Rik Bouwmeester () writes:

Saturday was warm in cool kind of way. I got to do a flight on my new toy. It was not the first time I had tried the Mosquito powered harness, but it was the first time on a good day with the Wills Wing Fusion. No doubt it is different flying with the extra weight and bulk, but you do get used to it and learn to fly it differently. The first ten minutes my shoulders were a little tired but once I got used to how it flew I was able to relax more and manipulate the controls differently. (Not to mention it was out of the east and it was choppy to begin with. ) After an hour I felt fine.

Landing and take off are a breeze. If you have any trouble during the climb on the first hundred feet you can power back just a bit and straighten out and add the power back on. It was kind of cool being able to climb out to 1000 feet and hooking a thermal and shut off the engine. I used about two cups of fuel. If I use it solely for soaring I would likely not go through more than a tank or two a season.

I can't imagine how they could improve the Mosquito at this point, but I am sure they will. The aerodynamics are quite good. The folding prop is an impressive feature. Starting the engine just couldn't be any easier. It has a little blow tube to activate the starter. You blow into lightly and it starts up in a second if the engine it is warm.

It is equipped with a prop lock, choke, mouth throttle for take off and a locking pull throttle for when you gain altitude. The struts (sticks) fold up and lock into place after you zip the harness.

This is not to say good bye to payout winch towing and aerotowing. It is just an addition to the whole thing and I will get much more airtime. There are a lot of days I see a good day close to home here and I only have a few hours to fly and can now take advantage of it.

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