Howdy all, from Australia, current paramotor pilot looking to build something like the carbon dragon, I have seen that the dragon will require modifications for a 6'4 pilot are there any active builders out there?

Cheers
Alex W

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the forum. I recently finished building an all-composite Carbon Dragon, and Erik Jan Brans is making very good progress on his build in the Netherlands. Don Berliner is also building his CD entirely out of aluminium and intends to put an engine on his. Rick Mullins completed his CD a few years ago too.

The CD is an absolute joy to fly... though I'm still getting used to the feeling of flying in the very strong thermals in the French Alpes, where I fly (I haven't flown it at home in Ireland yet due to our less than ideal weather!) Because of its very light wing loading, the CD lets you feel every lump, bump and nuance in the air - it is really sensitive

I am 5'11" (say 6' in shoes) and needed to move my rudder pedals forward by about 2" inches to give me a comfortable position in the pilot pod (I like having my legs almost straight - only slightly bent.) The existing pilot pod design can accommodate this without major modification, but it would not be a big job to stretch the pod an extra few inches to accommodate your size.

The CD was designed for a very light pilot (60-65kg) pilot, so you may need to stretch the wings a little to keep the wing loading down for your weight. Again, not a big deal, but consult here before you commit to building so your numbers can be checked. I have a spreadsheet (which you can modify for longer wings) that will calculate the loads and stresses along the wing, and tells you how strong you need to build your wing (and how much carbon rod to use in the spar caps.) Steve Arndt stretched his wings to accommodate his weight.

www.ihpa.ie/carbon-dragon/index.php/cd-b...rs/phil-lardner-s-cd

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like - we'll do our best to help you out.

All the best,

Phil.

Thanks for the quick reply Phil, ideally I would like my carbon dragon to have a sustainer motor for self launching and maybe when the lift dies, at 6’4 and 105kg this may not be achievable. My interest is in composites as well as using Cnc machinery where I can.

I have an engineering background so the mathematics are not an issue

Cheers Alex

Hi Alex,

As Philip mentioned, I am working on the wings right now and installing the airbrakes and gapcover. Finished the emennage and tailboom and am halfway the pod. Take care, there are a lot of issues with the drawings.
There are at least 3 Carbon Dragons in Australia and a story of one of them is on Youtube . A bit to dim story, but fun because I had contact with the builder about 25 years ago.

Good on ya,
EJ

Phil,
I have watched all of your videos and followed your amazing trip with your ship, with pleasure. And, I think you have done more to push everyone into modern building materials since Rutan. I am too big a human being for a CD, but I am very interested in the application of of infusion composites to larger wings. I'm looking at a part 103 ultralight with a three cylinder Verner radial. The Legal Eagle LE meets Part 103 and carries a mature pilot. I'm studying a composite, single strut, double tapered wing.
I would appreciate any ideas, and suggestions.

The other Phil (Dorothy)

Phil Dorothy wrote: Phil,
I have watched all of your videos and followed your amazing trip with your ship, with pleasure. And, I think you have done more to push everyone into modern building materials since Rutan. I am too big a human being for a CD, but I am very interested in the application of of infusion composites to larger wings. I'm looking at a part 103 ultralight with a three cylinder Verner radial. The Legal Eagle LE meets Part 103 and carries a mature pilot. I'm studying a composite, single strut, double tapered wing.
I would appreciate any ideas, and suggestions.

The other Phil (Dorothy)

Hi Phil,

Many thanks for the compliments - my ego is soaring high!

I'm glad the website and videos are proving useful - I figured someone might learn something from my mistakes and successes! My all-composite CD is a super fun machine to fly and will (I hope) give me many years of enjoyment without having to worry about the damp Irish conditions it lives in... or woodworm!

Although the standard CD is designed for a very light (and slim!) pilot, it has been successfully modified by Steve Arndt, to carry his 'out of spec' bulk and girth. Steve extended his wings a little to keep the overall wing loading down, and widened his pilot pod so he didn't have to shoe-horn himself in. You have the power!

I'm not an expert in either aircraft design or building (I'd never built anything this big or ever used composites before this), so my CD build was one big experiment from start to finish. That being said, if there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to email me here or in private and I'll do my best.

All the best,

Phil (a.k.a. your Mini Me!)

PS - is this the Legal Eagle you're looking at building - cool little sky trolley!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milholland_Legal_Eagle