Just not in Europe, would be utterly useless here.
No. Europe is useless, not the airplane.
That’s maybe true if your only interest in this life is Flying.
Depends what you mean by Europe. I gather that landing sites are as tightly regulated in LS as they are in LF, but here in EG and EI we can land and take off wherever we see fit. Some of us see a lot more fit than others, but river beds, quarries, beaches, and of course any field without too much of a crop in it are all fair game.
The WWA SuperSTOL looks like a nice toy but like other Cub clones has limited load space and range. I think a “EuroGA” touring aircraft really ought to carry two adults, a motorbike, camping gear and luggage, with fuel to fly IFR from, say, Auchterarder to Annemasse – or depart Champagnole for home after heavy rain with a year’s supply of Arbois chardo and savagnin on board. It would be nice if it could also spin decently and do snaps, but I’m afraid that’s asking a bit much…
Arbois chardo and savagnin on board. It would be nice if it could also spin decently and do snaps
If you take enough of that stuff on board, you should be able to do all sorts of interesting aeros…… 
I think a “EuroGA” touring aircraft really ought to carry two adults, a motorbike, camping gear and luggage
Exactly! but a simple bicycle will also do fine 
The thing coming closest is a C-180 or similar, maybe with floats (amphibious). I guess I will never understand this, why would anyone travel for hours and hours straight and level in a noisy GA airplane, when the start and destination can be reached quicker, in much more comfort, and much cheaper, in one of the back seats of a B-737 ?
It’s like boating I guess. Some people get themselves large (huge 35-40+ feet) cruisers just to go to ordinary places, places that can be reached faster by car or air or a public catamaran. Somehow this is after all understandable, because a boat of this size is a perfect place to live as well. Still, it is nothing like a 25-35 feet sail boat that can be used to travel all around the world for years, taking you to exotic places way off the “ordinary”, while doing some real sailing.
It’s the utility factor I do not see in a ordinary tourer (Cirrus style). It will take you to places faster and in more style and comfort than a C-172 or a fast cruising microlight, but only marginally so. A microlight can be landed anywhere, on any airfield thinkable, thus adding huge amount of utility, and so can a STOL tourer while adding size and payload and comfort. A substantial step up in “touring” GA does not come before adding a turbine and/or pressurizing and/or more cabin size.
Utility is the missing factor in a Cirrus.
Utility is the missing factor in a Cirrus.
To be fair, however, what you get in an SR22 (or of course a TB20 ) is a lot of comfort, no draughts (so the heater actually works as it should), nice seats, you don’t get water dripping on your face when it’s raining (actually I do right now, despite having re-done the window seal, so it must be getting in under one of the screws… damn), you get high wing loading so you get a relatively stable ride in turbulence (all taildraggers I have been in got chucked around pretty roughly when flying under typical UK summer “white fluff” – a simple consequence of a low Vs which must be achieved by a low wing loading which must give you a relatively rough ride – the absolute worst I recall was in a Maule, with the pilot’s poor wife vomiting in the back seat which kind of detracted from the aircraft’s ~100m grass strip capability), and the IFR capability (needs an IR … OK… a lot of work) does translate to a massively improved means going any significant distance (route planning takes just minutes).
One really needs 3 planes: a Maule, a TB20/SR22/etc, and a Jetprop
I don’t agree.
A SR22 (like the TB20 :-) can be landed on any runway from 1800 ft easily and 1500 ft is long enough if you practice it a bit. I regluarly land mine on shorter grass strips. It will take off in 900 to 1000 feet at MTOM and flying it alone with 1/2 tanks in colder weater will result in a climb rate +2000 ft (in the winter i have seen +2300 ft)
The back seats can easily be folded or even removed.
So what exactly do you miss?
That entirely dpends on in which country one flies usually and what that country’s stance is on operating (certified) aircraft off-airport.
Germany for example is an extreme, where operations are allowed only on licensed airfields. A STOL aircraft is useless there.
Italy is kind of “middle of the road” where one may land at unlicensed (but properly registered) airstrips.
I guess there are countries (even in Europe) where operations are allowed anywhere, as long as the landowner gives permission.
I guess there are countries (even in Europe) where operations are allowed anywhere, as long as the landowner gives permission.
Both Ireland and the UK fall into that category.
I guess there are countries (even in Europe) where operations are allowed anywhere, as long as the landowner gives permission.
By the way, why don’t we compile a list of countries where it’s allowed? Besides the UK and Ireland already mentioned, I know about Czech Republic and Israel. Any more additions?
