Buying a Europa

[Tango Oscar]

After months of deliberating, I've finally decided to sell my share in a Robin, and buy a PFA type. I have been looking at different types, and will be attending the PFA rally with camera and note book (Hmmm does that make me a spotter ?) looking for more options My favorite type so far is the Europa. Fairly quick, with a very good fuel burn rate, and there seems plenty of them around. Does anyone have any experience of Europa's. i.e. what to look for when buying, which engine is best (Rotax 912,914 ,Subaru etc.). Is there anything better than a Europa for similar money (must have 2 seats, 100+kts cruise, with 'low' fuel burn)

Any info greatly appreciated.

TO

[Monocock]

Why not go for a Jodel?

[Brooklands]

Tango Oscar,

I've never flown a Europa, but from all I've read the monowheel variants require careful handling on landing and take off.

With any luck FlyingForFun will drop by this thread and tell you all you need to know - he's got a share in a monowheel Euorpa based west of London.

Brooklands

[Flyin'Dutch']

Monowheel Europas feature quite regularly in the AAIB reports.

Their handling seems to give their pilots quite a bit to contend with especially in any crosswind.

A lot of Monowheels seemed to come up immediately after their completion, something you don't see for say the RVs that are newly built.

They have been discussed on these shores before so a quick search may reveal more.

For my money I'd rather fly an RV but that is just because I think they are more pleasing to the eye, and go faster.

FD

[Tango Oscar]

Thanks all for your input.

I am looking for a tri gear type, but they seem to be fairly rare. I believe It is quite possible to convert the mono wheel to tri gear, which soulds like a winter project

RV's for sale seem to be quite rare also.

[FlyingForFun]

TO,

I've part-owned a Europa for the last two years, and it is a delightful aeroplane to fly.

As with any aircraft, but even more so for a home-built, each one is individual, and I've only flown the one so I can't compare it to others. Mine is, I'm told, a very nice example. It has the turbo-charged Rotax 914 engine and an electric pilot-controlled variable-pitch propellor.

On take-off, the turbo-charger ensures you are off the ground in no time at all. It's one of the few aircraft I know which needs more room to land than to take off. Take-off itself is no big deal - directional control is pretty good, the only issue being when and how much to raise the tail in order to avoid a prop-strike and avoid being airborne too early. I gather that, if you have the Rotax 912 fitted, the take-off is a little more tricky - the extra 15bhp of the Rotax 914 will accelerate you out of trouble pretty quickly if you get off the ground too soon in my aircraft.

In the cruise, my Europa burns around 10 litres of Mogas an hour at 100kts, or 15 litres at 120kts. It's not as stable to fly as something like a PA28, but it's good enough to be able to fly long distances comfortably.

Manoevring is where I think it is best, especially in roll. All of the controls are extremely responsive and well-balanced at all speeds. The electric trim fitted to my aircraft is far more sensitive than I'd like, and I've developed a technique of dabbing the button rather than pushing it which seems to work. The only real handling problem is at the stall, when it has a tendency to drop the left wing.

The approach is fairly simple, although it will require a bit more thought than a PA28 because you will need to slow from the 120kt cruise to below 80kt before you can get the flaps and gear down, and the prop needs to be fined as well.

It's the landing which causes the problems. As with any other tail-dragger, it is unstable on the ground, but since the width of the wheel-base is, effectively, zero, it is even more unstable than most. The outriggers mean that landing wing-low is not an option, so all cross-wind landings have to be done using the de-crabbing technique. In an aeroplane weighing just 620kg, drift will set in very soon after de-crabbing, so this seriously limits its crosswind capabilities. The one saving grace is that the wings are very low, so it's rare for the wind to get underneath and try to lift a wing.

As far as taxying is concerned, the tail-wheel steering is surprisingly effective, but there is obviously no differential braking which makes it impossible to manoevre in tight spaces.

Don't be put off the mono-wheel - it will only take a couple of hours with an instructor to get you up to speed with them. They are very difficult to land, but on the few occassions when I do manage a perfect landing it is extremely rewarding.

The other option to consider is the conventional tail-dragger undercarriage. There aren't very many of these around - I've only ever seen one - but I wonder if it would be a nice compromise between the tricycle and the monowheel?

Hope that's some help to you.

FFF
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[Rod1]

You have a PM.

Rod1

[mike dolphin]

I also operate a mono Europa and agree with FFF, 7 years no problem with X winds and I only put my trousis on one leg at a time. Flown many different Europa types and the conventional geared type is by far the nicest, but slower (gear drag) and a sod to fit the modification. However the gubbins are lighter than the mono if sensibly done. They are ALL a delight once in the air and after every flight I land with a huge grin, even after 7 years.


Flipper