Sport Pilot Talk

vacantstance · Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: stafford, Va

I've been doing some research on what I consider truly affordable LSAs(sub $100k) and I'm taking into account every possible "ownership" expense. Beyond the initial cost of the aircraft, hangar lease rates, along with maintenance, insurance, annuals and fuel can potentially discourage the casual cruiser, who might desire to fly 75-100 hours a year just for fun. In my search, I found the AERO TREK 240 LSA listed for about $70k with folding wings.

http://www.fly-aerotrek.com/wingfold.htm

Then I decided to Google LSAs with folding wings and found a few more. the standout in the bunch was from a company called Just Aircraft. They sell a couple of LSAs, the "Escapade" and the beefier "Highlander", which, allegedly, has a generous useful load of 705 lbs. and also folding wings. It's about $85K or cheaper as a kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DjFprD6jQ&feature=player_embedded

Hangar storage around these parts average about $500/ month, so, I'm thinking, one could buy one of these planes and a trailer that a heavy duty truck could tow and keep it parked in their yard. You could drive it back and forth to the airport of your choice when you want to fly and save like crazy on storage, right? You could haul it to be maintained or repaired and have only the one time cost of the trailer as a storage expense.

So, what am I forgetting? This seems too reasonable an idea. Am I not considering something or could this work?

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 261

Being a cheap sort of guy myself, I've thought about it too, but there are ton of gotchas to consider.

How good is the trailer and how well does it protect the plane. It's really easy to mess up a plane by hauling it around. You really need an enclosed trailer to avoid thrown rocks and debris on the road and leaves bugs and birds when parked. I especially wonder about an undoped fabric plane like the Highlander - it may be good or it may be really bad.

What is the wear and tear on the plane when rigging and un-rigging? Is the rigging process good enough to ensure that there is no way you can do it incorrectly?

How long does rigging/un-rigging take? Combined with the travel time to the airport this could be a real issue. Say its in the fall and you have a good 1 1/2 hours of light left after work to go fly. If it take 20 min to the airport and another 1/2 hour to rig - and then 15min to preflight you aren't leaving much flying time, and you have to un-rig/store and haul in the dark when you are done flying.

Can the rigging be done by one person? Many planes require two people to rig or to have specialized gigs and such. The rv-12 comes to mind (removable wings, an awesome plane BTW).

If you don't already own the towing vehicle, factor in cost and insurance for it, and don't forget to check insurance on the plane while it's being towed and stored off airport.

Does your local airport support this sort of activity? You need access to the ramp and since your aren't a tenet, this could be more difficult.

Let us know if you decide anything and how it goes. Always interested in ways to save a buck or thousand.

Ron

Jim Stewart · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 259

I'm with Ron on this one.

Walk around the airport and ask everyone if there's space to squeeze a Highlander in next to another plane. Someone might be overjoyed to take $200 a month and share a hanger. The other factor to consider is that if it's a big hassle to fly, and I think what you are proposing is a big hassle, you'll end up not flying enough.

You could also look at a partnership.

vacantstance · Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: stafford, Va

Rsteele, you make great points about the insurance and access to airport. I live just 6 miles from KRMN and was considering a closed trailer like the one in the video. The highlander seems to transition from storage to flight pretty quickly and the trailer in the video is custom made to accommodate the plane. After the wings are locked, you're ready to preflight and fly. I can't imagine there being a wrong way to lock those wings in place and believe me, that would get my full attention every time out. I never even considered how storing offsite of an airport might affect my insurance rates or access to the airport so I should get more questions answered before pursuing.

Jim, you have a good idea as well. I could possibly share the cost of a hangar with someone. I just figured I could store the plane at home and not have that bill at all. I don't own a trailer but it would probably pay for itself in hangar storage savings. Minimizing operating cost is important. I've heard about owners selling their planes because it's no longer cost effective to burn that $6000.00 a year on hangar storage.

AZPilot · Joined: 25 Jun 2009 Posts: 156

As pointed out, trailering can be time consuming. A trailer of the size needed, probably 24' and taller than standard, can be pulled by a good 1/2 ton truck. You won't really need a heavy duty truck as the trailer would be about 3500lbs and an LSA is only 1320 gross, about half of that empty.

Another consideration is how many people it takes to deploy/fold the wings. Can you do it by yourself, or do you need extra hands?

The upside is that you have your airplane secured at your home.

One option for local airport access is to rent an outside tiedown, just so you are a tenant.

vacantstance · Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: stafford, Va

AZPilot wrote: One option for local airport access is to rent an outside tiedown, just so you are a tenant.

That's an excellent idea! I wonder if I could store the trailer in my tiedown spot? This "Porta-hangar" idea might be a real cost saving approach.

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 593

I'm going tomorrow to look over a Kitfox damaged in shipping. They shipped with the wings folded and bouncing across the country the fuselage buckled in the middle. The wings folded puts a lot of weight on the aft end of the airplane.

Short distance should be no problem. Most folding wing setups involve driving a pin out of the leading edge attach point. Then all the stress is on the rear attach point. Repeated wear, stress on the aft point. How will it hold up? Best wing fold I have seen is on the old Stits Playboy. Pull a handle and wing/strut swings up and back.

vacantstance · Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Posts: 22 Location: stafford, Va

Cub flyer wrote: I'm going tomorrow to look over a Kitfox damaged in shipping. They shipped with the wings folded and bouncing across the country the fuselage buckled in the middle. The wings folded puts a lot of weight on the aft end of the airplane.

Short distance should be no problem. Most folding wing setups involve driving a pin out of the leading edge attach point. Then all the stress is on the rear attach point. Repeated wear, stress on the aft point. How will it hold up? Best wing fold I have seen is on the old Stits Playboy. Pull a handle and wing/strut swings up and back.

Any experience with the Aerotrek?
http://www.fly-aerotrek.com/wingfold.htm

I thought I wanted a Highlander, but this useful load is comparable and this plane, ready to fly, is like $20K cheaper than the Highlander.

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 593

no experience. They appear the same as the Kitfox and Avid but I'm not sure.

Who out there has had years of wing folding with every flight on one of these airplanes to see if the wing fold setup holds up?

How do you keep the wing from folding if you want to drive out the pin by yourself on a tail dragger?