Fairchild Argus

[LowNSlow]

For those who missed the last exciting thread about the Argus, here are some details:

FNG and I need two more people to form a group around a Fairchild Argus.

The Argus is a 1943 high wing taildragger in a silver USAAF livery.

Specs:
Cruise - 90 knots
Endurance - 5 hours
Fuel consumption - 11 gph

She will be hangared at Rush Green which is located between Luton and Stevenage. By road Rush Green is 10 mins from the Welwyn Garden City junction on the A1(M). Rush Green is a 550m grass strip with maintenance and 100LL available.

For the estimated costs please drop me an email, it'll be about 3/4 of the cost of renting a Cessna 172 for 40 hours per year.


Edited for the usual .....

[FNG]

Please join in, it will be such fun.

[LowNSlow]

Looks like nobody wants to play with us FNG, I feel so neglected.....:D :D

Could be time for plan B as in Broussard.....

[poetpilot]

Where are all the adventurous, romantic flyers? Here am I in the NW, trying to get interest in almost anything that flies and could be grouped (including an Argus), and nobody seems interested..... So I end up advertising for a group around a C152 and still only a handful of takers....

What's the opinion? Are we so deep in recession that nobody wants a share in an aeroplane, even if remarkably cheap?
Are people that wary of venturing beyond a spamcan? Is no-one interested in real aviating anymore? Or maybe everyone has got an aeroplane that they are quite happy with...

How about putting it another way.....

I Am Interested In Setting Up A Group To Fly An Interesting Aircraft In The NW or W Midlands....

What Aircraft Would People Most Like To Buy A Share In?
How Much Do They Want To Pay?
Where Do They Want To Keep It ?

[tacpot]

poetpilot: I think we are in a recession as far as flying is concerned. As it is a hobby for many people, when the government taxes us more, we have to fly less, and when considering aircrat ownership, buy shares in less exotic aircraft.

I have a share in PFA permit a/c, operating out of a farm strip in the West Midlands. The C90 engine barely hauls two people, the cruise speed is 80knots, and the range just 250nm. Not ideal, but I only paid £3500 for the share, it costs £26/hr to fly, plus we pay £25/month to cover fixed costs.

As you can see, I can barely afford to fly. I would love to have the £6000 to join with three others and buy the Soko Kraguj that has been for sale in "Pilot" for a number of months, but it ain't gonna happen. At least not while my employer continues to pay me the pittance he does.

My aircraft is a nearly unique in the UK (can something be "nearly unique"? :D ). It it old and has an interesting history and much character. It is also cheap. As such it represents the ideal aircaft for myself at the current time.

I suspect that many potential group members are struggling under similar financial pressure as myself, and would prefer to buy into a plane with more certain running costs, and a lower fuel burn and are willing to sacrifice (as I was) some character in doing so.

My sentiments are definitely with you though, I think group flying it is a brilliant way of operating older, more characterful aircraft so that they can continue to fly.

Best wishes in your quest for the right people to join you. Who knows in a couple of years I might be ready to move up to something bigger and faster, the economy may have picked up, and perhaps my share will have even appreciated in value. If so, I would certainly be interested in joining you in another 'interesting' aircraft.

To answer you questions, I'd be looking to pay about £6000, for something with good utility and an interesting character, almost certainly a tailwheeel a/c, and based ideally at Wolverhampton, Tatenhill or Derby. But not for a couple of years:(

[LowNSlow]

Fair comment tacpot, my Auster fits all the performance figures you list and is loads of fun as well. It would actually be cheaper for me to run the Argus as part of a 4 person group than continue to run the Auster by myself, unfortunately, nobody, apart from FNG it seems, is in a position to do so. I'll just have to stick to Austering for the summer then :cool:

Ah well, when the Government taxes 100LL at the same level as Avtur private flying will increase. Oh look, there's a squadron of pigs in the car park. Fully fed and ready to fly :D :D

[poetpilot]

Thanks guys, I rather suspected that what you've said was the case.

It's not just the Avgas taxes, I suspect its also the severe personal and hidden taxation that's going on as well that's hitting the professional classes - e.g. IR35 for those who work in IT (like myself). For anyone who doesnt know about IR35 I wont explain it here, just check it out at the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk

Interestingly, some titbits have come out recently to show that those of us who are independent IT contractors may be in a better position if we can show our companies are being genuinely entreprenurial and trying to do other things.

Hence my interest in purchasing/operating/renting aircraft - e.g. if I'm going to have to pay £12k upwards to the taxman in what I consider to be excessive penalties, I may as well throw it into an aircraft. My accountant agrees and is encouraging me to do this.

[LowNSlow]

poetpilot, before I started working over here I had a Ltd. Co. for many years and had an aeroplane within it.

You might want to drop me an email re: potential tax problems. :cool:

[SteveR]

IMHO it's not tax, or recession - it's just the numbers

Not every pilot has a computer
Not every pilot with a computer has internet access
Not every pilot with a computer, and internet access, knows about PPRuNe
Not every pilot with a computer, and internet access, and PPRuNe awareness wants to be in a group
Not every pilot with a computer, and internet access, and PPRuNe awareness, and need to be in a group lives within your designated area.

I'd venture to suggest that this is worse at the cheap flying end of the market - time and again I've chatted with pilots who are happily tucked up in cheap syndicates operating from farm strips, and they are utterly ignorant of the joys of internet aviating.

Steve R

[FNG]

Probably true. I have put up a notice at White Waltham. If anyone knows anyone who might be interested, do please let them know.

[poetpilot]

Thanks Low n Slow, I've emailed via your pprune id. Just in case, my own email is [email protected]

[skygazer]

If only I had my PPL .........(sigh).... I read about the Argus in a mag. recently (Flyer??), best of luck with finding another 2 members.

[LowNSlow]

poetpilot there's a reply to your email on it's way to you.