Betty K. mastered the Tramp today!
Good News!
I finally got in touch with one of the original Trampofoil guys from Sweden.
While they have gone out of business, they are planning on bringing the Trampofoil back into production!
They tell me that they will have a web page up soon. When it's up I'll put a link to it on this page.
Watch this space!
We now have a second Trampofoil! It came to us second hand from Sweden via New Zealand.
The Trampofoil is a human powered hydrofoil. It flys through the water on a nine foot wing. It is propelled by hopping up and down like a pogo stick. This causes the foil to oscillate up and down in the water like a birds wing. The effort required is about the same as jogging. It travels at 7 to 9 knots.
It is made of aluminum and is manufactured in Sweden. We got ours in November '98. It's a lot of fun! We ordered our Trampofoil over the internet and it arrived via Fed Ex within a week. No problems!
Flying on the Trampofoil feels like a cross between a pogo stick and a hang glider. You're flying a wing. It stalls if you get too slow.
Turns must be coordinated like an airplane. The handlebar controls yaw. You control the roll axis by shifting your weight. Pitch is taken care of by the front foil and surface sensor.
It's a very elegant design. Anything not needed for flight has been removed. It is very well built of high quality annodized aluminum extrusions.
Our son, Robert, now 12, on the Trampofoil!
Photo taken April 30, 1999
Our ten year old Betty K. finally mastered the Trampofoil today, July 5, 2001.
Old Link to the Trampofoil webpage in Sweden, now defunct