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Is the Drifter Group still active?


Mike b

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Is the Drifter group still active? Seems most posts are years old, like me, or I’m probably doing something wrong.........I’ve got a Fisher Drifter and I like reading the old posts.....

 

 

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Is the Drifter group still active? Seems most posts are years old, like me, or I’m probably doing something wrong.........I’ve got a Fisher Drifter and I like reading the old posts.....

It probably wouldn't take too much to fire it up again.

 

 

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Is the Drifter group still active? Seems most posts are years old, like me, or I’m probably doing something wrong.........I’ve got a Fisher Drifter and I like reading the old posts.....

AS active as you choose to make it!!!!......Franco.  002_wave.gif.38b2eb11a61bb4711f0b1477404692bd.gif

 

 

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I'm  a bit surprised as well....As there still continues to be interest in the design and active flyers worldwide.

 

From memory, a few very old threads covering the topic of re manufacture mentioned alot of fabricated parts required and the labour out weighing potential sales costs.

 

The only way I can see it made new is in a lower labour cost country under "special" low taxation rules devoid of import/export tariffs. I have a few ideas on that.

 

Ideally with a 4 stroke engine, which I think is possible in this day and age, matching cost, power and weight requirements.(even electric?)

 

I believe the manufacturing rights are held by an Australian company and they are pretty much just sitting on it?

 

 

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Interest must have waned,i can't understand how such a simple plane isn't offered as a put together kit,or is it?

colin

One can buy a very very good Drifter or Thruster for only 10-15k now, so thats where the market is. A kit would have 9k in just the 582 and prop.  A 582 with rotax's e-tec would be as reliable and economical as any engine on the market, only available in snowmobiles atm.

 

 

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Give me an electric setup for my Drifter, that can give me the same performance as my current Rotax 503 DCDI, at a cost roughly equivalent to the 503 and keep me in the air for a minimum of 1 hour and I will fit it at the next engine change... At the moment, it looks like my next engine may have to be a Hirth,  

 

3202 2 cycle 55hp  

 

or the, 3203 2 cycle 65hp both engines are free to air or fan cooled!

 

Franco.

 

 

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Give me an electric setup for my Drifter, that can give me the same performance as my current Rotax 503 DCDI, at a cost roughly equivalent to the 503 and keep me in the air for a minimum of 1 hour and I will fit it at the next engine change... At the moment, it looks like my next engine may have to be a Hirth,  

3202 2 cycle 55hp  

 

or the, 3203 2 cycle 65hp both engines are free to air or fan cooled!

 

Franco.

Aerochute have been working on an Electric model for a while, 30 min flight time. 

 

https://www.aerochute.com.au/aerochute-electric/

 

 

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Aerochute have been working on an Electric model for a while, 30 min flight time. 

https://www.aerochute.com.au/aerochute-electric/

Thank You Mike, I wasn`t aware of it!... Hopefully, there will be electric capable of powering the Drifter before I get to old to use it!!!  022_wink.gif.9d61fed85ccaec4ccc17040770c5c601.gif  ... Seriously though, I would go electric!.......Franco.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
Hi all ,looking for some specs on the drifter mainly is there a max front seat limit, thought I'd read it somewhere once but can't find any reference to it anywhere now.

Cheers 

The A503 manual says

 

Minimum front seat weight - 69Kg

 

Maximum front seat weight - 92Kg

 

The A582SB manual says:

 

Minimum front seat weight- 65Kg

 

Maximum front seat weight -95Kg

 

 

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  • 11 months later...

my poor old 582 (3,500 + hours, a lot of them spent chasing sheep and checking bores) has been sold as a basket case due to needing a lot of work, including new skins

 

sold to a consortium of Drifter Drivers, one of them a genius by the name of Manfred.  she's been rebuilt in Boonah and looks like she came out of the factory yesterday

 

as for a Drifter for me?  at this stage the only one I will be in command of is the 6 foot wingspan radio control model I will build - soon !  with electric power no less.....

 

I happen to have a nice little 200 metre landing strip in my back yard, so.....

 

 

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