On 05/19/2011 05:48 AM, Martin Tuck wrote:
> I'd be interested in hearing or seeing photos of any other solutions to
> this weighty problem.
I got some electrical winch from Ebay, with wireless remote control, for
about $50. Works perfect. There are plenty of offers on eBay for ATV's,
quads, etc. Electrical current comes from a small battery I installed on
the trailer (not included) and the battery is connected to the power
supply of the towing car so it recharges itself automatically as soon as
the trailer is hitched.
So, if I want to load the airplane on the trailer, I just hook on the
rope, press the button and while it is slowly loading I can walk around
and see if everything is going well thanks to the remote control.
The whole process, from arriving to the airfield with the Europa on the
trailer, to a "ready for departure" state, takes about 15 minutes. And
the pre-flight check is included in the rigging process. In fact, it is
faster than many people need to open the hanger door, shuffle some
airplanes around, get their airplane outside, and perform their
preflight checks.
So, I keep the airplane at home and rig and derig for every flight. It
saves hangar costs, and it is easier to perform some maintenance on the
airplane if I have it in my own barn. And I don't have to worry about
other people messing with it. And I can easily fuel it on the way to the
airport, for the lowest price and without lead. I found the ability to
rig and derig so easy the main attraction of the Europa concept.
As a towing car I usually use my classic 1972 Mercedes 300SEL with air
suspension, and this makes quite a sighty combination. In fact, I had to
get used to people passing me slowly while they are making pictures of
the car and the airplane. It has become part of the fun of going out
flying. ;-)
Frans
|