I've been reading the responses to Peter Bondar's original posting with
great interest
and have to say that I've been surprised at the restraint !
In my opinion he has made a couple of valid observations.
The 912 Europa is not blessed with an excess of power. On warm, calm and
humid days it is vitally important to balance initial climb with strip
length. Irrespective of 'long grass' performance I have found the monowheel
reluctant to become airborne on uphill farm strips.
Prop clearance is modest (at least, on Ivan's Mark 1) and must be considered
when flying from poorly prepared surfaces.
However, contrary to his observation I am not at all 'scared' of my
monowheel and believe
that his claim that all pilots will eventually land 'gear up' is completely
untenable.
With 600 - 700 take offs and landings behind me (in all weathers), I think
that with experience, the aircraft is quite manageable. Though better on
grass than hard surfaces, it's
a joy to fly and running costs are low.
I think it deserves a more considered criticism than an inflammatory
posting.
Alan (still involved with kitplanes and keen to see a fair and impartial
discussion on merits)
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