Civilian Grob 115 what is it like?

[Intersection]

Hey guys!,

Was interested in the performance of the 115, i've flown the Tutor being the RAF's version with the UAS. Is there any known maintainance problems like their military counterparts? etc...

Regards. .Int.

[A and C]

The only one I,v flown had the 115 HP engine and so felt gutless but it made all the performance that the book required for the C of A airtest.

It flys a bit like the PA38 but faster in the cruse as for spin recovery ......just let go of the controls and it falls out into a dive almost as fast as if you use the flight manual methode of recovery.

As for maintenance problems I,v not seen anything that would worry me and it has not got a string of recurrent AD,s like some other aircraft in the light trainer class.

[poetpilot]

I fly the G115 type at Barton every few weeks & didi my validity flight with instructor in one a while back. Gutless but pleasant enough.

Don't like the trim - very coarse to my mind. Also, the UK civil G115s have aileron stops on them - dont know if this is ditto on the RAF ones.

I do like the relatively low noise level. I prefer it to soggy Cessnas, but must admit that, also staying current on Piper Warrior/Archer, I prefer them for taking passengers up (Piper being more stable and solid in feel). However, a couple of fellow pilots I've taken up havent liked it much.

It's also a bit slow to get off when two up from Bartons hallowed - oops sorry, hollowed turf. They seem to stand up well to being battered by rough ground. But we had one that ran out of fuel last year - there is no way to visually check tank contents and - Murphy's law - when a fuel guage failed, it shorted and showed full tank. It landed ok on the local golf course but hit a bunker and was off line for a couple of months being repaired.

If you'r in the north, email me and maybe you could come along one early w/e morning with me and check it out (as a passenger of course !!!!!)

[A and C]

poetpilot ,on the one i did the airtest on the fuel could be checked via a small round window in the side of the aircraft that views a sight tube......just !.

The whole thing was too micky mouse for the C of A airtest so we uplifted a known quantity of fuel into an empty aircraft.

It is of little surprize to me that some one has run out of fuel in the 115 as the sight tube is so poorly placed to be all most useless.

[Zeke]

I have only flown the 180 hp C/S civil version...

Fuel sender is on the wing where you step in and can upset the fuel gauges

The ailerons, rudder, and elevator have little caps on them, they can work themselves fee, had one jam the elevator full aft..

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

like Poet Pilot, I'm not impressed. When they arrived at Barton, I thought 'they look good, I'll check out'. What a disapointment. Dull as ditchwater, uninspired handling, and underpowered. So I tried the other one; it was the same.

Havn't flown one since.

SSD

[phd]

Intersection . .Have to disagree with some of the less charitable comments above. I fly Grob115 regularly and did all my PPL training on the type. I find it a pilot friendly and generally easy aircraft to operate. Other types I have flown include Robin DR400, Slingsby T67M, Piper PA387, Cessna 172 and Grumman AA5 so I am comparing Grob with these. The performance is not sparkling but how could it be with the horsepower available and a fixed pitch prop? For training the type is fine - for touring a little slow with a 90 knot cruise - 100 knots if you don't mind guzzling fuel and using full throttle all the way. The controls are light and well balanced, the elevator trim is better than some others I could mention and you do not have to suffer cramps in the wrist going from full down to full up trim as it only takes a few turns of the trim wheel. Fuel management is important on this a/c as you cannot sight the tank which is hidden away in the belly of the fuselage. Secret is to keep tank regularly topped up and ensure the gauge always agrees with the tech log and the fuel bowser log. On our a/c the gauges seem to be reliable but the fuel log is the best check that there is plenty for the intended flight.. .Nothing wrong with this type in my view - provided you do not expect air-racer performance.

[poetpilot]

On the Barton G115s, there is no sight for visual fuel inspection. We do keep tech logs in the a/c showing fuel uplifts, and the tendency after that little incident last year is to (shock horror) actually speak to the previous pilot/instructor to get reassurance on fuel state.

Must admit, my main reason for staying current on it is its relative availability for booking - because of the weight/power aspect, heavies dont book it for lessons so there's usually a slot available when I want one. But if they had a Slingsby or Citabria on the fleet - well that would be soooooooo much better ! They used to have both - now sadly missed. <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

[Viggen]

I fly the same Grob as PoetPilot out of Barton, and have to say I love it! OK so I'm not too experienced on other types (the odd hour on a 152, Archer, and R.H seat of an Arrow) but as a PPL trainer it has very few vices and is a pleasant aircraft to be in - feels more spacious than it really is because of that canopy. Better than Barton's Cessna for the same money (and cheaper p/h than the Warriors) - and always available because fatties can't fly it!