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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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”.
I have decided to pursue a Europa as it seems to be the best fit for my requirements and budget.
The Sportcruiser is nice and has the advantage of being all metal (I prefer this to composite personally) however they are out of my budget unfortunately. I keep running into the same problem which is that other types within my budget are either wood and fabric, very old or very obscure.
So far I’ve found other Europa owners and the Europa club to be extremely helpful.
Decent Europa XS Trigear models mostly seem to sell off market, though I’ve just found one for sale which seems good, other than it’s been stored outside (trailer during winter) so it has some “trailer rash”, though nothing serious. I am having it inspected by an LAA inspector in a week or so. I have inspected the plane with another Europa builder and spoken to the owner/builder at length, and have made an offer conditional on the results of inspection. All mandatory mods have been complied with, as for avionics it has a G5 and other instruments are TSO items. There is an old Skymap GPS which is coupled to a wing leveller autopilot. Trig com and xpdr. Everything I’d need for the foreseeable future on the avionics front.
Question regarding the engine: the engine was purchased new for the airframe in 2000 and flew in 2006. It now has 300hrs, and the logs show it has been ground run at least every 3 months if not flown. It’s a 912ULS, and it seems Rotax engines are perhaps less finicky than Lycoming/Continental about being left for long periods without regular use. Is that fair to say? Given how few hours many of these Rotax homebuilts seem to fly, I haven’t heard many reports of problems due to lack of use. If it were lyco/conti then I would be concerned about the low hours.
I sat in a Europa, and didn’t like the view compared to a Jodel DR1050. I wouldn’t buy an aircraft without a heater. Jodel DR1050s have great load carrying, but are wood-and-fabric, so cannot be left outside in wet weather. They are mainly factory built. They are often draughty. And the 3 I flew had poor heaters.
The 80 hp Europa might be better with 100hp for short strip and loaded. If you have tailwheel experience the monowheel has best performance. Reported good on soft surface.
Have you considered a Robin? It has the wood-and-fabric problems though.
And now let’s add some emotions: We love our Europa!
When I was looking for a plane, I wanted a travelling machine for two, side by side, flyable with PPL (meaning non-UL pilot license) and with ultralight running cost. After a research the Europa XS came up as a winner. I wished to find a Mono with Rotax 914 and was lucky, and we’ve been happy since. It flies like a dream, carrying the two of us, full tank and 40kg of baggage. Sometimes we fly with two Bromptons and sleeping bags, the long freediving fins fit in, too. The cockpit may seem a bit compact, but it is actually pretty wide and even during my longest flight, over five hours in one day, we felt comfortable, thanks to good seating and well balanced controls (and excellent in-flight service).
After purchasing our Europa and some flying I started making further plans. I certainly needed an autopilot, heating, also an EMS with a fancy screen would come handy. But, I did not find a time to proceed. I realized that I prefer flying over tinkering. To hold a stick and feel the reaction of the airplane is exciting. Take off at 25 deg Celsius and fly in 13k ft at minus ten is not a big deal. And flying in winter – of course, we just dress well. So, I just replaced the radio for 8.33 and all the other time we spend in the air.
The Europa Club works very well (theeuropaclub.org). Contact them if you consider Europa, they will be happy to advise and/or help in many areas.
IO390 wrote:
If I had my own I’d fit cabin heat
Some LAA standard mods do exist for retrofitting a cabin heating. You have the choice of either exhaust or oil-/watercooler as heat source. The latter has the advantage to do without the risk of CO toxication. Since the Europa cabin is fairly air tight, the amount of heat needed to get it cozy inside is not that great.
I have the radiator as heat source and flew my Europa comfortably wearing just a pullover up to FL250 (in sunshine) at -30°C OAT.
I think these are hard times for buying a plane, due to the crazzy bubble which is building up in so many markets (aircraft, electronic components, houses, you name it) due to, presumably, peoples’ brains having been fried by the BBC coverage of CV19
Give it a few months and then we will have more clarity, and a shagged 1982 TB20 with 1999 hrs on the engine and compressions of 30/80, a KLN94 and the mandatory dead autopilot will be back down to its real value of about 45k
