Nice German Microlight…

Another Robin 200-esque clone (yawn). What we need is two or three popular types with big manufacturer backing. Alas the reverse is this case and each type jockeys for position. They don’t sell that well… there’s only a finite market of private operators in my estimation. The real money is with the ab initio school. These new group A machines need to be affordable and EASA CofA certified. So what of they don’t have carb heat or mix levers? One can leave that for conversion onto type. Once the operator gets his head around the Rotax issue (now with increased TBO times) all that’s left wanting is a ready supply of cheaper, unleaded fuel.

Thank you for your input GASML, but I suspect that particular chapter of my flying career shall remain closed.

In the words of Voltaire- ‘Once, a philosopher. Twice, a pervert’.

Then again, never say never!

[QUOTE=Propstrike]When AVGAS hits £2 a litre, these machines are going to look better and better.

For myself, I am on the lookout for an English Electric Wren, as at the Shuttleworth Collection, which does 70 miles on I gallon- Just need eight burly chaps and a big elastic band to help launch it!

QUOTE]

You need to revert to your Luton Minor-flying past!!

When AVGAS hits £2 a litre, these machines are going to look better and better.

For myself, I am on the lookout for an English Electric Wren, as at the Shuttleworth Collection, which does 70 miles on I gallon- Just need eight burly chaps and a big elastic band to help launch it!

In a few years time, anyone who is still stuck with a Harvard, or anything of that ilk, may as well wheel it down to the local aviation museum.

It does look a nice machine but a potential problem with making microlights look more like conventional aircraft in the weight increase. i.e. a typical and popular ‘microlight’ is the Ev97 Eurostar with a empty weight of 268KG and MTOW of 472KG so a max payload is 204KG. This is slightly misleading as the upper weight limit for a ‘microlight’ is only 450KG (in the UK) so only a 182KG payload is really available for pilot/pax/fuel/baggage, otherwise you run a risk of flying outside the aircraft classification during a take off when the weight is at it greatest.
Say 150KG for 2 people which only leaves 32KG for fuel / baggage etc (32KG = approx 7 gallons which is not a lot) How would an insurance company react should they discover that the aircraft was being operated outside its certified category at the time of an accident (not very well would be my guess)

Nice looking machine. It’s amazing how many modern microlightts actually look like very small group A machines which should be good for persuading more people that they are serious flying machines.