A flex wing is a very capable aircraft you can keep in your garage.

A flex wing in microlight terms is the type with the hang glider style wing with a pod or trike unit suspended underneath for the engine and pilot.

This should not be confused with the terms "rotary wing", which refers to helicopters or autogyros and "variable geometry" or "swing wing" as found on the Tornado fighter.

The wing itself is actually rigid but is attached to the pod at a single pivot point at the top of a mast.  The aircraft is controlled by moving the entire wing around this pivot which shifts the centre of gravity and causes the whole aircraft to pitch and turn as required.        

For this reason flex wings are often referred to as weight shift microlights which is probably a more accurate term in all honesty.  Fixed wing types use moveable control surfaces at the rear of the wing and tail to control the aircraft.    

They have a very distinctive appearance and are probably what most people think of right away when they hear the terms microlight.  Tri-axis or fixed wing types look much more like conventional "real" aeroplanes.      

Do not let the appearance fool you though as they can be very capable aircraft indeed.  A group from the club at East Fortune in East Lothian flew all the way to Venice in Italy last year flying above ten thousand feet over the Alps on the way!     

The wing is as I mentioned very similar to a hang glider wing.  It is made of strong highly durable fabric with carbon fiber ribs to give it shape supported by aluminium load bearing spars.  Additional strength and support is usually provided by bracing wires.      

This means that it can be de rigged for easy storage and transport and could comfortably be kept in your garage.          

The pod or trike unit can be single or dual seat. It may have a large fairing to enclose the pilot or just be a simple frame to support the engine and seat.         

Aircraft can cost anything from two thousand pounds for a used one to over seventy thousand for a fully equipped new one with all the options.         

The licence and training requirements are the same for either type of microlight although the practical training is quite different due to the way they are controlled.          

If you are new to flying and want a capable machine with very short take off and landing ability that you can keep in your house, this is an option worth considering.    

Flex wing to home.