Raven Sky Sports ()
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A Dragonfly Aerotug on a road trip is a very fragile thing, and
any bumps, dings, or even rubs/abrasions incurred during transport could easily
result in a grounded airplane in need of repairs. Anyone who’s considering
trailering a Dragonfly to/from Florida, or Texas, or anywhere else might want to
know about this “Dedicated Dragonfly Transport Trailer” that is now being made
available by Raven Hang Gliding, Inc.





This is a 2000 dual-axle Interstate box trailer that was custom-built to our
specs, to carry one Dragonfly tow plane as securely as possible. It is unusual
in the respect that neither the engine nor even the propeller needs to be
disassembled from the aircraft for transport, making re-assembly much quicker.


You'll note that this trailer was planned and built with the Dragonfly as its'
primary purpose. It has an 8-foot high door because the BRS is usually mounted
high, and the tail boom of the Dragonfly is about 8’ tall.


The wings are secured to custom mounting brackets on each wall. The V-shaped
strut assemblies have their own brackets. The horizontal stabilizers (with
elevators) fold upward and are padded & secured against the vertical stabilizer
while folded.


The fuselage rolls into the trailer tail-first. We planned enough room in this
trailer so that the engine and a 2- or 3-bladed propeller can remain mounted
throughout the process.


The engine is stabilized by tie straps to a compression strut and fittings along
the ceiling/roof line of the trailer, and the airplane’s three wheels each get
their own tie-down bracket (mounted on the floor). The rudder pedals are within
inches of the doors, and the wings are mounted as far forward in the box as
possible.


A trailer a foot or two shorter wouldn’t work. There is a comfortable amount of
space, but not a lot of extra space, between the propeller blades and the wings
on the side walls. A trailer even a few inches narrower would necessitate
dismounting the propeller for transport.


It’s only been used about 5 or 6 times to transport my four Dragonfly airplanes
around the country, and I’ve been extremely pleased with the results every time.
It looks very big, but it’s light, and I’ve successfully pulled it with a small
pickup truck and with a mini-van on two separate long trips. Interested parties
can call (262)473-8800 or email to find out more about this one-of-a-kind trailer.