The first snows of Winter have appeared and it is Telford time again, the annual pilgrimage for light flight enthusiasts to come and gaze in awe at the latest in aviation technology and to buy a visor locking catch.

The show was about the same size as last year, filling two halls of the Telford International Centre with the usual assortment of microlights, soon-to-be-microlights, hang gliders and everything in between.

From a microlighting perspective there was little to set the pulses racing. Undoubted star of the show, at least in terms of the number of people crowding round, was the CT, a German-built high-wing composite ultralight. This is still under development in Germany, but John Fack of Pegasus is hoping to have one through the new Section S by mid-2000. The spec sheet is truly awesome for a microlight - when powered by the 100hp Rotax 912S cruising speeds of 140 - 170mph and a 900 mile range are claimed. Obviously some of these figures may change when the aircraft is configured to conform to Section S, but it certainly looks set to outperform everything on the market to date. It is also reported to be very quiet, an increasingly important consideration. Pegasus are currently taking deposits, returnable if for any reason it does not get through the UK certification process. The aircraft will be available ready-to-fly rather than in kit form, at a price point somewhere in the region of £35,000. In the jaundiced view of this aging triker, this definitely puts it outside the microlight category, whatever Section S may say.

Another major 3-axis presence was Thruster, showing both Rotax 582 and Jabiru 2200 powered versions, plus a floatplane with 65hp Hirth engine. Details and progress reports of both floatplane and Jabiru versions can be found on the new Thruster website at http://www.thruster.co.uk. ST were also in attendance with the Jabiru UL aircraft, and by Saturday afternoon had taken the 54th order for this hot little ship. CFM had a particularly garish orange and red 582-powered Shadow on display, and despite the age of the design this still looks the business. The reclassification of the high-performance Streak Shadow as a microlight is certain to win CFM new customers.

On the weightshift front I regret to report there was little to stir the blood. Mainair had the usual 912 Blade and a Rapier on display, while the only trike on the Pegasus stand was a 912 Quantum. Medway had a Jabiru-powered EclipseR on show in 'Millennium' colours, plus the only new weightshift machine at the show, the 70hp 2si-powered Rebel SS. This aircraft has finally finished testing apart from the noise test. So far, Medway claim to be very happy with the performance of the engine, which delivers an excellent climb rate and outstandingly low noise levels thanks to their own modifications to the exhaust system. Further details can be found on the Medway site at http://www.webcraft.co.uk/medway/2si.htm

Elsewhere on the trike front there was little to be seen - apart from a BMW-powered Hornet trike. As the engine (a 78hp BMW R100) costs under a grand including carbs and ignition, this may be a mod. others will want to look at. CLICK ANY OF THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE