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Zenith CH-701 thread


eightyknots

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You might be slightly missing my point or maybe I’m just old enough to remember when things were different. The idea of paying rates, both domestic and hangar was to pay for Council services and facilities, but now it only seems to pay their over-inflated salaries and everything else, we have to pay for. Give them their due, it is not just local government that do that. Registration fees, or as it is called in the UK, Road Fund Tax, was introduced to pay for new roads, but nowadays goes into consolidated revenue and we have to pay tolls on new roads.

It's the same old story, give a tax holiday to the big corporations and wealthy individuals, derek has to pickup the slack. People keep voting for this election after election so its a permanent thing now

 

 

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I'm on the other side of the divide Derek - long evenings like we're getting here at the moment, I look wistfully at the sky and wish my 701 was finished. Don't give up over the costs - yes I know they mount up, but at the end of the day you can't take it with you, and you're living the dream, which not many people get to do.

Can’t argue with any of that. Half of the problem is that I’m not a super confident pilot. I’m not fond of getting bumped about in hot (Qld!) windy conditions and fighting all the way down final. I am getting better though, but none the less a beautiful, cool, smooth morning like today is an absolute pleasure.

 

 

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It's the same old story, give a tax holiday to the big corporations and wealthy individuals, derek has to pickup the slack. People keep voting for this election after election so its a permanent thing now

Trouble with compulsory elections is that one ends up voting for what appears to be the least worst choice! Even though none of them are worth a light.

 

 

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How much are you paying for hangarage at Warick?....I take it you are 1 of 2 or 1 of 3 aircraft in that hangar?. My biggest cost is the hangarage. At Caboolture it can be anywhere bet 220 to 300 a month..just depends if you are in the old hangars or the new ones. The next biggest expense of course is insurance . We dont have any landing fees though...I am really surprised at the Warwick council have that fee

 

 

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About $2,400 per year. My CH701, a Jabiru, a BD4 and two little Ultralight Spitfires. As you say, insurance is the next biggest and then I have an annual sub for the Jeppesen data for the Skyview plus annual class 2 medical and stress echo because I had a heart attack! Add to that SDRC’s extortionate avgas prices and now their intention to levy landing fees, they say that if you fly circuits you will only pay one, but they are imposing these charges on the gliding club also and as you are aware, a glider cannot do a touch and go and of course the tugs do a lot of full stop landings in a day. Not sure how this will be resolved yet but not real happy!

 

 

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Can’t argue with any of that. Half of the problem is that I’m not a super confident pilot. I’m not fond of getting bumped about in hot (Qld!) windy conditions and fighting all the way down final. I am getting better though, but none the less a beautiful, cool, smooth morning like today is an absolute pleasure.

Oh, YES!. Almost all my experience is gliders, and we wouldn't start the day normally until the thermals were starting to pop - essential if you were going to do anything but a slow circuit.. But I used to try to also get the last launch of the day, when the air has flattened to velvet, the sky is a serene darkening blue and the ground is mostly indigo. No lift, of course - you'd bung off the tow at 2K AGL, trim for best L/D (about 60 kts for most gliders) and let the serenity ( thank you, Daryl Kernighan!) just seep through your bones. Land, and taxi the thing up to the hangar door. Worth the launch fee, every time.

 

FWIW, (and I'm NOT trying to bang the Clifton drum here!) - but it's a grass strip so doesn't retain accumulated heat from the day as much as bitumen would. Has a bit of slope to keep you on your toes, but very clean approaches.

 

 

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Derek

 

Its only 30km or so from Warwick to Clifton...I would be chasing some people there. Many a guy at YCAB or KILCOY or even Watts Bridge travel an hour or so each way. Its almost an hr to Kilcoy from my house and before I got the hangar at YCAB I was going to Kilcoy. It was economical sense because its a 120km round trip to Kilcoy and back..fuel and time for 2 to 3 times a month made up well enough for the extra at YCAB and its 7km away

 

 

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Half an hour travel every day would be enough to cause you to not fly on some days just due to the effort of traveling.

 

I don't know the local flying scene up that way but is there any friendly farmers around close that have a suitable area to take off and land? from all accounts the Clifton crowd are great but I do see a half hour travel as a negative especially if you aim to fly super regularly.

 

 

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if you're spending 30 minutes to drive to Clifton, that's an hour out of your day to do the return trip, you are probably better off renting.

Yes, I think it is all the cost of convenience. I like having just a ten minute drive, means that I can be off the ground not long after first light in the Qld Summer without major inconvenience. Another beautiful early morning flight today!

 

 

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Hi Derek,

 

Good to read that your 701 is flying again, mine has just been signed off by the L4 just need to get the paper work away.

 

Regarding your landing fees, don,t accept it, get all the pilots who fly regularly and write a good letter to the council explaining the benefits eg. what the aerodrome brings to the community.

 

We had the same down where I fly, they tried to increase the lease on our club rooms and hanger lease from $1200 a year to $4500 a year. We are only a small club 20 so we told them that if they did not charge us the same $1200 a year we would move out. We now have a 9 year agreement for $1200. Regarding the landing fees, at a council meeting in 2003 they made an agreement not to charge landing fees, then a few years ago I was talking to one of the airport staff when a light plane landed he pulled out a note book and wrote the plane rego down. I asked what he was doing and he said for landing fees. We complained, and not long after that nobody gets charge landing fees except commercial, but it is still in the ERSA which we are disappointed about .Most times it cost the councils more to chase their money for landing fees than what they charge. Maybe all the councils should just cut out the lavish food served up to the councilers elected by the people, on council night let them bring there own jam sandwich and thermus - should save them some money :-)

 

 

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Hi Derek,Good to read that your 701 is flying again, mine has just been signed off by the L4 just need to get the paper work away.

Regarding your landing fees, don,t accept it, get all the pilots who fly regularly and write a good letter to the council explaining the benefits eg. what the aerodrome brings to the community.

 

We had the same down where I fly, they tried to increase the lease on our club rooms and hanger lease from $1200 a year to $4500 a year. We are only a small club 20 so we told them that if they did not charge us the same $1200 a year we would move out. We now have a 9 year agreement for $1200. Regarding the landing fees, at a council meeting in 2003 they made an agreement not to charge landing fees, then a few years ago I was talking to one of the airport staff when a light plane landed he pulled out a note book and wrote the plane rego down. I asked what he was doing and he said for landing fees. We complained, and not long after that nobody gets charge landing fees except commercial, but it is still in the ERSA which we are disappointed about .Most times it cost the councils more to chase their money for landing fees than what they charge. Maybe all the councils should just cut out the lavish food served up to the councilers elected by the people, on council night let them bring there own jam sandwich and thermus - should save them some money :-)

The local group, the Queensland Recreational Aviation Association are fighting it with everything they have. The Council have mounted thousands of dollars worth of video cameras, monitored at the Council offices to record movements. As I said in a previous post, they have put a bloody great chain and padlock on the main gate by the terminal building so visiting pilots cannot be met by car or taxi and would have to climb over the gate. Very, very aviation unfriendly I would say!

 

 

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I sent this Council an email to southern downs regional council re Warwick airstrip - why not I said

 

[email protected]

 

I find it disappointing that your Council has decided to charge landing fees at airstrips – assuming next you will be installing toll gates to local parks, lakes and river banks

 

The aviation economy is at best on shaky ground and needs to be protected and valued by local authorities – in time of need your airstrips will prove useful and a saviour to your Shire

 

Those pilots that use your airstrips are in part the grass roots of aviation - you also receive economic benefit from airstrip assets

 

Please show economic logic and encourage aviation – not discourage it

 

 

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I sent this Council an email to southern downs regional council re Warwick airstrip - why not I said[email protected]

 

I find it disappointing that your Council has decided to charge landing fees at airstrips – assuming next you will be installing toll gates to local parks, lakes and river banks

 

The aviation economy is at best on shaky ground and needs to be protected and valued by local authorities – in time of need your airstrips will prove useful and a saviour to your Shire

 

Those pilots that use your airstrips are in part the grass roots of aviation - you also receive economic benefit from airstrip assets

 

Please show economic logic and encourage aviation – not discourage it

Well said, but I suspect they are deaf and blind as well as stupid!

 

 

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As far as landing fees and council goes we have been pretty lucky here and currently have a good relationship with our council, they did bring up landing fees in one of our meetings with them and we did discuss it for a while and went over all the options. At the end of it after discussing the various options it was agreed by all that if (it isn't something they are planning on at this stage just a discussion of what ifs) council wanted to get some form of landing fees then an honesty box at our terminal area would be the best way.

 

That way no one gets upset and the council doesn't pay any middle man to collect fees. A win win all around. Our council runs a caravan camping spot in a similar fashion and have been extremely happy with how that has been going for them. People are always happier to pay a "donation" than a fee.

 

 

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I sent this Council an email to southern downs regional council re Warwick airstrip - why not I said[email protected]

 

I find it disappointing that your Council has decided to charge landing fees at airstrips – assuming next you will be installing toll gates to local parks, lakes and river banks

 

The aviation economy is at best on shaky ground and needs to be protected and valued by local authorities – in time of need your airstrips will prove useful and a saviour to your Shire

 

Those pilots that use your airstrips are in part the grass roots of aviation - you also receive economic benefit from airstrip assets

 

Please show economic logic and encourage aviation – not discourage it

How did you go with this? Did you get a response??

 

 

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...People are always happier to pay a "donation" than a fee.

The reality is that many people don't pay any donation. For instance, how many people support Ian and Corinna in providing this forum with a $50 First Class Membership, less than $1 per week?

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

Help needed!!!

 

Unless I'm going insane (a distinct possibility), I can't find any mention of the fixed fin in either the plans or the photo guides.

 

Does anyone have any plan of it, or is the builder just supposed to work it out for themselves?

 

Cheers, Marty

 

 

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Hello Marty,

 

I think that the parts you are referring to are 7C6-5 and 7C6-4 Drawing No: 7-C-6.

 

There isn't a lot of detail but probably enough.

 

I hope that this helps, 

 

Maybe you could contact a friend of mine in Oz, Andrew, who built a 701. some years ago. His address: [email protected]

 

I feel sure that he would be happy to help.

 

Kind regards, Michael

 

Zenair CH-701 STOL (2).pdf

 

Zenair CH-701 STOL (2).pdf

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Hello Marty,

I think that the parts you are referring to are 7C6-5 and 7C6-4 Drawing No: 7-C-6.

 

There isn't a lot of detail but probably enough.

 

I hope that this helps, 

 

Maybe you could contact a friend of mine in Oz, Andrew, who built a 701. some years ago. His address: [email protected]

 

I feel sure that he would be happy to help.

 

Kind regards, Michael

 

[ATTACH]37842[/ATTACH]

That's the one!!

 

Thanks Michael, exactly what I needed.  Could have sworn I looked through the plans carefully earlier... must be getting old!

 

 

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