Sport Pilot Talk

"Also, the $99,500 price tag. "

As a near 70yr old geezer with limited means, I admit that's the first time I've seen a smiley following a $100K price tag - lol - good on ya' mate!

chicagorandy wrote:"Also, the $99,500 price tag. "

As a near 70yr old geezer with limited means, I admit that's the first time I've seen a smiley following a $100K price tag - lol - good on ya' mate!

I'll be 71 in December. That's a lot of money, but not for a brand new LSA.

I just talked with Kelsey at Vashon. They are out to March 2020 with deliveries based on their order book and production rate. There is a $5,000 fully refundable deposit to guarantee the current price of $99,500 for the basic model.

I think I am going to place an order. Why not? By the time my order moves to production, my ship will probably have arrived and my flying budget will be $1,000 per month. I already have the cash to purchase the airplane. I just need to make sure my wife is fixed for life because I don't expect to be here for too many more years. We'll see.

If my ONC can send $250,000 cash to Tesla for their new Roadster due out in 2020, I think I can send $5,000 to Vashon. The obvious risk is they go under before I get my airplane.

Vashon has already done the testing to certify the current Ranger for an additional 100 pounds when and if the LSA weight limit is increased.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Looking forward to seeing it!

I just transferred funds from money market to checking to cover check. They don't want a credit card payment. Waiting on email with the required forms, etc. She's also sending me more documentation on the airplane including weight and balance. I want to see if the CG limits will allow 100 pounds baggage with pilot and no passenger.

Word on the street is that there is a new clean sheet engine being designed for this aircraft. Supposedly 30% more power and half the price. Possibly called “Olga”?
See at http://www.epi-eng.com/aircraft_engine_ ... engine.htm.
Test runs are on youtube.
Absolute game changer if true.

Just checked CG with just me and 77 pounds baggage. Not a problem even if loaded in the aft baggage area.

EDIT: I just did some scenarios with 100 pounds of baggage (assumes I lose 23 pounds) and even with that, I didn't exceed the rear CG limit with all the baggage in the aft baggage area until I used about 10 gallons of fuel. If I put 50 pounds in the baggage area and 50 pounds in the aft baggage area, I don't exceed aft CG even with zero usable fuel in the tanks.

TimTaylor wrote:Just checked CG with just me and 77 pounds baggage. Not a problem even if loaded in the aft baggage area.

EDIT: I just did some scenarios with 100 pounds of baggage (assumes I lose 23 pounds) and even with that, I didn't exceed the rear CG limit with all the baggage in the aft baggage area until I used about 10 gallons of fuel. If I put 50 pounds in the baggage area and 50 pounds in the aft baggage area, I don't exceed aft CG even with zero usable fuel in the tanks.

EDIT 2: At my current weight of 200 pounds and with 77 pounds of baggage in the aft baggage area, I don't exceed the reward CG all the way down to zero usable fuel. So, as long as I don't go over 1320 pounds total, there is no way I can get out of CG. That's good to know.

Type47 wrote:Word on the street is that there is a new clean sheet engine being designed for this aircraft. Supposedly 30% more power and half the price. Possibly called “Olga”?
See at http://www.epi-eng.com/aircraft_engine_ ... engine.htm.
Test runs are on youtube.
Absolute game changer if true.

Wouldn't surprise me if it's true.

I know EPI and Jack Kane well. I was working with them back when I owned my Rotorway experimental helicopter between 2007 to 2009. I was converting it with a Solar turbine engine and EPI was designing a gearbox for the turbine. His company is nothing short of amazing in what they do. Being that Vashon and EPI are both in Washington state about 200 miles apart this "marriage" so to speak makes sense if it's true.

The price of an aircraft engine is so high because with such small quantities being sold, the only way to recover the cost ( and hopefully make a profit ) is to jack up the price - so I am not sure how can they offer a new engine at half the price unless it is some kind of automotive conversion or their R&D budget was tiny to begin with ....

Hey -- the big advantage is the new engine is projected to be 13lbs lighter than an O-200D

dstclair wrote:Hey -- the big advantage is the new engine is projected to be 13lbs lighter than an O-200D

Is that enough to get excited about? As usual, I have developed cold feet. Not sure if I'm going to mail my check or not. Stay tuned. This happens everytime I try to buy something expensive. My practical/prudent self gets in an argument with my emotional self.

Fully refundable,. Send the check!

Yeah, send the check ... when I was buying my plane, I was going back and further on daily basis but ultimately it was the “ f*** it, I cant take any money with me when I am gone so may as well enjoy it while I am still around” argument that won the day

Warmi wrote:The price of an aircraft engine is so high because with such small quantities being sold, the only way to recover the cost ( and hopefully make a profit ) is to jack up the price - so I am not sure how can they offer a new engine at half the price unless it is some kind of automotive conversion or their R&D budget was tiny to begin with ....

John Torode, the Founder of Dynon and the driving force/money behind the Ranger, is obsessed with lowering the amount of labor involved in building the aircraft. If he does the same thing for engine building that he has done with the airframe, he will achieve the first real assembly-line built airplane. Up until now, all other airplanes resemble hand built prototypes. He is trying to get the price low enough to induce high sales volume. His waiting list to buy and ramping up of production with the Ranger makes it look like he will succeed.
It appears that the airplane was ready before the engine. This explains the somewhat perplexing choice of Conti engine.
Also, remember that he hasn’t been promising this airplane for 5 years while touring the world with babes and high priced productions all the while adding the costs onto the price of the promised airplane. Instead, he kept it quiet and invested in equipment and tooling until he had a real airplane to sell.