Licence-free flexwing flying on a sub70 nanolight trike
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER– SEE BELOW!
The Snake flexwing nanolight trike is designed to take advantage of the CAA Exemption E4653, allowing powered, wheeled aircraft to be flown solo without a formal licence. The aircraft needs to weigh sub-70kg with full fuel (75kg with a parachute), stall at less than 20knots and carry adequate third party insurance. However, it can still be registered as a microlight if you already have a licence.
Just because something is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe! For a limited time only all Snake packages (trike+engine+wing) sold will be eligible for 5 hours of dual flexwing training at our Cambridgeshire base. This usually costs £600, but is available to Snake customers absolutely FREE!
Please contact us for more details, or view our training site. This offer may be withdrawn at any time, but will be honoured for all existing orders.
The trike
Primarily constructed of 6082 T6 alloy with twin Ergal 7075 undercarriage legs, the Snake has been load tested to an amazing +6G with a 100kg pilot without any permanent deformation of the structure. Despite this, the trike still weighs less than a remarkable 17kg!
The Snake folds up in minutes for easy transport in most cars. Simply remove the detachable fuel tank and 3 pins to fold the trike and remove the undercarriage legs. Furthermore, the trike geometry allows the wing basebar to be laid flat on the ground, simplifying the rigging process dramatically. A genuine 10-15 minute rigging time including both the trike and wing is easily achievable.
The Snake comes with a nosewheel brake as standard. Solid main undercarriage legs eliminate the need for draggy bracing wires and also provide effective suspension on rough ground. The standard foam-core tyres are essentially puncture-proof. Optional tundra balloon tyres are available, but at a 6kg weight penalty.
The trike features ample ground clearance; useful when taxiing over long grass, and creating room for the Adventure under-slung luggage bag option for extended touring.
The Snake comes with the chromoly steel sections powder coated in your choice of Red, Green or Blue. Special colour orders are available.
Engine options
We recommend the Cisco range of paramotor engines for the Snake, although we are happy to advise if you wish to fit your own existing engine to the trike.
Cisco are an Italian engine manufacturer and are represented in the UK by Skydrive Ltd. The Skydrive name is synonymous with microlight engines, having been the UK Rotax dealer for decades. Skydrive now stock a large quantity of Cisco engines and spares, and provide a full UK warranty and advice.
The most suitable engines for the Snake are the C-Max 175cc (rated at 27Hp) and Bull Max 230cc (rated at 33Hp). Both feature internal counter-balance shafts for smooth operation and are available with both recoil manual and electric start systems. A centrifugal clutch is optional, but not normally recommended for trike operation.
Both engines are available with a wooden propeller by Cisco, or the Helix carbon fibre prop. The Cisco prop produces slightly more thrust and a smoother sound, whereas the Helix is more hard-wearing and has the ability to be folded in half when removed from the engine.
Wing options
The Snake has been fully flight tested with the widest range of wings of any sub-70 nanolight currently on the UK market, made possible thanks to the trike’s extremely light weight. These include the simple and fun Aeros 13T and the high-performance Grif 3DC. Take a look at our Wing Options page for more details.
Prices
To help simplify the wide range of choices available to you, we’ve built a price calculator to weigh up the various options.