As a microlight pilot with Europa-wide aspirations, I find little fellowship here, as yet. Of course that is not the fault of those who were kind enough to set up this forum.
Jan,
Other than altitude and airspeed, how is microlighting different from flying any other smaller GA type. Not being confrontational, genuinely interested.
hehe, perhaps this should be in a separate thread...
The limits are certainly vague - not much difference in practice between a 65 HP Piper Cub and a 80 HP FK9 or C42 or Rans S6 or such. The one can enter controlled airspace, the other can (basically) not, and that's about all. And there surely are microlights today that outperform a C-152 or such in all respects, except easy, forgiving handling.
Mighty difference in cost, though, of acquisition and of operation and of repair/maintenance. The last is the most relevant: on a microlight there is no limit on who does what. When I broke my prop and nosewheel leg in a hard landing, I drove to Hungary to get the right parts from the factory, and installed them myself, "with a little help from my friends" which include one really knowledgeable chap but then really. If it weren't for this, I could never afford to be flying at all.
But consider the discussion of glass cockpits, autopilots and what accessories not: with an all up max gross of 450 kg, and hoping to keep the ability to carry two adults, my plane is restricted to 270 kg empty weight (some fuel is required, too, for effective flying) - adding 5kg of avionics is out of the way. Besides, 5 kg of certified avionics might well cost as much as its factory new price of 45.000,- euro's. It must all remain in proportion.
Along the same line of thinking, one does not burn 16 litres of mogas, say 40 euros or so, per hour flown, so perhaps 200 euro's per day, to spend 50 on a taxi into town and 150 on dinner plus hotel. Again, it must all be in proportion. Which means a microlight tourer carries a tent and air mattress for sleeping "under the wing". There do seem to be airfields with affordable on-site lodgings, though, in Germany and Czechia, and probably more.
BTW altitude is the least concern - I have heard of a guy who had heard of a guy boasting to have circled the Mont Blanc at FL180 in his non-pressurised non-aspirated 80 HP EuroFox - not one that I would fly with, though. But one hears a lot of tell-tales, of course.
10,000 posts....and not a word said in anger ;)
I totally agree. No fights and bad words. Seems that the trolls are somewhere else.
Jan, my other aircraft is a Tecnam P2002. I enjoy a lot flying it. It's my usual election for the geunine local bimble and trips up to about 150-200 nm or occasionally longer. Some years ago I had a Tecnam P96, and I've flown for some hours a CT and a Aeroprakt So here you have another microlighter in this forum ;-)
...and a Spaniard - a Madrileño even, apparently - who has good English - another exception! Well met! But as you said, microlights are a better fit for bimbling round the village spire. Oh well.
Jan, as I suspected, it sounds like they fly the same way as every other plane other than the fact that we have to spend more money than you which I would prefer you not to dwell on!!
Perhaps you should write some more on the subject to attract more microlighters?
That's two bold suggestions, dear Jason, and how, how could I refuse?
Where you request me to abstain, I formally promise I will! A few sideways winks will be unavoidable, though, hope you'll understand.
Writing some more of my own will have to wait until at least I am more or less settled at my new address. After that, I'll have to make up for the flying lost in the move and the very poor weather (another thing a microlight is more subject to, being vigourously restricted to VFR AND suffering more from wind, both in landing/taking off and in cruise - you have not forgotten the time when you could fly in to LFAC, but I came driving...), then I can finally pick up rebuilding my dashboard and electricity - all of which could well inspire a couple of write-ups...
A few sideways winks will be unavoidable, though, hope you'll understand.
No problem at all. So long as you don't mind me mentioning that, after LFAC, I now realise microlights need more than a 2000ft cloudbase to fly!
I'm another microlight pilot, although I post little I follow many of the threads with interest and feel that I've gained from knowing more about the kind of flying that others enjoy.
Much of my own flying is local bimbling interspersed with forays up to 150 nm attending airshows and other flyin type events. I have shares in three microlights although most of my flying is in the oldest of them an open cockpit, tailwheel Thruster. This is for me an aircraft that satisfies most of the reasons that I fly. It is a superb viewing platform that lets me know what the aircraft requires through sound and feel long before the few basic instruments I carry indicate anything and there are few airfields or strips that it cannot handle.
Far from everybodys ideal, but it suits me very well
Far from everybodys ideal, but it suits me very well
That of course is the point.
