Where to hangar a plane / South UK : budget, infos etc :)

[DXman]

Hi there,

I'm currently building a Vans RV9A under the French homebuilt regulation... From time to time, I would like to hangar my plane on an airfield in south of UK (Shoreham and around...).

Some questions arise:

1/ How much would a hangar cost for a single-engine aircraft like this per month / annum?

2/ About landing fees. Is there a way to subscribe for a certain amount of landings for a good deal and price? ;) Or it's "pay as you go" basis.

Obviously, it's more informative then anything else but I hope to be at this stage soon ;)

Cheers
DXman

[Pitts2112]

DX,
Hangarage in the southeast of England is as rare as hen's teeth. You run a slightly better chance with an airplane on the small side, like a Rans, or, in my case, a Pitts. But if you were trying to hangar a PA-28 or the like, you'd have to look long and hard. Having said that, you could try Redhill. I had the Pitts there for about a year before moving to Popham.

As for hangar costs, those vary wildly. White Waltham charge £250 month, Popham about £175, but you'll have a hard time finding a space in either place due to waiting lists as long as your arm. But, you never know; timing is everything.

Landing fees very from field to field and are best addressed with the manager of the field you settle on. Redhill, for instance, would give a discount on blocks of landings pre-purchased but you paid for absolutely every landing. That could make an hour of circuits very expensive indeed. Some fields, like Popham, are run like clubs and you may have to join the club to get hangarage and free landing fees.

Best bet is to figure out where you want to be, then start drawing radii from there as far out as you're willing to travel. Then go visit and speak to the managers of every hangar and airfield inside your circle.

However, a better alternative may be to troll around and see if anyone with a private strip is willing to take on a lodger, so to speak. Nearly worked in my case (Thanks, Mono) but Popham came up first.

Good luck!
Pitts2112

[Airstripflyer]

There's still space at Dunsfold. I've been based there for 2 years and it works out fine. You can find details at www.dunsfoldaerodrome.com

[Mark 1]

I can't really help with the hangarage. There's little available, and its likely to be expensive. I think Dunsfold has some weekend restrictions which may not suit you. Private strips are fairly protective. There are some RVs on private strips in Sussex. You may want to enquire on the Yahoo RV squadron list as some of them are members.

On another note, do you realise that foreign registered homebuits are generally only allowed to operate for 4 weeks a year in the UK? I believe extensions up to 3 months may be requested.
AWN 52 gives the details (search airworthiness notices on the CAA site).

[DXman]

Many thanks for your very interesting inputs.

I have to say that basically, I didnt know which local regulation to follow whilst building my plane. Originally from France but working-flying in the UK most of the time, I thought that would be great to have my RV9A somewhere near my base (LGW). From where I am in the building process, I think I could fill in an application and I may register my project with PFA. I know that the french DGAC is doing a good job with homebuilders (at least a positive thing from them ;)) and the regulation in France is not that bad. I was afraid of some hidden fees with PFA (£100 at registration?) but on the other hand I dont have so many feedbacks from somebody building following the CAA route. I have to check with PFA regarding how to register a project, how many visits are required to validate any stage of building (empennage / fuselage / wings / final check before 1st flight) and on average what are the costs for the G registration etc. In france it's quite straight forward and you have a visit from an engineer at 50% completed (checking wing spar...) and at 100%, ready to fly. The flight tests themselves consist of several exercices and data measurement in 15 hours. Then you get your final "F-PXXX" registration.

I had a look at Dunsfold! Lovely! I would have to check with any restrictions.... But I usually dont get my F/S/D weekend... So It may sound alright!

Thanks also for the RV Squadron on yahoo, I will join the group ASAP.

So next step is to contact PFA and check with them if I may register my project... If I really need too!

DXman

[IO540]

The answer to the original question is 200-500 quid per month, IF you can get it (which is very unlikely).

There is a lot of small strips around but most of the owners won't even talk to you (yes I tried a few years ago :O ) - they are so nervous of the NIMBYs.

Dunsfold was closed for flying ops on Sundays, last time I looked (2005).

[Genghis the Engineer]

From my experience it's MUCH easier to take a project from UK --> France than the other way. For a well established type like the RV8, you'll find PFA very easy, expect fees to PFA around £500 and something similar to your local inspector.

G

[DXman]

If I'm doing my project in the UK...how much should I budget for insurance? (two-seater plane)

[Mark 1]

I have a 2-seat RV.

Insurance is about £500 for the liability cover (legally required).
Hull insurance will additionally be about 2-4% of insured value with possible restrictions/excesses on initial test flights.

If you want a G- registration, then you will need to go the PFA route.
F- will require french approval. Its either/or, you can't have both.
I gather the French don't approve 'quick-build' kits; which may influence your decision.