Newbie advice wanted please

[extra300s]

Hi All

Just joined the group and believe that this will be a good starting base for one day fly/own a microlight trike. I already got in contact with two group members today and have been pointed to the closest club which is Morning Star. I live in Durbanville so that is not to far.

I just have a few questions for now - Do I need to do all my training through a training school? The only one I know of is Aerosport at Fisantekraal.

Once I obtain my MPL license will I need to buy my own plane immediately if I want to go for a flight over the weekend with my wife, or is it still possible and feasible to hire one for the time required?

I was just born with this big passion and interest in aeroplanes. Tried putting the need of full scale flying behind me but it just does not go away. Tried to enroll in the air force after school, then again after college to no avail. And also spoke to the wrong people always putting me off by just giving my the big financial

Struck me the other day that trike flying is my best chance

Thanks
Karl Daschner

[nicow]

Karl
Welcome to the forum.
You must do your training through an instructor,and from a training school.
Normaly they let you use/rent their trikes after your training if you dont have your own by then.

[Wargames]

Hi extra300s,

Welcome to the forum!! I'm flying from morning star, and what a coincidence that I too live in Durbanville.

I'll PM you my phone number to you.

Aerosport is a great place to go and do your training. They have planes available, and if you train through them and get your licence, you can then also hire and fly on the plane that you trained on. Great isn't it??

Give me a buzz, and we can talk a bit.

Regards,

[Oddball]

Hi there Karl,

Don't let the financial stuff put you off- it is expensive, but if you look at the lump sums and try to figure it all out you may never get started. When I started my PPL in 1990 I certainly did not have enough money to get a licence but a mate of mine said, "just go and take your first lesson and then you'll find the money." And I did. Not smoothly- it took me 4 years to get my PPL and I couldn't fly as often as I wanted to, but eventually, when I had some cash and could buy a trike (many years later), I had a lot of experience gained over time. That experience has stood me in good stead, so just keep chipping away and you'll get what you want.

I can tell you that flying trike amongst the people that you will get to meet, is a much nicer experience than trying to hob-nob it with the wanna be commercial pilots that you tend to find in PPL schools. Don't let Comm or PPL types put you off flying trikes- you'll learn a lot about flying in these machines, and you'll have a LOT more fun. Some of these 'real' pilots will pooh-pooh the microlight licence, but I have been finding a lot of respect for what we do from well known pilots like Scully Levin, Larry Beamish, Brad Bennets, Ian Billing and the like, so feel proud to be aiming at flying the motorbike of the skies.

Oddball

[extra300s]

Thanks fo the help guys. Feel like I got more clarity and good understanding to where to start. Looking forward to this. Karl

[Bacchus]

Hi there.
You can also train at WINTERVOGEL with either Trygve or Graham. Contact HARLEQUIN on this forum for more details. Great bunch of guys at wintervogel, but there is also nothing wrong with training at Fisantekraal.

[Gyronaut]

Hi Karl and Welcome!

I'll take you for a Gyro flight from Fisantekraal sometime if you like. While you're checking out all the options, it would be just wrong if you weren't introduced to the world of Gyro's. Yes, more expensive but still a helluva lot cheeper (and safer) than any other aircraft.

Aerosport at Fisantekraal can train you on Trikes and Gyro's. I think there is trike training from Morningstar and Wintervogel but am not sure.

Like Oddball I bit the bullet in 1990 and went for a Helicopter PPL... cost the earth, had a jorl, (looked down on MPL/GPL boys..) then gave up flying helo's because they just cost too damn much... dont care how much money you have to waste. Discovered Gyro's and BINGO. Affordable rotorwing flight!

Not trying to steal the Trike's thunder at all but am simply offering you another perspective to consider, doubles the number of flyable days in the Cape.

Rgds

[extra300s]

Hi there Jetranger

Really appreciate the offer... Helicopters or gyro copters have just never appealed to me in such a way that fixed wing aircraft does. Not fond of the idea that an engine is responsible for keeping the aircraft in the air. I know that one can auto rotate them by pushing the blades at a certain angle, but they come down slightly faster than a fixed wind. Well this is at least my perception of above.

Thanks for the offer once again Jetranger. If I do get to train at Fisantekraal I'll definitely come say hi and check your machine out.

Cheers

[Harlequin]

300.
You have a PM.
Graham

[andreb]

Karl

Welcome to the forum. I am not going to add to the advice given, but will tell you one thing. Flying Microlights you will meet some of the nicest and most decent people around. It is a brotherhood and fraternity bar none.
Hope to see you in the sky!

Andre

[extra300s]

Thanks Andre, thats good to know. Still to meet the guys down here in person. Will post once I got into the air/or start training.

Karl

[Gyronaut]

You're welcome Extra300s

Look forward to meeting you there.

Not fond of the idea that an engine is responsible for keeping the aircraft in the air. I know that one can auto rotate them by pushing the blades at a certain angle, but they come down slightly faster than a fixed wing.

Um, trikes and most aircraft have an engine that are responsible for keeping them in the air. Yes, autorotation is what glides a rotorwing to the ground, a state that only a Gyro is constantly in. Autorotation that is, so its not the engine that drives the rotor, rather the engine that provides the thrust then the wind provides the drag against the slow moving inner portion of the wing and lift is generated by the fast moving outer portion of the wing. This keeps the rotor turning and the gyro flying. In a freewheel state. While it is true that the glideslope may be steeper in a gyro than some trikes/fixed wings, never forget that a gyro cannot stall and can thus be landed with zero forward speed while it still has immense wingspeed, unlike any fixed/flex wing that cannot fly (or land) slower than its stall speed. Also the high wing loading (wing speed = learjet's) allows us to fly in much more turbulance and wind than a fixed wing is comfortable or safe with.

Forgive my rattling on but I am very keen on Gyro's in general and feel the more informed you are the better decisions you take. In the end its about why some of us drive toyota's and others merc's. Horses for courses and fitness for purpose.

I echo that you would go a long way to meet a nicer bunch of guys than microlight aviators!

Rgds

[Byron]

hey 300,

I found this site when I started looking at taking lessons. May answer some of your questions.
http://www.otto.co.za/micro/micro1.htm