Home of air trikes in British Columbia, Canada

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Trikes, eh?

In aviation slang, a trike is an ultralight aircraft resembling a hang glider attached to a motorized tricycle chassis, equipped with instruments and providing seating for up to two persons. Around the world, ultralight trikes are also known as powered hang gliders, microlights, flex-wing and weight-shift aircrafts.

Our instructional trike 

Originally conceptualized by NASA in 1962, the first trikes were manufactured in Europe in early 80's. They rapidly became popular all over the world thanks to their affordability, safety and liberal official regulations. People fly trikes for all kinds of different reasons, however the majority savour the unmatched bird-like flight experience unique to these open-cockpit aircrafts.

The Canadian Aviation Regulations classify trikes as the Basic Ultra-light Aeroplanes. According to the regulations a Student Pilot Permit - Ultra-light Aeroplane or a Pilot Permit - Ultra-light Aeroplane issued by Transport Canada is required to operate such an aircraft. Our Transport Canada-certified instructors will ensure you learn all the nessesary skills to obtain such permits.

 

Despite their deceptively simple look, the trikes are very capable performers. They have been flown over Mount Everest, across continents and around the world. The maximum speed of a modern trike may approach 120 miles per hour. In some countries, the air trikes successfully carry out daily industrial duties in agriculture, forestry, and tourism -- no wonder Ultraflight Magazine calls a trike a Magnificent Flying Machine in their excellent introductory article.

 

There are more than fourty trike manufacturers around the world, of which two are located in Canada. The Russian-made Poisk trikes are our definite choice for the flight training and for the personal use. These rugged, industrial-strength aircrafts are made in Russia by Special Design Bureau of Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation. As Poisk trikes are relatively new in North American skies, this page provides a due introduction.
 
About Poisk Trikes
Poisk is Russian for quest.

The Poisk trikes are designed and manufactured in Russia by the team of professional aviation engineers from Special Design Bureau of Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation.

First Poisk trike was built in 1982 to the special government order for the geological expeditions. The geologists needed a small, maintainable and exceptionally robust aircraft that could operate out of the undeveloped fields in the extreme conditions of the Russian North. The team had to design a new type of aircraft from scratch in six months. This is how Poisk trikes were born.

Archive photo: Preflight inspection of the Poisk-01 trike. 1982
Archive photo: Preflight inspection of the Poisk-01 trike. 1982

The first Poisk-06 model was manufactured in 1988. The design was so successful that two decades later Poisk-06 is still an elite workhorse of Russian ultralight aviation. The chassis of these trikes are designed to take a lot of abuse which makes them a primary choice for heavy industrial applications, such as crop dusting and serving remote geological expeditions.

Poisk-06CX is equipped for agricultural use.
Poisk-06CX is equipped for agricultural use

The dependability of Poisk-06 model is well illustrated by the fact that a number of three-seater modifications was built for the military border patrol forces.

Reasonably priced and available with large selection of engines, wings and accessories, these trikes are a no-compromise choice for those who demand a rock solid performance.

Poisk-06 with GEO 1.0L engine.
Poisk-06 with GEO 1.0L engine

The instructional model Poisk-06T provides rarely available in North America side-by-side seating configuration, which in our opinion has a number of advantages over traditional in-line trikes when used for flight training. The flight schools praise these trikes for their virtually indestructible nature that tolerates extremely rough landings. The manufacturer's own flight school just recently retired a Poisk-06T aircraft that was in active training service for ten years!

Instructional trike Poisk-06T
Instructional trike Poisk-06T

In order to meet the demands of competitive market, the creators of Poisk trikes have designed a Poisk-09 model with full fiberglass-faired body. This dramatically reduced the aerodynamic drag and gave the aircraft a stylish look without compromising the legendary durability of the Poisk brand.

Dependable and stylish Poisk-09
Dependable and stylish Poisk-09

The Poisk trikes are no strangers in foreign skies. Before coming to North America, Poisk has seen the skies of Spain, Hungary, Malta, Greece, Turkey, New Zealand, South Africa, Vietnam and Mongolia.

Open Skies Aviation Ltd. represents Poisk trikes in North America. At this time we are not actively marketing the aircrafts, though we can facilitate a purchase if needed.
 
Trikes vs. Airplanes

This is a very popular discussion topic in our hangar. While some simply wonder why trikes are taking the world by storm, the others are triyng to decide on the aircraft type before committing to the training course.

Trikes vs. Ultralight Airplanes

Many trike pilots agree that a trike compares to an ultralight airplane like a motorcycle compares to a car. We have summarized the key differences for your research below:

 

  • Trikes provide unique bird-like flight experience
  • Trikes are more affordable
  • Trikes are easier to maintain
  • Trikes are more compact, they can be kept in a garage and transported on a trailer
  • Airplanes allow flying in more difficuilt weather conditions
  • Airplanes are faster
  • Airplanes allow aerobatics
  • Airplanes require less physical strength to control

One essential difference though is that unlike motorcycles, the trikes don't need to share the road with unfriendly cars :)