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Europa XS Trigear - any experiences or alternatives?

Of course any “real plane” will have a fuel totaliser Can’t leave home without it.

Can one feed something like a Microflo-L from a Skymap 4C? Probably would need a protocol converter… unless the Skymap can output the “Bendix/King, later Garmin” aviation data stream. Annoying, since I used to have a Skymap 2 which I flogged on Ebay for 20 quid.

Perhaps other Permit flyers can advise how they do it – without ripping up the panel and going to “glass”.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I don’t think fuel totalisers are much of a thing on the permit scene. Most people seem to be content with knowing how much is in the tanks when they start and doing simple mental arithmetic around time aloft vs known fuel consumption.

EGLM & EGTN

This has been an interesting exercise and I’ve learned a bit about the permit scene in a short space of time.

I guess it’s the same with certified maintenance, but not all inspectors have the same standards it seems. As I looked further into the Europa I mentioned in my last post, I found a few items which I wasn’t happy with, but which had made it through the permit inspections. These problems were primarily the hangar/trailer rash that had not been repaired, a split in the wing surface finish and corrosion on various exposed components.

I had arranged a prebuy inspection with another LAA inspector who I know has built a few aircraft but who isn’t a qualified engineer. I’ve seen one of the planes he’s built and whilst it’s not unsafe, it’s hardly to my standard (EG automotive fuseboxes on the panel instead of circuit breakers). It turns out the inspector in question knows the seller of this Europa and he’s already said he thinks the plane is fine, which doesn’t leave me with a good feeling.

Having made some enquiries I found a totally independent inspector, who was unfamiliar with the owner and aircraft so I sent him photos and had a long phone discussion. He confirmed my suspicions that the problems with the plane were in fact fairly serious and even if they have been signed off by an inspector, there was no excuse for having left them without being fixed. I really don’t want a “project plane” even if I negotiated a good price, so I’ll leave this one and see what else comes up.

Last Edited by IO390 at 18 Aug 15:24
United Kingdom

I believe you’ll learn that all planes are project planes as offered for sale, with very few exceptions. Whether the plane is in Annual has essentially no bearing on that reality – ‘airworthy’ is a pretty low bar and time does its work regardless. If you find a completely over the top, anal retentive owner your work may be somewhat less. I would allow at least a year to fiddle with any plane you might buy, if that sounds like a lot you may not enjoy plane ownership.

I didn’t see how fuel totalizers came into the discussion but they are pretty easy to implement, the EI unit is roughly $500 complete with transducer, widely used and reliable. Very useful with multi-tank fuel systems and for accurate leaning in a given cruise configuration, less so for ultra simple fuel systems and no leaning.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 18 Aug 20:10

Absolutely, I fully intend on tinkering with anything I buy. However I decided to draw the line on untreated GRP damage and rusted parts.

If I wanted a turn key solution I’d fly business class :)

United Kingdom
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