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G'day Larry, Just had the pleasure of finally seeing in the flesh 3 of your Revo's based at Latrobe Valley here in Australia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Larry... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Sean Scott (Delta Jet 912 owner) My review of the Revo: Well I just got done flying the Revo. One word review...wow! Full review: First this trike flies like no other. It is not an evolution in trike and wing design but a REVOLUTION. Every other trike, including my own very capable DeltaJet 912/ProfiTL, has now been relegated to also-ran status. When searching for a trike to purchase there are many choices, but all represent a relative static progression in design and innovation. Small details have set one trike apart from another, until now. The world of trikes has forever been split in two. There is the Revo, and then there is everything else. Why such strong praise, simply, design, execution and delivery. From the front seat of the Revo the pilot is presented with a host of refinements and advancements not found on any other trike. Entry into the trike is effortless. The seats are purpose designed, not some compromise or adaption. Your feet rest on real pedals, not some bent steal rod. The front wheel has shock absorbing compression struts. Everything is CNC milled and fitted. The Revo speaks aircraft, not some conglomeration of bits from the parts bin. Three throttles, foot, panel and cruise give you options for power control. Simple things, like the choke and mag switches are right where you expect them to be. Even the rear steering system is beautiful. (It also makes the plane easy to maneuver in and about the hanger). Everything is a joy on the Revo. No compromises. Then you blast down the runway, 100 Rotax horses pushing against your back… seconds later you leap into the air and begin a mad race into the sky. The only problem is that at an incredible rate of climb you will have to wait awhile for your friends to get to altitude with you. Regardless of how good it looks on the ground or how nice the parts fit together, it is those parts that must work in harmony to produce and deliver an extraordinary result. The Revo does not disappoint. Even though the body of the Revo is spectacular it would be nothing unless it was married to a superb wing. The Reflex 11 Competition, a tiny wing by traditional standards, makes the Revo come alive and makes your dreams of effortless flight a reality. It is light to the touch, responsive but predictable. One finger control, quick roll but precise in its entry and exit from turns. Pitch stability and solid handling combine to make this wing do whatever you want it to in a point and shoot dream. The only surprise is how easy it is to get into a flight configuration you should not be in. This plane with the Reflex 11 Competition wing will fly beyond its and your limits if you ask it. So just don’t ask it. Couple the wing with Evolution’s new in-flight electric trim and it is hands-off trim at any speed from 65 mph to 100 mph giving you the ability to cruise with your friend’s slower trikes without constant bar input. Landing is a breeze, easy approach with a landing that sticks as the big mains touch down and the suspension soaks up any impact in case of a less than perfect landing on the pilot’s part. The Revo is confident and sure-footed on the ground as it is in the air. Quite simply, there is nothing not to like with the new Revo. As dramatic as the shift from biplane to mono or fabric covered to metal, the Revo is aptly named, it truly is a revolution in light-sport weight shift controlled flight. The new Revo presents only one problem for me: What to do with my existing
DeltaJet 912. From Rick Bowen I have been flying since the mid 1970's, cut my flying
eye teeth on hang gliders, and continued to fly them for 20 years. From Dane Hauser I made a really big mistake and flew the Revo. Now I want one....badly! It really opened my eyes to a whole other world of triking. It shattered a lot of my preconceived ideas based upon my very limited time in even remotely aerodynamic trikes. There were just so many things that blew me away. The carriage looked awesome in person, which was expected, as was the comfort once strapped in (with Larry in the back). The first thing that blew me away was when I looked at the ASI and noticed we were trimmed at 82mph when it felt like maybe 50. I've done quite a bit of flying over the past 18 months, but was still wondering how it would feel to fly such a small wing (11M) on a heavy trike. It was surprisingly easy and with the windshield, I seriously felt like I was flying slowly in a stick trike except when I focused on the ground, it was rushing by. The wing had really light handling, great energy retention and with the aerodynamic carriage, it tracked like it was on rails. In all honesty, I had thought Larry and Abid were just speed junkies on the extreme edge of the spectrum, flying a wing so tiny that it just barely stayed airborne, but there was nothing extreme about it. It felt just as natural as all my other hours flying. The only difference is we covered so much more ground when I'd pull the bar in a bit and hit 100mph. The stall speed was high relatively but surprisingly docile. I figured there was no way this little wing had much glide but when Larry called my Base, I thought there was no way we were going to reach the runway, as I'm used to dirty stick trikes with SS wings. I honestly can't compare this wing to other DS wings I've flown because I've flown them on stick trikes, so their glide ratio was obviously low. I was very impressed with this wing/carriage combo and Larry says he like the 13M wing even more. I'm used to having to pull the bar in to retain energy on my wings, but with this one, Larry told me to push out some on the approach and throughout the roundout the wing just kept flying. I don't know how much was the wing and how much was the carriage but the energy retention was amazing and like nothing I'd experienced before! One of the things that I've always been drawn to about the Monsoon, and now the Revo, are the big tires. Since almost all of my flying is off of the beach, I use the same tires on my stick trikes. I knew the big tires provided additional suspension from my own experience, but the Revo is a freaking ATV when it comes to its front and rear suspension! After a few touch and goes, Larry had us land way short of the runway over a rough grassy area with whoops and a little kicker that launched us back onto the paved strip. It seriously felt like I was on a Motocross bike as it sucked up all the bumps. I could go on and on but I think you get an idea of the emotion I felt after the test flight. What an impressive machine! -Dane Hauser WSC CFI - USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Allen Ducatt I was promptly contacted after requesting some more information on the Revo. After asking additional questions, I just had to fly from Seattle WA. across the country to Tampa FL. where I could see, feel and fly a Revo. I was picked up at the airport and even stayed right at the facility in an apartment they have for potential customers like me. Let me tell you, this trike is the real deal. American built, that quite honestly blows away all other imports. The design and quality is second to none. I flew this awesome machine in mid day conditions. First I flew the Reflex 11 Competition and was really impressed with the responsiveness. One thing I had to watch was my airspeed I made a couple of turns and started seeing close to 100 MPH. I said to the instructor in the back I felt like I could get out of hand with this one. He said the 11 is more of a "pilots wing" and usually a person's second wing and he thought I would be fine with the 11 after doing as little as an hour transition training. But then I flew the Reflex 13 and fell in love. This wing made me feel so safe and not have to worry about over speeding the wing or anything. it was much easier to fly than my current wing and the bar was much easier to move as well. Without a doubt the 13 meter was the wing for me. After I got to fly the Revo from the pilot seat it was time to go for a ride. We started off nice and easy where I was able to fully appreciate the head room the curved mast allowed, no banging my head on the mast. My legs rested on the body with full support and since I have really long legs, the pilot quickly removed the rear steering pegs without needing any tools so I could stretch my legs out. My arms actually had a place to go on the arm rests, which reminds me they also made a nice oh sh*# handles when the pilot demonstrated the high roll rate of the 11 meter wing to me. I wasn't scared, but it was just good to be able to hold on for comfort. I just got back to Washington and am putting my 912 trike up for sale. The Revo has given me a reason to upgrade. I look forward to flying a longer flying season with very effective cabin heat in my new Revo. For all you trike junkies, and want to be trike junkies out there the Revo is THE TRIKE. If your looking to upgrade, purchase, or want a test flight in any kind of LSA, I highly recommend contacting Tampabay Aerosport, even if you just want to pick their brains for information. As I mentioned, I flew from Seattle to Tampa and I definitely got my money's worth. Allen Ducatt sport pilot WSC - USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Eric Tyson I purchased the Revo after an introduction to the folks at Evolution Trikes. This is my first trike. I have two other aircraft, one is certified and the other is a 4 seat, STOL hotrod. I was planing on ordering a popular high end European trike, the only thing left was to make the wire transfer. I was bummed out at the US/Euro exchange rate (It doesn't appear to be getting any better). I was due to fly through Florida and had a few days to spare so I thought I would cruise up and have a look. What I found appealing was the stiffness of the carriage, especially evident when taxing through the grass/semi rough terrain, it has tundra tires and still cruises effortlessly. There is no flexing present, only the movement of the suspension. The wiring is also impeccable and built to aviation standards and materials. I am a tall guy 6'3" and found the ergonomics most appealing after having squished into several of the European trikes, I wouldn't have even considered buying any of them. Some of them had your knees outside the faring just sitting in them. I could imagine, the only thing worse than cold hands is having frozen knees as well. We went for a test ride, it is different riding around in a recreational trike, the expectations are different. The Revo is of commercial aviation grade. The performance is stellar, the ride exhilarating and the stamina un-rivaled. Flying is a bug that is hard to satisfy. The Revo goes to the next level with speed and range that comes with comfort that isn't available any where else in the trike form. 300 miles/day in this thing is very realistic and the best part you won't be physically exhausted. The others have the endurance but with out the comfort. This thing will cruise all day long. When we were taxing out I was told that there was cabin heat (I thought cool trike but what's up with this guy on my back). I didn't say anything but stared at the wind shield while we waited for the oil temp to rise. On roll out the "cabin heat" became pronounced and I was shocked at the amount of heat and how effective the wind shield was. It is at least 15 degrees warmer. Fantastic job guys! America discovered flight (Wilbur and Orville Wright), the world embraced it and the guys at Evolution Trikes have perfected the trike with the Revo. Thanks Eric Tyson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Mark Overson I used to think Air Creation had no rivals. I was wrong. Look out French, Revo's coming. That trike clearly sets the new standard. Workmanship I've never seen before in a trike. Mark Overson MN. USA |