UFM Easy Riser

Ultralight Flying Machines · United States · first flew 1975 · light aircraft

The UFM Easy Riser is an American swept-wing biplane hang glider that was first powered in 1975, and is regarded as the first modern ultralight aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	2.74 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Swept-wing biplane hang glider layout with an aluminium structure
Pilot suspended in a fabric sling seat beneath the wings
Powered by a single small piston engine

Look for a very small, lightly built biplane hang glider with swept wings, a single small engine and propeller behind the pilot and a sling seat rather than a cockpit.

Specifications

The UFM Easy Riser has a length of 2.74 m (9 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.14 m (30 ft).
Its maximum speed is 64 km/h (40 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Larry Mauro developed it from the Kiceniuk Icarus II biplane hang glider, and John Moody fitted an engine in 1975 so it could launch from flat ground. Wheeled gear, a horizontal stabiliser and elevator, and finally a tail-mounted rudder were added to cure early handling and stability problems.

Variants

The Mauro Solar Riser of 1979 used solar cells and an electric motor and was the first solar-powered aircraft to carry a person aloft. The Pterodactyl Light Flyer was another derivative.

Where you'll see it

Easy Risers were built in large numbers until the early-1980s ultralight market downturn ended production. The unpowered glider version was later returned to limited production and was still sold in 2002.

Related aircraft

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