I hear what you guys are saying about using PFA type aircraft for cheap flying (and as a PFA inspector i suport this aim) but these types tend to be more limited in the fact that they cannot fly at night or IFR also they tend to be more weather critical after all on a fine winters day would you fly for 4 hours in an open cockpit aircraft ?.
Also what i was proposing requires only a small amount of money up front not the £5K a lump sum that few wannabes can risk having invested in an aircraft that they cannot sell quickly (IE over the winter)when the thing is still atracting hangar or parking charges and then what if disaster strikes and the thing needs a new engine can the average wannabe run to the cost of engine replacment ?.
My aim is to give the hours builder a cheap well maintained aircraft at a cost that is compeditive with going to the USA when you take into account the airline ticket and hotel costs ,I cant do this with out the aircraft having a PT C of A as technicaly the aircraft is flying for hire.
So £54 would get the wannabe an hours flying from take off to landing (aprox 1+10 chock to chock)with out any other commitments apart from the diposit to cover the insurance exess ,this of course he would get back when he finnished flying the aircraft (if he had not bent it !).