Lift II PPC

Q: Customer is inquiring about purchasing a PPC Lift. He is flying a Thunderbolt on a Sixchuter now.  But he wants to upgrade to a new Air Wolf with the 912. Many of the people he’s talking to are suggesting that he gets the Apco Cruiser however since he is flying an elliptical wing now he is wondering about the Lift.

Inquiring if there are any issues with engine torque?
Also inquiring if the Lift 400 and 450 are suitable for the Airwolf, provided it has the wider hook-up points (not 110cm)?

A:  The LIFT 400/450 has no  particular  torque issues, but you should be aware that it is a more advanced wing and has  significantly higher lift  capacity, even compared to the Thunderbolt, therefore, you must be more aware to correct inflation procedure and take care to only full throttle on take-off when wing is steady overhead. When the wing is to one side (during inflation / taxi / take-off) and opening the throttle, you risk rolling the trike.
Also, the glide ratio  is far higher, so landing approach is flatter, and should be considered accordingly.
On the other hand, fuel consumption/rpm is lower, speed is higher, handling is more responsive, and in the  case of engine failure, you will have greater chance to reach  a suitable field.

Hey Everyone.This misunderstanding / issue comes up every few years (WLL vs MBL).

Quick-Links (Mallion Rapide) are rated in WLL (Working Load Limit), they have a MBL (Minimum Breaking Load) of 5x the WLL.
So A Quick-Link with a WLL of 400kg, has a MBL of 2000kg, and will hold more when used correctly.

Definitions:
Working Load Limit (WLL) – the allowable load for use at work. This term originates from general industry use.

WLL is the static load that is allowed to be loaded on the part in normal use.

While using the part, the work is not static, there are accelerations!  (As in flight during turning).  For example a crane that starts to lift or moves from side to side and then stops.  In the case of the Peguet’s quick-links the manufacturer sets a 5G safety factor that the accelerations should not pass while working.

Maximum Breaking Load (MBL) – The ultimate load the part can tolerate before failing.

According to the above, for Peguet’s quick-links this is 5 times the WLL, therefore 5X400=2000 [Kg].

 

Apco’s PPC wings are also designed for a specific WLL. (for the Cruiser 550 this is 500 [Kg]).
According to the certification requirements, the G rating/Safety factor required is 6G.
Therefore the total max load the parachute can carry is 3000 [Kg] (6613 pounds ).
On each PPC there are 4 Quick links, each of them can carry 2000 Kg=> the capacity of the quick-links together is a whooping 8000[Kg] (17637 pounds)

If taking only 2 quick links into consideration (Load of the parachute is always distributed equally between the left and right sides) – this is more than enough!
4000 [Kg] vs the designed weight of the parachute which is 3000 [Kg]

There is always a bigger, heavier, more expensive option.  The question is: What is really needed?

Hope this clarifies the issue – All of Apco’s pilots can be reassured they are in good and capable hands!

 

Quick Tips: it is Super important the quick links are properly tightened.

A few do’s and don’ts:

 

1. Do not over-tighten the Quicklinks and destroy the thread repeatedly.
2. Do not knock on it with a hammer to open a locked thread
3. Do not knock on it with a hammer to change the shape of the Quick-Link
4. A Quick-Link that does not turn with reasonable force (reasonable force – the closing torque determined by the manufacturer) must be replaced!
5. Do not fly with Open / un-tightened Quick-links !!!
6. Always fasten the quick-links to their manufacturer recommended torque, using a proper sized torque wrench. (Recommended torque is attached on a label to the quick-Links with each new Apco PPC wing )