Purchasing an AX2000

[Forfoxake]

I had an AX3/503. It was great for training and short-field work but very slow and with limited range. On balance, Rans S6 probably better and you can get a tail-dragger.


PS Celebrity Belgians (past and present) include Audrey Hepburn, Adolphe Sax, Eddy Merckx, Jean-Marc Bosman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tintin and the amazing Jacques Brel (also a PPL).

[Small Rodent Driver]

PS Celebrity Belgians (past and present) include Audrey Hepburn, Adolphe Sax, Eddy Merckx, Jean-Marc Bosman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tintin and the amazing Jacques Brel (also a PPL).

Aha. You fail to mention Captain Haddock and the Thomson Twins!

[Forfoxake]

I thought Aha were Norwegian!

[Genghis the Engineer]

And surely Captain Haddock is Scottish?

G

[Heston]

Audrey Hepburn was British, although born in Brussels. Tintin is fictional. The others I haven't heard of.

Belgian beer is nice though.

[Small Rodent Driver]

And surely Captain Haddock is Scottish?

You'll be telling us next that the Thompson Twins were a British band formed in Sheffield circa 1977?

[Jan Olieslagers]

As aviators we ought to have more interest in pilots than in celebrities. As for Belgian pilots, here is one of the most famous: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Olieslagers

[abgd]

And the answers to the obvious questions:
1) are you a descendant?
2) if so, do they waive your landing fees at Antwerp?

[Jan Olieslagers]

1) negative (the chap had no offspring anyway - must have been too busy flying)
2) negative too, actually they don't even allow my microlight as they are in class D airspace, landing fee or not

Though if I could manage to get landing approval, they might well waive the fee, too.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Ah, European standardisation!

You'll be glad to hear Jan, that micrilights are welcome in class D in Britain.

G

[gasax]

But remember GtE, they also have to pay for the privilege of visiting the UK.....

[Jan Olieslagers]

@GtE:

They seem to be in Germany, too, at least I hear of D-Mxxx flying into the less big airports like Leipzig, Kassel, Hannover, ...

Mind you, there seems to be an exception even in tiny crowded Belgium: there are directions in the AIP for flying a microlight into EBOS Oostende, though I never heard of anybody actually doing so.

surely Captain Haddock is Scottish?

I don't think so. In the original (Francophone) texts he is, like Tintin, a Brussels French-speaker, and a famous forefather of his was a captain in the French Royal Navy, by the name of "Haddoque".

[Genghis the Engineer]

Interesting - in all of the anglophone film adaptations, Haddock is played with a scots accent.

I have fun occasionally trying to read Tintin in French to a niece who wants both French and simultaneous translation into English from me. The French is, err, ideosycratic, and many terms and names just don't map at-all.

G

[AnglianAV8R]

The Ax is a great little aeroplane for pottering around in, even touring if you're not in a hurry. However, getting in and out of them is an art form. I'd hate to try clambering out after an unscheduled 'arrival' on terra firma if the frame were bent. In comparison, the Rans S6 has an extremely robust steel cockpit cage and I can vouch for it, having suffered an 'arrival' in one. Spares for the Rans are no problem either.

[chillindan]

Thanks all for that great advice. I had planned to take an inspector with me when I find an aircraft that takes my fancy, and yes 2 seats is probably what I want too. I do want to do the maintenance myself, but obviously would want a competent person to check it, certainly whilst I am learning what I am doing, so maybe the SSDR will wait till I am a bit older and (hopefully) wiser :-)

[Genghis the Engineer]

I just noticed your location Dan.

The P&M factory who support the AX3 and AX2000 is in Rochdale - so there's a particularly good reason to own one. A supply of spares in your home town isn't to be sneezed at.

G

[chillindan]

That's a very good point! I hadn't thought about that. So the consensus would be an AX3/2000 with a Rotax 582 engine as the best power unit option.

Is it a big job (in terms of time/cost) to change the engine from an HKS to a Rotax 582? I presume you need different engine mounts etc.?

Just thinking if I bought a HKS engined one (As there are a few available) and then look to change the engine afterwards..

[Heston]

Changing the engine can be done but its a big job and not worth it IMHO.

Engine mounts, electrics, instruments will probably all need changing. Depending on the dimensions you may need a new fuselage keel tube too (if the 582 needs a longer one - I'm not sure about tht).

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by AnglianAV8R

The Ax is a great little aeroplane for pottering around in, even touring if you're not in a hurry. However, getting in and out of them is an art form. I'd hate to try clambering out after an unscheduled 'arrival' on terra firma if the frame were bent. In comparison, the Rans S6 has an extremely robust steel cockpit cage and I can vouch for it, having suffered an 'arrival' in one. Spares for the Rans are no problem either.

When Bill Sherlock, the original importer, took me for my first flight in the prototype AX3 (F59EE - French reg) he pointed out in the pre-takeoff brief that the structure was made out of triangles of tubing and hence very robust.
I took to it straight away; he did the first takeoff then I flew the circuit, I landed it and we taxied back and did another circuit with me doing the takeoff this time too.
My initial trepidation about microlights vanished and I was hooked!

[Small Rodent Driver]

Changing the engine can be done but its a big job and not worth it IMHO.

Engine mounts, electrics, instruments will probably all need changing. Depending on the dimensions you may need a new fuselage keel tube too (if the 582 needs a longer one - I'm not sure about tht).

Completing the above tasks will just about get you through the hoops.

You will have to negotiate the hoops of fire to get the paperwork issues resolved for a change of engine type. Not impossible but daunting.