Slow, painful death of aircraft

[Joninmoz]

Hi Guys,

At least some of the microlights standing in hangers belong to guys like me who work outside South Africa. I have a brand new Raptor (50 hours on the clock) standing in a hanger in SA while I work in Gambia (west Africa).

I only go home about four times a year and them fly as much as I can. Every time I get back and see my dusty, dirtly plane parked in the hanger I feel sad

Anyway, I will start building my hanger up here shortly. I will be flying from Banjul International Airport - the only airport in the country. Once my hanger is finnished I will be shipping my microlight up here early next year. I can 't wait.

Cheers

[DieselFan]

Well I hope the rest are like you Joninmoz. As far as boast material goes, I don't think you can boast with a ball of dust.

I like Rv4kers, suggestions...currently I had a list of family and friends who want to fly! One bite and you're hooked (tm)

[Henni]

Hi Joninmoz,

Wow, operating your microlight from an international airport! With all the runway you can ever desire! I can only dream...

Anyway, sorry to hear that you have to spend so much time away from your favourite hobby. I really hope that you would be able to fly on a regular basis again quite soon.

I spent a while working in Botswana. I then decided to bring my microlight over to my workplace.

Boy, what sorts of questions I had to answer in my application to do so. In the end I could not prove that I'm not going to use it for smuggling or other illegal purposes & just left it at that. I know the feeling of having something to fly with, but not being able to fly it. Not a good one.

All the best,

Henni

[janpetcc]

If I don't see my trike at least once a week a have to go see the doc. sick or something.

[Mogas]

Howzit joninmoz
Nice to see a post!
Wishing you the best on a sucessfull trike move and hope to see some pics from that part of Africa. If it happens and you are planeless in SA you are welcome to fly with me if we are home at the same time.
Cheers
Rick

[Smiley]

Yip, same story at Springs. A lot of aeries just standing in the hangers "rusting" away. It's sad!!!

Some pilots who don't own an aerie would love to have one and fly as much as possible, and the guys who own it hide them away...? Maybe they forgot how privelaged they are....?

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Don't know how the ML setup (trikes specifically) works, but are there guys out there who "let" others fly their aeries to keep them running without the other party owning a share? I used to let a couple fly mine until the insurance co stopped it. I assume insurance is a much bigger problem in ML circles than bliks due to cost?

I new a farmer who had an expensive blik he used less than 10 hrs a year so let a couple of the locals fly it at cost to keep engine running to get it near the 100hrs a year mark. Obviously if abused it does not work, but an annual MPI of R20K is easier to justify if the aerie flies more than 5 hrs a year..... Aeries do not like to stand for months on end....

Would be nice to know guys intentions are who own these hangar queens? (eg. Owned aerie as it a good tax write off in business and if I sell it it will cause recouplment or I like to say I own an aerie or what?)...

[Tumbleweed]

Time to send out bogus notices to either fly within 60 days, submit time scale of building completion or loose rights to hangars.

Followed by a discounted rate by instructors to upgrade / re-test expired licence holders,

Followed by an advert of a 'Dop 'n chop Vandiesie - cash - no reserve.

[ICEMAN]

Still in line with the topic, ie death of an aircraft, but not MPL related, i recently flew out of an airport called Cathambela (i think thats the right spelling) in Angola,, west coast just below the Port of Lobito..... as we got airbourne and had a better sight of the airport from above, i saw approx 30 Mig 21`s, each standing in individual sand bunkers, and slowly being destroyed by the african sun... didnt look as if any of them had moved in 10 years.

Two were in pristine condition parked outside the tower, the rest (approx 30 ish) just rotting and decaying away.

What a waste as im sure that many of them could be salvaged or refirbished.... unfortunately (perhaps luckily) i didnt have enough time to get my camera out.

[Joninmoz]

Hi,

I will defnitely have to answer lots of questions about the microlight and why I want to fly it here in Gambia but luckily there were a couple of trikes flying from here in the past (Brit registered) so its not all new to the local CAA. At the moment there is a C42 Ikarus and a Thruster based at the airport. The Thruster is old and covered in dust - I certainly will not fly in it. The Ikarus is well maintained and is AP'ed anualy by a British inspector.

Rick, thanks for the offer. I am quite jealous of you - seeing your flying pictures and all!!

I am flying to SA on 19 June - so I will get in as many hours as I possibly can while I am at home.

Cheers

[Redeye]

I have just done a bit of a flying trip through rural France- Its amazing to see the level of suport there- The flying clubs own PPL planes,gliders and micros - The members can use these planes at costs way under owning and hangering the planes them selves- The homebuilders get fantastic suport with workshops- tech peaple to asist etc- To use the workshop facilities they pay 10 euro per day when they are working- The homebuilder asosiation buys materials in bulk and passes on the savings- there are jigs for enjine mounts wing ribs spars etc.

To see these guys all biulding and flying in a suportive club enviroment is amazing- evey weekend is a happy time for them- I dont see why it couldnt work here but they do get some state suport- eg- Instructrs working in a club have their tax paid by the govement-

Where ever we landed the boys were active and having fun and I didnt see any planes gathering dust - we landed at over 20 fields some the size of Grand Central and some just a farmers strip with a few planes

[rooikat]

Ja, went flying in a Falke at Potch this weekend. Syndicate-owned aerie so she gets flown every weekend by both syndicate members and glider pilots wanting to hone skills.

Later, took a walk across to the glider hangers where I found a sad, neglected Super Dimona motorglider, thick with dust and cabin full of *stuff*. It's criminal to treat any aeroplane that way. It's a disgrace.

I'm not one for anthropomorphising machines but to see these unloved aircraft, my heart breaks for them.

And in this regard, GA and microflying in SA is its own worst enemy when trying to persaude government not to close/RDP airfields. They probably look at this wastage and reckon the whiteys have it way too easy and don't give a toss about their aeroplanes anyway.

We can learn a lot from the French and the Czechs and any one of a dozen European countries where GA is thriving despite high costs, restricted and congested airspace etc etc.

Redcat

[Barnstormer]

[quote="DieselFan"]Poetic words aside...

It interesting to see this is not an isolated thing.

I know of a few guys who rent to fly purely cause they can't find a cheap microlight. The vast majority of microlight pilots aren't wealthy or have their own businesses. We need to pass these aeries on to others.

It also becomes a serious problem for new pilots, not having hangar space.

DF

This is SOOOOOO true!

I have spoken to guys who own a plane they only imagine to fly. When asked if they want to sell, they make ludecrous prices. When asked if they plan to fly again, they reply with plans of how their sons may one day want to or how they will probably one day get the aerie in the air again. Meanwhile, the engine hasn't been started in over eight years and they don't even have a clue of all the problems that poses.

I get the idea that some of these gentlemen only want the hanger space to store their junk in. (files, furniture etc.)

Personally, I also agree with the statement that the clubs are not promoting flying and that instuctors are not motivated to get more guys involved, they are rather penalised with higher fees.