Cessna 152 v Ikarus c42
At the farmstrip I fly from, the farmer only gets £5/landing...
Plus £50pa for each club pilot
Plus £25/month each for half a dozen de-rigged flexwings in a barn/hangar
Plus £30/month each for about a dozen aeroplanes on tie-downs.
Plus rent from a couple of small businesses who now rent barn/hangar space, mostly doing aeroplane related stuff, and have moved in since the strip opened about 15 years ago.
That seems to be rather more lucrative for him than farming a 450x20m runway and a parking area of maybe 200x200m - which he cuts (and I'll bet the grass cuttings get used somewhere anyhow). The space around that he certainly farms however - sheep on one side and daffodils on the other.
G
Plus £50pa for each club pilot
Plus £25/month each for half a dozen de-rigged flexwings in a barn/hangar
Plus £30/month each for about a dozen aeroplanes on tie-downs.
Plus rent from a couple of small businesses who now rent barn/hangar space, mostly doing aeroplane related stuff, and have moved in since the strip opened about 15 years ago.
That seems to be rather more lucrative for him than farming a 450x20m runway and a parking area of maybe 200x200m - which he cuts (and I'll bet the grass cuttings get used somewhere anyhow). The space around that he certainly farms however - sheep on one side and daffodils on the other.
G
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The post by a and c misses my point completely and develops a rant about not supporting airfields.Ive done over 300 hours flying in and out of my local airfield but now ive to watch my cash, im sure im not the only one!! Sure if i were better off i would not be seeking a more cost effective way of flying.Also i fancy a change so the ikarus with all that goes with it seems very interesting.I would also be a better pilot being able to fly more hours per year.One other point the recession has probably helped prolong the life of many airfields because property developers may hold back rather than the difference between say £5 or £10 for t and g's
Last edited by seymour beaver; 7th Jan 2010 at 18:27.
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A and C
I am a bit confused by your post. There are a record number of airfields available in the UK and the number continues to rise. Many of the new ones are training pilots and have full club facilities. Normally no or very low landing fees are charged. What is it you think we need that we are going to loose?
Rod1
I am a bit confused by your post. There are a record number of airfields available in the UK and the number continues to rise. Many of the new ones are training pilots and have full club facilities. Normally no or very low landing fees are charged. What is it you think we need that we are going to loose?
Rod1
Tabs please !
The C42 is a delight to fly, the ergonomics take a little bit of getting used to but the performance is very good.
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As aircraft like the C42 and Eurostars and the like become more the norm with their superior performance and ownership costs, then demise of certain airfields will become inevitable as they will no longer be required to operate from, however with the ability of those aircraft to operate out of short(ish) farm-strips we will undoubtedly see more farm-strips being established. On the island of Ireland we have over 120 strips, this is an amazing amount of accessible strips for this new generation of ships. Its not unusual for 10 or 15 aircraft to show up at my farm-strip in a Summers evening, why not, no landing fees other than a small contribution if you feel like it to the tea/coffee and ginger nut fund !.. and to boot this type of airstrip is away much more fun to operate from.
Jon
www.RuskeyAirfield.com
Jon
www.RuskeyAirfield.com
Last edited by jonkil; 8th Jan 2010 at 17:47.
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“Which planet is this?”
I have a 1992 Pooleys on my shelf. A quick comparison with a 2009 version indicates a substantial increase. In my local area alone there has been an increase of a factor of 2 in the last 15 years.
Rod1
I have a 1992 Pooleys on my shelf. A quick comparison with a 2009 version indicates a substantial increase. In my local area alone there has been an increase of a factor of 2 in the last 15 years.
Rod1
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Hi Steveking, Im due to try the ikarus at the end of this month. Im Brighton based and the present weather/ forecast (bbc)is snow, more snow ice and light snow.I will post a reply once ive had a flight, partly because of the interest in this thread and the comments on the Ikarus c42.
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Seymour,
Your always welcome to pop into Damyns Hall to see my brothers C42, I'm sure he'd take you for a spin. Its quite different to a 152. It was so cheap to run I done 275 hours in it in just over a year. ALthough I really like my RV6 i do sometimes miss the C42. It's lots of thing really. So easy to get out of the hangar even if you just fancy 1/2 hour evening bimble. When the runway gets really muddy the C42 is light enough to not be bothered by it, handling, shortfield performance and the best heater I've used. The list goes on and on. I suppose the speed is about the only drawback I had but if you have been happy with the 152 then it'll be about the same. Do remember though that hours in a microlight version which most are don't count towards your group A hours.
Your always welcome to pop into Damyns Hall to see my brothers C42, I'm sure he'd take you for a spin. Its quite different to a 152. It was so cheap to run I done 275 hours in it in just over a year. ALthough I really like my RV6 i do sometimes miss the C42. It's lots of thing really. So easy to get out of the hangar even if you just fancy 1/2 hour evening bimble. When the runway gets really muddy the C42 is light enough to not be bothered by it, handling, shortfield performance and the best heater I've used. The list goes on and on. I suppose the speed is about the only drawback I had but if you have been happy with the 152 then it'll be about the same. Do remember though that hours in a microlight version which most are don't count towards your group A hours.
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...the ergonomics take a little bit of getting used to....
I suspect people find the flap lever in the roof unfamiliar at first but most of my fellow students got the hang of it really quickly. Anyway, its something else to hang onto when it gets rough if you can't reach the cabin frame
The only ergonomic problem I can think of is that heater knob is within reach of the passenger. I used to learn with an instructor who also taught on flexwings - if his previous lesson was on a flying-hankie then he'd be cold whereas I'd be warm having sat next to the log fire in the clubhouse. We spent more time setting the heater on & off than anything else.
I suspect people find the flap lever in the roof unfamiliar at first but most of my fellow students got the hang of it really quickly. Anyway, its something else to hang onto when it gets rough if you can't reach the cabin frame
I suspect people find the flap lever in the roof unfamiliar at first but most of my fellow students got the hang of it really quickly. Anyway, its something else to hang onto when it gets rough if you can't reach the cabin frame
Compared to "Group A", microlight cockpit ergonomics tend to vary a lot more. So, whilst (for example) the layout of a C172, PA28, etc. tend to be pretty similar to each other, you'll get more variation between (say) a C42, Thruster, Chevvron... There are probably also a wider range from truly awful to really superb - whilst most light aeroplanes sit consistently in a region the good side of average.
It's not a problem so long as before flying something new you take the time to sit in it and spend some time thinking your way around the cockpit before flying. A habit which transfers well to light aircraft anyhow (or anything else).
G
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New airfields ?????
In the area that I live I just can't see the new airfields that Rod1 & Seymour talk of.
In my time in flying I have seen the loss of Hatfield Coventry & Leavesden, the effective loss of Luton as well as Booker now under the cosh of huge rent rises that could well make it imposable to run. Rochester is continualy under attack by the local council who want is shut so they can put up another business park.
The only place that has a hard runway near me that has recently re opened is Membury.
May be we in GA have been living on the investment in airfields made in WW2 for too long and are about to return to the pre-war days of using very light low powered aircraft from small fields..................Ah well! back to the thirtys!
In my time in flying I have seen the loss of Hatfield Coventry & Leavesden, the effective loss of Luton as well as Booker now under the cosh of huge rent rises that could well make it imposable to run. Rochester is continualy under attack by the local council who want is shut so they can put up another business park.
The only place that has a hard runway near me that has recently re opened is Membury.
May be we in GA have been living on the investment in airfields made in WW2 for too long and are about to return to the pre-war days of using very light low powered aircraft from small fields..................Ah well! back to the thirtys!
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A and C... you're 100% correct.
The new modern efficient stuff doesn't need the miles of tarmac, simple grass strips suffice, it's the future of GA... so actually onwards to the 30's... 2030's that is !
The new modern efficient stuff doesn't need the miles of tarmac, simple grass strips suffice, it's the future of GA... so actually onwards to the 30's... 2030's that is !
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A & C
“May be we in GA have been living on the investment in airfields made in WW2 for too long and are about to return to the pre-war days of using very light low powered aircraft from small fields”
Again, this is completely contrary to my experience. On our strip we have a 235hp machine, alongside an 180hp Arrow. We have a Yak 52 come in on a regular basis (400 hp?) and you could operate a 1000hp Spit out of it if you had one! The move to lighter, more efficient machines, is driven by running costs and resale value.
Rod1
“May be we in GA have been living on the investment in airfields made in WW2 for too long and are about to return to the pre-war days of using very light low powered aircraft from small fields”
Again, this is completely contrary to my experience. On our strip we have a 235hp machine, alongside an 180hp Arrow. We have a Yak 52 come in on a regular basis (400 hp?) and you could operate a 1000hp Spit out of it if you had one! The move to lighter, more efficient machines, is driven by running costs and resale value.
Rod1
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Rod1
Not the typical "farm strip" then!
Most places that I visit (as an LAA inspector) usualy have the usual collection of Cub's, Auster's, Luscoms etc with the Vans types being the modern aircraft.
Most of the places I would think twice about taking a PA28 into let alone a Spitfire. However the C42 that was the subject of this thread would be at home on any of these strips.
Most places that I visit (as an LAA inspector) usualy have the usual collection of Cub's, Auster's, Luscoms etc with the Vans types being the modern aircraft.
Most of the places I would think twice about taking a PA28 into let alone a Spitfire. However the C42 that was the subject of this thread would be at home on any of these strips.
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I can believe that the number of farm strips has increased over time - unsuprising given the general trends in GA.
But these strips are inaccessible to most pilots living in the area. They are run by tightly knit groups.
But these strips are inaccessible to most pilots living in the area. They are run by tightly knit groups.
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But these strips are inaccessible to most pilots living in the area. They are run by tightly knit groups.
There are 20 strips within 10 minutes of me all run by tight knit groups and all open to me. The strip flying side if GA is exciting and vibrant. Having a strip aircraft like the Auster is a benefit of course!!
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Most strips just require a single phone call to gain PPR, so are not closed to visiting pilots. However, many are now used for training and other interesting things, for example;
Strathaven Airfield - Microlight Flying, and Home of the Scottish Flying Club
I plan on using this as a base to explore Scotland later this year.
Rod1
Strathaven Airfield - Microlight Flying, and Home of the Scottish Flying Club
I plan on using this as a base to explore Scotland later this year.
Rod1