Rainbow Aircraft Cheetah XLS

Hi All,

Looking at buying this http://aviationadvertiser.com.au/detail.php?id=4537

It ticks all the boxes for a rank beginner such as myself ie : 2 seater I can continue my training in

Low Hours

Four Stroke

It's actually IN WA !

Sharp price .

I did some homework on performance , fuel consumption , reviews etc & still keen .

BUT when I went and looked at it I see the MTOW sticker has been changed to 450kgs despite being certified

in South Africa (where it is made) , US & Canada to 560kgs MTOW (see below)

http://www.aerotrike.co.za/cheetah/Specifications/specifications.html

Can anyone offer a simple explanation or possible solution ?

Cheers

Troy

Rep it might be worth you having a read through this long and sometimes confusing thread. http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/weight-restricted-mtow.146671/

If I were you I would NOT buy it expecting the higher MTOW, if you were happy with the lower weight then by all means consider it but from what I have read if you want it back to 560kg make sure it is done BEFORE you commit to buying it.

I looked at this one and decided it couldn't be put back up. The price reflects that, it has come down a long way since I looked at it.

The silly thing is that most of my flying is alone so it would have probably suited me.

Biggest problem that I had whilst looking was getting a suitable carrying capacity.

Further to that, I just had a quick look at the add and while I am not an expert I noticed it has a jab 2200 which has only done 110 hours in the last 7 years which works out to about 15 hours a year. So that means it has spent a lot of time not running and it is doing that in a coastal town which screams rust related engine problems to me.

Of course this is all only assumptions but it would be worth asking the owner if he has inhibited the engine, his answer to that question would tell you a lot about whether it has been stored correctly or not. Even if it had been inhibited properly each time it was left unrun for a while it would still be worth getting a good L2 to have a look at it for you with a nice bores cope just to ensure no nasty surprises were waiting to catch you out.

Thanks guys.

MTOW is not a deal breaker for me . I would just prefer more versatility .

Independent engine exam and flight test are a prerequisite :-)

I have also enquired about the plane, I am waiting to see a copy of the maintenance logs before I proceed any further.

Further to that, I just had a quick look at the add and while I am not an expert I noticed it has a jab 2200 which has only done 110 hours in the last 7 years which works out to about 15 hours a year.

Looks quite nice. Shame about the weight.....

It's been for sale for quite a long time. The price looks good for what it is....

Ideal for what I call "CTAF flyers". Those that basically just fly for a half hour or so around the CTAF once or twice a week.......

There's been some discussion of the Cheetah XLS here before:

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/skyranger-swift-nynja-vs-bushcat-cheetah-xls.120396/

I like that arm rest.