The Europa mono-wheel is absolutely, definitely, certainly not a good first aircraft purchase, unless the pilot is skilled on tailwheel types and ideally should also have experience on gliders (similar undercarriage). But the Europa mono is much more directionally twitchy on the ground than a typical glider.
The Europa tri-gear is as easy as most other tricycle types to land, but really needs to have the Rotax 912ULS 100hp engine in preference to the 912UL 80hp, in order to overcome rolling resistance on grass or soft surfaces. The smaller wheels, compared with the mono-wheel, "dig" into the surface and therefore need more horsepower.
As regards size of pilot, people up to 6ft 2ish will manage okay. The XS Europa has some differences from the earlier Classic and one improvement is the extended foot-well on the left side, which allows the pedals to be further away. Anyone heavier than 210lbs/15stone/95kg really shouldn't be looking to buy a Europa, due to load constraints. If heavier you would still have the option fly solo with a full tank , or cut down on the fuel load when carrying a passenger.
Last edited by Colibri49; 20th Sep 2017 at 17:00.