Where to begin...

[FlyAdventure]

Hi All,

 

So after a long time of procrastination I have finally kicked off my RAAus training and into my 5th hour at this time. It's an interesting process of getting embedded into the aviation community without having that foot in the door can be challenging. I have been meeting some great people and no doubt as my rookie knowledge turns to experience I will find my place.

 

My goal is to go on to do my cross country rating and start exploring. I am toying with ideas of either building a kit plane like the Bushcat, Zenith 750 or buying something used like the SkyFox Gazelle but time and cost will dictate the pathway. The idea is to travel Aus and see it from a different perspective. I already tour regularly and have seen some awesome places and this is an extension of that adventure.

 

So... that's me in a nutshell.

 

 

[Thruster88]

Welcome FlyAdventure

 

Buying a used gazelle etc would be the cheapest and obviously quick way into to a flying machine.

 

Enjoy and always maintain your airspeed at all times.

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi All,So after a long time of procrastination I have finally kicked off my RAAus training and into my 5th hour at this time. It's an interesting process of getting embedded into the aviation community without having that foot in the door can be challenging. I have been meeting some great people and no doubt as my rookie knowledge turns to experience I will find my place.

 

My goal is to go on to do my cross country rating and start exploring. I am toying with ideas of either building a kit plane like the Bushcat, Zenith 750 or buying something used like the SkyFox Gazelle but time and cost will dictate the pathway. The idea is to travel Aus and see it from a different perspective. I already tour regularly and have seen some awesome places and this is an extension of that adventure.

 

So... that's me in a nutshell.

Hi Flyadventure,

 

Good to hear you are going well with your flying.

 

Just something to note - I used to own a Gazelle and they are great aeroplanes, the only real drawback is their limited endurance. They have about 52 litres usable fuel, so assuming 5000 revs cruise that will give you around 3.25 hours plus the now-mandatory 30 mins reserve. So probably not the best plane for long cross country exploring. Probably better would be the Zenith, Bushcat or Savannah with long-range tanks.

 

But it is early days yet! Enjoy your training, learn as much as you can, and then maybe try a few different planes before making any purchasing decisions. There are loads of different factors involved in making that buy/build decision!

 

Cheers,

 

Neil

 

 

[FlyAdventure]

Hi Neil,

 

Thanks heaps for that advice. So many things to consider and as you point out early days. As I get closer to the purchase time I hope to gather more experience in the different types. Hopefully as well with the long awaited MTOW increase new options will open up as well.

 

Gav

 

 

[Hargraves]

Welcom fly adventure, re aircraft types the main point to remember for our aircraft category at present is one pax or 80-90 kg of luggage. Not both. For touring our country this is a Major disadvantage that either means you need lots of money or be prepared to (very) rough it. Soake up all the training and information you can eh. Cheers and good luck, Hargraves

 

 

[danny_galaga]

If you go the kit route bear in mind there can be long lead time from placing the order to receiving the kit. Mine took long enough that we started doing other things (like buying a property) and now that it has arrived I’m finding it hard to get started. If you can mentally write off say four months and not worry about it that would be a handy skill to have!

 

 

[FlyAdventure]

If you go the kit route bear in mind there can be long lead time from placing the order to receiving the kit. Mine took long enough that we started doing other things (like buying a property) and now that it has arrived I’m finding it hard to get started. If you can mentally write off say four months and not worry about it that would be a handy skill to have!

Thanks for the insight Danny, depending on the kit I realise there is a big time commitment to be considered. I think as things move along though the direction I will take will become more evident. What kit did you end up with?

 

Gav

 

 

[danny_galaga]

Oh I didn’t even mean the build time, just the wait for the kit to actually arrive!

 

I went with a Bushcat which should be a pretty quick build

 

 

[FlyAdventure]

Oh I didn’t even mean the build time, just the wait for the kit to actually arrive!I went with a Bushcat which should be a pretty quick build

Understood, the lead time on the kit is a consideration. I must admit I like the bushcat and it seems to be developing a good following. Hope you will keep us posted on your build when you do get round to it. I would be interested to know how it goes.

 

gav