Yamaha
Quicks came in several varieties, mostly with a variation in the
engine mount. The early ones had the engine mounted on top and
the later ones with the engine mounted underneath. The ones with
the engine over the wing were referred to as YOW. The engine under
the wing got the designation, YUW.

Sail sets were based on whatever the sail loft thought would look
good in the first years. About the middle of 1980, several sail patterns
were emerging as pretty, one even having the distinction of being
referred to as the Team Eipper colors. In 1981, a color chart was
prepared and sent out which offerred about ten standard color patterns.
Other customer choices were extra cost from then on.

While not deserving a subsection of its own, there were a few dozen
weightshifts made with the Chrysler West Bend engines rated at eight
horsepower. A very poor performer, it was quickly replaced with the
Yamaha rated at fifteen. Both the top mount and the bottom mount
engines had nearly identical drivelines, a cog clutch/pulley combination
on the engine shaft and a segmented toothed gear on the drive shaft.
The shaft was hollow, made from a piece of cro-moly tubing. The prop
was a 48 inch wood prop. This was an effective combination for all
but the heaviest of pilots. A person weighing 150 found the Yamaha
to be a powerhouse. The heaviest I ever saw get airborne was a man
weighing 270.
The early kits had some differences from the later majority of kits.
They had a straight axle. This gave no toe in to the wheels and was
discontinued when the FAA decided that footlaunching was a requirement.
The high bend in the humped axle allowed ones feet to go under it
while running during take off. Abother difference was the attach
point of the lower tail wires. The early kits had the wires attaching
to the tri-bar crosstube just as on the plain Model C hang glider.
The later kits, the larger majority, had the wires attaching to the
axle. The entire landing gear setup on the early kits could be removed
allowing unencumbered foot launch.
Footlaunching was a thrill most people will never know. Taking that
last step into the air is quite a thrill. The excitement of a foot
landing matched it however. On a dewy morning, sliding touch and
goes could be made with tennis shoes slipping along the grass. Falling
during the takeoff or landing could mean getting hit by the prop,
a dangerous possibility. Guards were installed but were not strong
enough during a good hard flop !!
Assembly and disassembly was eased by the use of wingnuts and safety
pins for most of the structural connections. Tee pins were also used
for the rudder pivots and many of the tube to channel joints. While
these items sped up the operation, they also offerred the distinct
possibility of coming undone. The ball lock tee pins would fail to
fully engage if even a small piece of dirt got in the sliding tapered
pin.
Later models were shipped with a hand operated trim tab located on
the rear of the stabilizer. This consisted of a piece of plywood
covered with colored dacron, actuated by a friction held lever made
of scrap tubing. It worked rather well considering its simplicity.
The throttle was a small trigger lever on the right tri-bar downtube.
It had an adjustment to maintain a throttle setting. The harness
was very spartan. It was a small childs swing seat, plastic, with
a strap running under it and up in front of each arm and a loop to
attach around the root tube. Most top mounts had a root tube made
of round stock. Double Quicks had a sharp, square cornered root tube
and the later under mounts with the Yamaha had the present style
of round cornered root tube.

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