes elongating, and the large wheels would
easily fail in a sharp turn.
They flew fine after the belly bar was bowed for more down
control on the weightshifts. The closed wing tips made the
plane hard to turn, eventually being velcroed rather than
sewed.
The small, loose stab cloth contributed to heavy control
pressures as it did on the rect stab quicks.
The lack of aftermarket support, follow on companies, led
to a 'quick' demise of most flying wizards. Some escaped
the junk pile by hiding out in barns and basements
masquerading as lawn furniture.
A little later J3B model with hard seat and original Rotax
503
is still flying here in Illinois after about 4
owners. It probably has 500 hours on it by
now. Some of the tubes were bent and
replaced a time or two due to hard landings. The curved
ones are a real problem as you can't buy them. Have
to try and bend them yourself. The latest owner
bolted on some tail stiffening tubes acquired from a
wrecked ultralight and says it turns a lot better now. The
original tail flexes enough to reduce the rudder
effectiveness. Such stiffeners were also added to the QS
airframe I believe.
The crusty old Wizard still flies here on a regular basis
cruising in the 45-50 mph range. Too much rusted
hardware and faded sails for my taste though. The
current owner, a machinist had to replace the aluminum
angle stock used for the engine mount because of
fatigue cracks at the bolt holes. The centrifugal
clutch cracked it's plates and the bolts were rusted so
they bolted the assemble together as a solid unit.
Over the years this plane has given numerous pilots forced
landing experience.
Really old ultralights that have been used a lot (or not)
need
a complete going over. They were never really
intended to last
this long. The newer models are so much better.
For hours and
hours of web video interviews on the world of ultralight
aviation subscribe to the Ultralight Flyer web video magazine -
Only $24.50 U.S. per year gives your access to web video on
ultralight aircraft, ultralight builders, ultralight
manufacturers, designer, accessories and much, much more!
Ultralight
News
PO Box 1710 Holland
Landing Ontario
L9N 1P2 647-723-8767
Airfield
1895 10th line east of Hwy 11 Bradford Ontario
Ultralight Aircraft News Web Magazine PO Box 1710 Holland Landing
Ontario Canada L9N 1P2 647-723-8767.
You may link to these pages or print
them out for your own personal use, but no part of this
publication may be copied or distributed, transmitted, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer
language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
manual, or otherwise, without the written permission of Dave
Loveman.
By copying or paraphrasing the intellectual
property on this site, you're automatically signing a binding contract
and agreeing to be billed $10,000 payable immediately. Copyright Ultralight News - Ultralight Flyer.
