advice for a novice

[newbie]

Hi

I've been toying with the idea of bying a Microlight for a while, and have finaly decided to take the "plunge". I have some questions.

1)I was thinking of buying a trike/ weight shift ,2 seater, to start with. What would be a good buy and howmuch will I pay.

2)instruction seems to be about R18-20k is this in the schools plane or in the students plane?

3)what am I looking at in on basic plane related equipment eg.helmet flight suit GPS ect

4) Is there someting that I am missing?

thank you guys

[DarkHelmet]

Start training first and get a few hours under the belt. Do not buy outright. First see if it is the thing for you.

Bombard us here with questions and we will endeavour to help you as much as possible!

Whereabouts do you live?

[Blue Angel]

Hi,

You are looking in the region of R460 - R480 per hour with school plane and you supply the Fuel ( Normal unleaded).
Your Theoretical exams are about R150 per subject and there are 6
Radio license about R650- R800
Medical exam R+- 700

Like Dark helmet said, fly first before shopping for your own craft, I bought my own one but standing in the hangar frustrating me becuase I was still doing license.

Enjoy.

[newbie]

Thanks for the input so far

I live in Brakenhust Alburton. I belive there is a flight club further south on the R59.

So what you are saying is that all training will take place in the flight school plane evan if you have a plane of your own?

[Blue Angel]

Hi

As far as I know it is a mission to do it in your own plane, you will have to register it in the flight schools' name (as far as I know), but besides it, I think it is better using the school's plane, safes you the wear and tear.

[Morph]

I live in Brakenhust Alburton. I belive there is a flight club further south on the R59.

Yes there is a flying school out at Circus airfield (Take the Daleside offramp just after the Engen 1-stop). They are right next to the Boswil Wilkie tent hence the name. Speak to Russel

go here for more information

http://microlighters.co.za/viewtopic.php?t=2661

So what you are saying is that all training will take place in the flight school plane evan if you have a plane of your own?

Preferably not. What they are saying is go do a few hours first to get an idea of what you like before making a choice to buy your plane. Then if the training school has available hangarage and if the instructor is rated on your particular plane, get the rest of your training on your plane. for example you might spend R120K on a really nice plane only to discover you don't like or are scared of flying (Believe me this has happened to many before) Alternatively you might buy a nice little 503 powered trike for a bargain price only to discover that it does not have enough power to take you, your mate, your luggage and fuel on that Drakensburg trip you have always dreamt of

My second word of advise. When you go to the training school ask them to give you an introductory flight on a trike and in a 3-axis. Starting on a trike where your goal is actually to fly 3-axis is an expensive option as it will take you at least another 10 hours after you get your MPL to convert to 3-axis and more expensive going from 3-axis to trike because it typically takes longer to go solo on a trike than a 3-axis. Go for a flight in both and start on the type you enjoy most.

[Dre'man]

I sent you a pm, live in Glenvista close to you. If you like give me call.

Don't buy yet, fly first. you will learn what to look for and what to avoid. The forum will also teach you about costs and potential pitfalls.

[Thunderboy]

Agree with the others

Fly a couple hours first at least untill solo before you buy

I bought during my training once I was sure I wanted to fly, you simply register the plane in your name and include training for you as an individual. CAA allows you to do this if you the owner of the plane and it does not cost extra. The insurance companies will also insure your a/c while you train.

Shop around and compare prices as well, look into their policies about what happens if you crash or damage their plane.

Some schools have a package that includes lectures and written exams and the first 25 hours or so

Give yourself time - dont expect to have your license within 3 months it can take up to a year or even 2 depending on what time you have and how good the weather is to you.

The main thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience.

[andreb]

Some advice from someone who recently completed their license.
Do it asap so that you train in the stable winter weather, albeit cold. I did all of my training in summer and lost count of how many lessons were cancelled due to bad weather. Winter also means you will slowly get introduced to the "bumps."
Do the intro flight and then do at least 3 lessons to see if you like it. I almost gave up during my first 2 lessons, but persevered. It is overwhelming at first, especially in a trike.
You can do it as fast or as slow as you want to. My instructors recommended no more than 3 lessons a week in the beginning. This way you will get time to absorb what you have learnt. But I suppose each person and instructor has different views. You may be able to handle more per week. Be aware of the cash flow though.
I bought my plane after I got my wings. Use your instructors plane to put on the training hours.
Don't worry about type of plane, gps, etc yet. Get flying first and get solo. Then start getting advice on buying a plane and accessories. This forum will provide most of the help you need. They did for me!

This is what worked for me. Hope it helps.

[Morph]

Do it asap so that you train in the stable winter weather, albeit cold. ...... Winter also means you will slowly get introduced to the "bumps."

Good idea

You can do it as fast or as slow as you want to.

If I recall you may not do more than 2 hours a day, and believe me you are knackered after two hours of flying. Try not to stretch it out too long either. A month between lessons is a problem because you have to first relearn the last lesson before carrying on. I agree on about 3 per week max in the beginning. The quicker you learn the better IMHO

Be aware of the cash flow though.

This is a problem. If you have to try to scrape a lesson or two per month from your budget you are going to take forever and get frustrated. I would go to a bank and take out a personal loan to the full amount, say R20K. Pay this back over a few years. Now your have all the bucks you need, nothing but the weather and the availability of the instructor/plane stands in your way.

[Tumbleweed]

I trained dual on instructor's trike and after solo, completed on mine. Saved quite a lot.

Have your instructor rate you on as many trikes as possible when submitting licence to save on conversion types later.

[newbie]

So You are rated for different trikes.
How many clases of trikes are there?

[Morph]

You generally get rated by make. In car terms you would have to carry a rating for BMW then a seperate one for VW etc. In certain instances a particular model within the make might have flying characteristics so different from the rest that you would have a specific rating for it, maybe the wing is very small and very advanced etc.

On 3 Axis all Cheetahs for example carry one rating if registered as microlights, irrespective of engine capacity. Challengers used to have two ratings, one for the short wing and one for the long wing but I see these are combined into one now.

So to answer your question about as many as there are different models out there and there are quite a few.

If you can get rated on the various models the flying school offers.

[Thatchman]

HI Newbie

I did my training with Mike Cathro at Panorama airfield just off Klipriver rd. His number is 0829282744.

The problem in training in your own trike is that it needs to be set up for training. That is it must have dual throttle and training bars so that the instructor can hace control.

I would agree that you should start in a school plane and take it from there. Once you are solo which is after about 15 hours you could continue in your own plane which would save some cash.

There are many planes on the market so I would advise you to take your time in buying as it will take you a while to get to know the different planes and decide what you want.

It is not a big deal to get a conversion to a different type of trike to the one you train on.

Good luck. Life only starts now

[Frootbat]

Hallo Newbie,

U R more than welcome this afternoon (after 16:00) to join us 4 a drink & a chat @ Panorama (on you door step)... ..

Regards

Hannes............