Taylorcraft runnung costs

[POPRAD]

I wonder if anyone on the forum has any experience of owning and operating a Taylorcraft. I am looking for a reasonably priced aircraft which would be relatively easy to maintain. Does the Taylorcraft match this description? I recently read an article that was quite positive.

[stiknruda]

Cue - Dubtrub and Pitts 2112

They shared one for a while, nice machine.

Stik

[Monocock]

If you're interested PM me and i'll tell you exactly what mine costs me to operate.

[Pitts2112]

POPRAD,

Cue what Mono said as he's the recently converted proud owner of such a beast. And, true to what Stik has said, I did share one with Dubtrub and a few others for a few years. It's an absolutely superb machine. It blows the doors off a Cub (and I've flown a fair few hours in both), is as graceful and as pretty as you're likely to find any airplane of that vintage, and is just wonderful to fly and own. Talk to Dubtrub about buying as he's become the UK's defacto guru on the type and if any are for sale anywhere in the UK, he at least knows about it and has probably flown it. After you get one (notice the confidence in the ultimate outcome here), stay in touch with him as not only is he very knowledgable on the care and feeding of said type, he's also a hell of a nice guy and great company.

I can tell you anything else you want to know about flying it (just drop me a PM), but the cost and maintenance was mostly down to Dub.

Good luck and good hunting for one!

Pitts2112

[DubTrub]

[Aw shucks..you guys are just too nice :yuk: ]
POPRAD are you thinking of the US Taylorcraft or the UK Taylorcraft?

[POPRAD]

Thanks for your replies. The general concensus seems to be that it's a great aircraft.
At the moment I am researching the options of ownership, sharing or hiring. In your opinion would the Taylorcraft be suitable as a first aircraft for a low hours PPL?

[DubTrub]

POPRAD Yes, a low-houred PPL could master it quite well. We allow ours to be flown by others at under 100 hours total time, but with a sign-off by a suitable QFI.

You will not find one for hire in the UK or USA, unless very lucky.

WR like all aircraft, speed control is of the essence!:)

[Mike Cross]

Ahem....

I found Dubtrub's Taylorcraft a pussycat. It finally succumbs to gravity at what seems like walking pace. The nearest thing I can liken it to is a stand-up landing in to wind in a parachute. By contrast the Luscombe will drop like a rock if you let the speed bleed off a bit too much. Fortunately it's got a nice resilient undercarriage, as the man can testify.

[DubTrub]

Ahem..indeed, Mike.

Mike kindly let me fly his Luscombe, and I dropped it in using Taylorcraft speeds..suffice to sat the Luscombe lands a tad faster.:\

[AfricanEagle]

Dub Trub was kind enough to let me fly his beauty: I found it to be very controllable and easy to land (or maybe it was "first timers" luck).

AE

[Monocock]

The T-craft is an excellent all round aircraft to own privately.

It is cheap to buy, burns 3.7 gph, Permit based, cheap to maintain, cruises at 100mph+ for over 5 hrs and it has character.

I have had mine for 7 months now and have flown nearly 70 hrs in that time. Yes, in a cross wind you need to keep your wits about you but no more than in any other light taildragger.

It's pretty and its tough.

Its wing is extremely efficient (although long so watch the tips in the hangar) and its fuselage length means that rudder control is magical.

The undercarriage seems to be wonderfully "absorbing" although Rob has recently educated me that this has a lot to do with bungee types.

It gets up and away better than anything else I know on 65 hp and once cruising there is a great view forwards and down.

As you can tell I am a convert. I have had Pipers, Cessnas, Luscombes and even a short affair with a Robin but we won't go there.... The only one that comes close is the Luscombe but decent ones are as rare as rocking horse plops and the ones I had wereterribly limited on range.

My view is you can't go wrong but make sure Rob gives it the nod before you buy it. He is easily persuaded to look at T-Crafts but is as busy as all of us so won't be able to do it for free.

If you do buy one don't go and see G-BREY, the one he is nearing the completion of a full restoration on. It will bring tears to your eyes when you return to the one you bought!! In fact, when I saw it and then jumped in mine it really was like looking around Kate Moss and then jumping aboard Mo Mowlem. Either way, they're still great aircraft!!!!

Rumour has it that he'll sell G-BREY for £150k and a good curry night out...:D

[Pitts2112]

No, you're right, Eagle. It is easy to land. In fact, it's so easy that Dub often gets bored and has to do things to make it interesting, like fly in 35 mph winds, land across runways, and find farmers and landed gentry who'll let him touch down for a cup of tea and the like.

I think the Taylorcraft could best be described as an unexciting aircraft that lets you do exciting things!

But let's not let the word get out on that too much or the prices will go through the roof!

Pitts2112

[Monocock]

Exactly!!!!

Mind you, that means when I can afford G-BREY she'll be £200k, not £150k!

Hey Dub, when you gonna' get a new T-Craft franchise in the UK so we can all buy ourselves a £40k T-Craft Sport?

[DubTrub]

AE No it wasn't beginner's luck...you're used to Cub speeds after all.
Mono I'm thinking of it...mind you, it'll be a bit more than £40K after UK certification and import costs.
And then of course, we don't have a true equivalent LSA category here, but that's just another EASA hurdle, eh?

The prototype T-Craft Sport weighs in at ~900lb empty, with a gross weight of 1380lb (I think that's the LSA limit), so not much usable. But that is with a full electric O-200, and the Factory tell me they are doing a dieting exercise.

Imagine how well an original B model would perform with a non-electric O-200?:ok:

Interestingly with the plethora of threads about hiring in the USA, I am again borrowing a Taylorcraft over there for a few days for a fly-in this summer...it's amazing how operating a particular type gets invitations from folks of the type of to borrow theirs.

Personally, I'd like the Cole clip-wing conversion with the O-200 in it...fully aerobatic and 130mph. Potential sponsors please PM me :) .

Did POPRAD PM anybody?