----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Ralph - You're very correct about being concerned as to which of the LSA manufacturers will be in the game for the long pull. However, remember how limited sport pilots are. An RV-6 or a C-182 is out of their realm. The new airplanes are just that; new. Many if not most people prefer new things over used, if they can afford the new. Also, even though we're considering adding an Ercoupe to our training/rental fleet for sport pilot use, I really question if an Ercoupe will stand up to the abuse and use of training/rental operations. But, since the investment in one isn't huge, if we get one, we'll soon find out. We have an Aeronca Champ in use now, and it's in the shop a lot for the little age related things like cylinders, the old brakes, etc. that a new airplane wouldn't be. For me, I prefer the all metal LSAs, like Tecnam and Aerostar Festival. I'm not a fan of composite airplanes in general for rental/training - too hard to fix the inevitable dings and dents. I personally see most of the more expensive LSAs, like Tecnam, etc. being used in training/rental, where they can return a dollar or two on the investment. For private use, my guess is that many sport pilots will opt for the cheaper offerings from Heinz, like the 601, or the stuff from Rans. To me, it's ugly and crude, but it's an airplane that fits a need. There has been some talk that only about 80 sport pilot certificates have been issued. But, given that there are so few flight schools yet in the program, and so few sport examiners, it's no wonder. Still, no number of sport pilot certificates counts people like me, a CFII, single, multi airplane, helicopter and glider, who is now exercising sport pilot privileges even though we have higher certificates in our pockets. Jerry E. -----Original Message----- From: Ralph Finch [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:51 AM To: 'Ercoupe Hangar Flying' Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] LSA ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- Another thought on the LSA theme. How many of the SLSA airplane manufacturers--or their USA outlets--will be around a few years from now? Parts? Manuals? A lot of these are composites--how many IA's know how to work on those? At least our worthy Coupes have a couple of suppliers of new parts, and even IA's that don't know Coupes know how to work on aluminum and fabric. For $80K or more, one can buy a good Van's RV-6A (twice the speed of a Coupe), or a good C-182 (twice the payload), and so on. I just can't see the benefits of a new SLSA justifying the cost. Ralph ============================================================================ == To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
