The welcome message to the list invites new members to introduce
themselves, so I'd better come out of "Lurk Mode" and say a few words about
myself ......
I'm a UK PPL/IMC, living in Wiltshire (Warminster) and working at Boscombe
Down. I've got about 350 hrs, but spread over 30+ years!
I am seriously considering building a Europa, but just might get deflected
into buying a second-hand one, or taking over a part-built one if I could
be *really* satisfied about all the history. Being sure that I really could
make enough time available to see the project through has been a serious
issue for me.
Basically I have signed on to the list to get a general feel for the Europa
"scene". If I am going to start a kit, I have some important decisions to
make - the first one being "how many wheels"? (I guess I do not need to
commit myself on engine choices at this stage?) I have got about 80hs on
Chipmunks (UAS 30 yrs ago) and 90 hrs on Austers (1991-98), so I have no
fear of taildraggers and am quite attracted to the monowheel. But having
once semi-ground-looped the Auster (fortunately it kept all its wheels on
the ground, but it did snap-yaw 90 degrees) I am very aware how quickly
things can develop once you get beyond the bounds of directional stability.
I am therefore interested in first-hand news and experience on the mono's
"special" ground handling. I very much enjoyed a flight with Ivan at
Wombleton a year ago, but I did notice that his feet seemed very "active"
on the pedals during the take-off/landing. My impression is that I do not
drive my feet much above about 2Hz, but Ivan's seemed to be operating at
about twice that! Have any other mono fliers on the list had trouble
adapting to that?
Another issue I am very interested in at this stage is operating costs.
Reviews and owners' web pages often quote very impressive fuel consumption
figures, but there seems to be virtually no data on other aspects of
running costs.Never having owned an aircraft before, I have little feel how
much to allow for insurance, engine maintenance/replacement, etc. Is there
any difference in insurance premiums between mono and trike Europas?
Obviously I would be very interested in any views on these issues, but my
real reason for raising them here is *not* to press for answers now, but
rather to illustrate my areas of interest on the list. I hope that some of
these topics may in due course be aired on the list through the random
serendipity and meanderings that such lists seem to exhibit.
In the meantime, "Happy landings" to those lucky enough to already be
flying your Europas, and "Careful with that axe, Eugene" to those of you
still carving up your blue foam .......
Stewart Buckingham
101471.1531@compuserve.com
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