Buying a Rallye MS880b
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Buying a Rallye MS880b
Does Anyone have experience of the type or any thing known to look for? I am checking one out tomorrow, weather permitting, and would be gratefull if there are any wise words out there on the do's and dont's! The two i am looking at have the 0200 engine, i have info on weights and loadings. Just seems like a lot of plane for the money?
Gents its over to you!
PG.
Gents its over to you!
PG.
According to an engineer friend of mine they are prone to corrosion and are awkward to repair as there is quite a lot of spotwelding in the construction. Also the material quality was not the best and tends to corrode faster than other aircraft. Very popular in France though!
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Is that the 100HP one?
We have a 160HP one and it is brilliant. Not the fastest bird out there (95kt cruise) but excellent STOL, tough, semi aerobatic, and a joy to fly....better than any 180HP PA28
They are prone to corrosion, ours was rebuilt in 95. It went in for a paint job and they basically told us it was buggered. So we got it rebuilt, got new wings etc., complete rebuild and new paint along with corrosion proofing, and now it is like a new aeroplane.
I am not much of a fan of the 100HP variants though. Under powered. Where is the one you are looking at?
We have a 160HP one and it is brilliant. Not the fastest bird out there (95kt cruise) but excellent STOL, tough, semi aerobatic, and a joy to fly....better than any 180HP PA28
They are prone to corrosion, ours was rebuilt in 95. It went in for a paint job and they basically told us it was buggered. So we got it rebuilt, got new wings etc., complete rebuild and new paint along with corrosion proofing, and now it is like a new aeroplane.
I am not much of a fan of the 100HP variants though. Under powered. Where is the one you are looking at?
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I am currently looking at two, one Elstree the other Sywell. The corrosion thing is new to me and i will make a special point of looking for signs, remedial work or other! Yes the 0200 is the 100hp but you get 600 odd pounds payload which is better than a 150 and you got space for the dog! I am going to have a go in one tomorrow and will check the other out soon after. Any other tips?
Thanks Guys PG.
Thanks Guys PG.
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Just to add..
..corrosion in the wing spar area in the cabin I think is the critical spot. In any old ally aircraft you'll get problems. Exfloration I think is the techy term for it.
Look behind the front seats. I think the rear bench seat sits on top of the wing spar.
BTW the Rallye Club as it was called is to all intents a 2 seater. I once saw one take off with 3 on board and it was scary.
How heavy's your Dog?
Great fun to fly and there is nowhere you can't land
Just be sure you can take orf again
If it's a sound a/c then not a bad choice for a first machine so long as speed is not the most important thing.
Sir George Cayley
Look behind the front seats. I think the rear bench seat sits on top of the wing spar.
BTW the Rallye Club as it was called is to all intents a 2 seater. I once saw one take off with 3 on board and it was scary.
How heavy's your Dog?
Great fun to fly and there is nowhere you can't land
Just be sure you can take orf againIf it's a sound a/c then not a bad choice for a first machine so long as speed is not the most important thing.
Sir George Cayley
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As previously said they are best onsidered as two seaters unless you restrict fuel load. Getting off the ground is not a problem it is the rate of climb out of ground effect that is concerning.
The 100hp started off in the MS880B and went on to the Rallye 100S and 100ST which were spinnable. Interiors and functionality such as electric flaps were aded to the range as they were developed.
If you are looking at early MS880B then you will have manual flaps and a 'manometer' style fuel guage on the left inside wall. (damned accurate though). The main spar reduces rear legroom and the heater never reaches the back seats.
Actually they are great fun if you are not in a rush to get somewhere and just enjoy being 'up there'.
The 100hp started off in the MS880B and went on to the Rallye 100S and 100ST which were spinnable. Interiors and functionality such as electric flaps were aded to the range as they were developed.
If you are looking at early MS880B then you will have manual flaps and a 'manometer' style fuel guage on the left inside wall. (damned accurate though). The main spar reduces rear legroom and the heater never reaches the back seats.
Actually they are great fun if you are not in a rush to get somewhere and just enjoy being 'up there'.
I remember seeing one at Thirsk many years ago.
From the outside it looked great.
Internally it was so badly corroded it was scrap.
As usual get a survey done it could save you thousands.
From the outside it looked great.
Internally it was so badly corroded it was scrap.
As usual get a survey done it could save you thousands.
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..corrosion in the wing spar area in the cabin I think is the critical spot.
Also have a good look along the dorsal spine underneath the aircraft and if possible look at the longerons in the tail cone area. Pay particular attention to anywhere that is spot riveted.
Rallyes did corrode quite badly, but on the whole the bad ones dissolved some time ago and modern metal treatments have largely seen an end to the major problems.
They are not fast, but fly very nicely and in my view are very much a bargain in terms of what you can get for the money. Get a good one and I believe you will be very happy with it!!
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I certainly am....(ours was rebuilt in 2005, not 95 as I said earlier, blimey don't these decades fly by ).
The thing I love over and above a "PA28" type is that you KNOW you can get in pretty much anyway, places that a PA28 could only dream of, due to the leading edge slats.
They are also very safe, you can hold the stick back (Stick of course) and "falling leaf" into someones back garden at 700 fpm and walk away.
). The thing I love over and above a "PA28" type is that you KNOW you can get in pretty much anyway, places that a PA28 could only dream of, due to the leading edge slats.
They are also very safe, you can hold the stick back (Stick of course
) and "falling leaf" into someones back garden at 700 fpm and walk away.
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Thanks for the replys guys. My dog is appx 30kg, before the chum enters the system! The speed I am expecting in the cruise is appx 85kn+. These leading edge slats, are they a possible maintenance issue ? I will have a good look for corrosion etc. Does anyone know a good engineer current on
type? Looking forward to the test will post after. Thanks PG.
type? Looking forward to the test will post after. Thanks PG.
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PG. Pilot mag did a good report on Rallyes in July 2006, you should be able to get a back copy.
There is a yahoo group which is a mine of information on all rallyes
[email protected]
The 100 hp 880 is not as well thought of by the French as the later 890 series.
The 880 has a lighter airframe and is definitely only a two seater, unless you can find one with the 150 hp Lycoming.
The 892 has a contoured tail & canopy, and improved interior & instrumentation. The 894 has 220 HP and will get out of anywhere with 4 people.
The slats need to be serviced properly, or you can get worn rollers. The nose wheel suffers from shimmy if not properly serviced. A problem area for corrosion is the top of the main wing spar, under the skin, about one third out from the wing roots.
But a really fun and safe aeroplane with good visibility and no nasty vices.
The original "Tin Parachute".
Now if only someone would put a big diesel engine in a Rallye, you could stay up all day having fun & enjoying the view.
There is a yahoo group which is a mine of information on all rallyes
[email protected]
The 100 hp 880 is not as well thought of by the French as the later 890 series.
The 880 has a lighter airframe and is definitely only a two seater, unless you can find one with the 150 hp Lycoming.
The 892 has a contoured tail & canopy, and improved interior & instrumentation. The 894 has 220 HP and will get out of anywhere with 4 people.
The slats need to be serviced properly, or you can get worn rollers. The nose wheel suffers from shimmy if not properly serviced. A problem area for corrosion is the top of the main wing spar, under the skin, about one third out from the wing roots.
But a really fun and safe aeroplane with good visibility and no nasty vices.
The original "Tin Parachute".
Now if only someone would put a big diesel engine in a Rallye, you could stay up all day having fun & enjoying the view.
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A problem area for corrosion is the top of the main wing spar, under the skin, about one third out from the wing roots.
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The one at Sywell I suspect is BKJF or the 'Pig' as we lovingly called it. I was a member of the syndicate on it for a long time, flew about 300hrs on it.
Nice aircraft, like all of those models needs the curve of the earth to get off the ground, but fun and easy to fly. JF was a bit short on avionics or even a working compass in my day but reliable enough. Leading edge slats make it virtually unstallable and undercarriage taken from a 747 make it virtually bullet proof.
As pointed out prone to corrosion and JF paint work was always in need of attention.
Nice aircraft, like all of those models needs the curve of the earth to get off the ground, but fun and easy to fly. JF was a bit short on avionics or even a working compass in my day but reliable enough. Leading edge slats make it virtually unstallable and undercarriage taken from a 747 make it virtually bullet proof.
As pointed out prone to corrosion and JF paint work was always in need of attention.
