The Jetwing was one of the first trikes to be made commercially available, being introduced in 1981. The initial versions used a single surface Rogallo wing. The type went out of production in the mid-1980s, but was reintroduced by the original manufacturer in the late 1990s, using a much newer wing design, a double-surface Demon wing.[1]
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb (115 kg). The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 217 lb (98 kg). It features a minimalist design, cable-braced hang glider-style high wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.[1]
The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 165 sq ft (15.3 m2) area Demon wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. The landing gear employs large-diameter plastic-rimmed wheels to save weight and has suspension on all three wheels. Mainwheel suspension is of the swing-axle and bungee type, while the nosewheel uses a steel spring. A wide variety of small engines can be used, including the Kawasaki 440 twin-cylinder, two-stroke snowmobile engine.[1]
Because of its light weight and low wing loading the Jetwing is suitable for power-off soaring flight.[1]