Microlighters

I have been a microlighter for a few years now. I love flying and all the people doing it. But over the last few years I have seen people ripping micriolight pilots off wherever they can. This ranges from aircraft spares (RATTAX) all the way to finding places that sells spares all the way through to the fees charged by RAASA to stay legal.

1. I have two aircraft's. The fees charged by RAASA to keep these in the air combined with licensing fees I need to pay every second year is killing me. This excludes the fees I need to pay the flight instructor, which in my opinion is the only guy that deserves his fees. And to be honest I just don't see the value. Getting a magazine once a year doesn't cut it. And RAASA please don't call me again to explain I am simply making a statement here that you are not reasonable.

2. I went to the authorized Rotax supplier last week to buy spares for a starter. Two brushes were needed. I was shocked to learn that two brushes for a starter motor is a R1000-00. Yes that's correct no typos there. For a normal car you re looking to pay between R50-00 and R120-00 for a kit. These guys charge R1000-00 for 2. So do you think I bought it from them or made another plan... well I am definitely not going to support them!

3. So today I went to Lanseria to buy some AN bolts. Just to enter gate six I had to pay R10-00 for a permit, for no reason at all. Just to walk in there. To create jobs for two security guards to write permits all day long. To top it off the service I received was so bad that I ended up going to Rand. Placo had a non interested attitude, and it felt like I should rather go. So eventually went to Bearing international which are now importing rose joints for me. With import duties not half the price that I will pay at any other aircraft spares place, and yes they are still AN standards.

Is it just me or are people taking the piss with us? Why are we allowing this? Why haven't we done our homework already and changed engines? I know there are some projects, how's the progress on these? What the above people don't realize is eventually people will start flying illegally as flying legally will just be too expensive. It's ridiculous as it is. Parts being ridiculously expensive, will cause people to take short cuts and eventually they might kill themselves. On who's hand will their blood be? More and more people will give up flying due to this reason and eventually your golden pot will run dry up anyway. Why are you doing this, why are you squeezing every cent out of people not thinking long term? Bigger picture? Or are you simply jumping on the bandwagon our president is on and collect where you can with a very short term view? I wish we can stand together like we do with the E-Tolls so we can stop these people from killing us with their fees.

Guys your business model is not sustainable. You are in this game for the wrong reasons. Not for the love of free flight, but the love of money. We need people who will fight for us and for our sport to prosper and grow, not someone who just get more and more creative with their collection efforts.

To those who truly promote free flight and are not in this game purely for the money, well done! We need more people like you.

Hi Nacho
Just for interest sake, how much does Raasa charge for a 2 year license renewal? I need to get my renewal done within this week.

R580?

German wrote:R580?

Yes, did mine about 3 weeks ago.

Monopolies are the backbone of SA's economy.

You "feeling ripped off"?....Natcho....we most definitely ARE.

It also doesn't help when the rand free falls....look where it was 3 years ago.

RAASA stats from recent years indicate we are losing 3-5 trike pilots a month....simply not renewing their WCM licenses.... and giving up the sport or moving up to 3 axis....where I believe there is better value for money in comparison.

I'd love to know how many brand new trikes have come into the SA register over the last 5 years? My guess is you can count them on one hand, and it is almost solely because of the lack of a cost effective and alternate powerplant. There are also very few youngsters seriously taking up the sport. The cost of living is just too high for these young pilots to have a hobby going at the same time. When you are paying upwards of R260K for a new entry level trike, it explains a lot..... Rotax could not give two hoots about the local trike market which is just about entirely dependant on the two stroke versions....market dwindling both here and internationally and being phased out in any event.

We all feel the same as you. Coming up on 600hrs ourselves now for DBP....this could cost us up to R40K or more if we have major issues to deal with....Crank, top end OH, etc etc.... That on a plane we would probably struggle to sell for R70k! When the cost begins to outweigh the "value" we get from the passion we may be forced to give up too. Sad state of affairs.

Bundy, those stats that you mention are schocking too say the least!
I consider myself one of the 3-5 pilots per month. Organisations and associations just keep on pushing up prices and creating prices for "services" everywhere.
Hence why i sold my cobra. The feesability study just did not add up for me in the end. Also what you mentioned is true. For young pilots, its becoming more impossible to have that extra cash available to be spent on hobbies. Same with me again. Cost of living is sky rocketing and at one stage you have to prioritise what is more important. The ability to pay of some kind of bond, or flying. Flying i'm sure will always come second in this case.

So in order for me to have a renewal in my license booklet, i will be spending:

R1000 -00 Instructor and 1hr of flying "wet"
R580-00 for Raasa (dont know if this is aeroclub included)
R200-00 fuel for travel to airfield and RAASA, and not even including this damn e-trolls!

R1900 for a small "papiertjie" in my booklet.
Jeepers!

So where does this leave us? What do we do from here? I am not going to stop flying that's for sure. Do I fly under the radar now, cause I, like many others can simply not afford this anymore...

BTW - Triker, I am sure that excludes Aeroclub fees. And guess what, you can't do ANYTHING without paying for Aueroclub as well. So once again, we are forced to pay.

Die hele storie maak my bef@k!

Triker wrote:R580-00 for Raasa (dont know if this is aeroclub included)!

No, it is not.

True that and what does aeroclub and misasa do for us anyway to justify the anual fees

So in order for me to have a renewal in my license booklet, i will be spending:

R1000 -00 Instructor and 1hr of flying "wet"
R580-00 for Raasa (dont know if this is aeroclub included)
R200-00 fuel for travel to airfield and RAASA, and not even including this damn e-trolls!

R1900 for a small "papiertjie" in my booklet.
Jeepers!

A little more than that I'm afraid.....

Off the top of my head...(Approximate Costs)

Admin Costs (Trike and Pilot):

Annual Inspection by AP (WCM) R1000
ATF Fee RAASA: R 200
Bi Annual Licence revalidation (dual with instructor) R900
Annual Licence fee RAASA: R 290
Medical Class 4 (every 60 months) R 1200.00
Annual AeCSA Fee : R350.00
Annual Misasa Fee: R 390.00
Annual Radio Licence Fee: R140.00

If we divide the bi annual etc fees above accordingly we get to an Annual Total Cost of approximately... R 3060


So in other words, it costs about R255.00 a month to stay current. (one rating, one aircraft )

To be honest I don't think these costs are what is killing the sport....hell... I spend more than that on an evening in the pub!

The problems lie far deeper than that and we have touched on some of them previously.
At the end of the day, flying is a luxury... like golf, sailing, scuba diving etc etc. In the old days it was probably a "more affordable" luxury than now. Don't know...I wasn't here.

I do know though that it is not going to get any more affordable anytime soon for most of us....Flying "under the radar" is not a solution, and many do despite the risk and consequences. Each to their own I guess....

It took me 20 years to realise a childhood dream.... and no matter what the cost... I will not give that up easily. I will fly for as long as I am financially and medically fit to do so. Even if I have to drive my trusty KB bakkie for another 200000 clicks!

Let’s ad to the list: (month expences)
Insurance R300 (minimum)
Hanger space R600
Depreciation on R100,000 over 10 years = R800
4 hours flying @ R250/ hour
Total of R2700 plus the Bundy’s R255 + R50 (I have to do my medical every year)
And you end up with R3000…..and please don’t let there be a little oops to fix!!

See why I had to let go of my licence and lifelong dream?

Sheesh....dis geen wonder ek is so diep innie K@K....

The "Minister of Finances" must never read this thread!

no more fun, get a powered hang glider !

Ja mense...........what makes/causes people to want to fly ? The same "thing" inside us that makes us want to fly, will by all and any means find a way to keep us flying Just a pity that a bunch of enterprising individuals found a way to really make us pay for that privelege
Jean.

I have been hiring and flying since I got my license…probably 5 years ago. I still enjoy my one hour flying a month but I will never be a skilled pilot by only flying only one hour a month. We fly for fun, we will easily fly less just to keep on flying; I wish that the people that rip aircraft owners off will start to look beyond the money that lay on the table in front of them for overpriced parts.