I have been to a few "backwater" strips where UL pilots do not use radios but here in Illinois it is rare (for me anyway in 2012) to find a "UL" pilot who does not have a radio. In my circle of about 15 aircraft (about half have N-numbers) there are only a couple that are radioless and they mostly don't go anywhere. One of them is a GA pilot who thinks he doesn't need one since it's an ultralight). Besides having a way to talk to friends, the radio, and proper pattern usage do more to gain acceptance at uncontrolled airports than anything else. I started flying a UL trike into GA airports 14 years ago. In some case they had never even seen a trike before, but the radio and pattern flying made me welcome.Originally Posted by steveinindy
As a former UL pilot, I find that the point about radios is probably the biggest complaint (and often the most valid one) that "regular GA" has about UL pilots. Given the inexpensive nature of handheld radios, there's no excuse for someone to be operating "no radio" in this day and age. I think a lot of the people who insist on doing so are choosing that tact simply out of spite or some short-sighted "don't tread on me" crap. Probably 95% of our problems are caused by 5% of ultralight pilots- mostly the smug arrogant jerkwad variety combined with the "too stupid to live very long" version.
So how does that brass pair affect your weight and balance?
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