wierd pricing or being shafted

[airborne]

was checking the airborne website enquiring on the price of an XT912 MK2 TUNDRA, with a streak 3 wing- cost=$61827.00 AU

 

did a bit of surfing and checked out the precision wings USA website and downloaded a price list for airborne trikes.

 

the XT912 MK 2 TUNDRA is $56630.62 US this includes freight. (au dollar is 0.9331 US) which converts to $60693.11 .

 

can't understand how a trike and be manufactured here and shipped half way around the world and sold for LESS than it is sold here??

 

have i got my calculations wrong?

 

can anyone shine sone light on the subject?

 

 

[facthunter]

O/Seas price.

 

It's the same with bottles of wine., meat and most things. The overseas customer gets the BEST quality at the smallest price. The makers seem to sacrifice profits to get the extra exposure/sales. The MUGS at home pay more. Nev..

 

 

[airborne]

so much for supporting the local company. dick smith would be proud.

 

three cheers for the local company:clap:

 

 

[BLA82]

Overseas Pricing

 

Hey Guys,

 

I'm not saying this is the case with airborne as I have no idea of the pricing but I am under the understanding that the way our wonderfull government works it makes it easier for companies to ship overseas and cheaper. I know when I was in the boating industries the way the taxes and charges were we could have a boat delivered to US including delivery for cheaper than it was to cover the cost of the Australian taxes and make the same margin. I think that the aussie government needs to stop supporting every other country that brakes a fingernail and cries for help and start supporting local busineses. Local Company's = more jobs=more taxes to them why double dip???

 

 

[facthunter]

Tax effect.

 

The GST is not applied when you export. When you import you will pay an equivalent of the GST on everything (including transport ). Has this been taken into account? Nev..

 

 

[Guest MundooTriker]

I really enjoy trike flying, but at the risk of excommunication, Jabiru offer a basic flyaway (100kt cruise?) for $58,000. Admittedly not as much fun in calm & clear conditions as a XT912 but value for money. . .makes me think about 3 axis. Been looking at Bantam's and possibly drifters as alternatives.

 

Something I certainly admire about the airborne boys, they have stayed in business, producing some great quality products, and get a client base that is not heavily price/value orientated. Many businesses are not that successful. If someone is prepared to pay, they might as well make a profit. (Hurts me to say, because I am a prospective customer) That's business. Good luck to them.

 

 

[airborne]

got a point there mundoo triker

 

a would have thought a lot more materal and time would go into a jab. 58k for a 100kt craft with an enclosed cockpit compared to a 60k trike open cockpit and a cruise speed of 56-60 kts....mmmmmmmmmmm.i_dunno

 

makes you rethink the options a bit

 

 

[facthunter]

Value for money.

 

Funny, I've always been impressed with the workmanship in some of the trikes. A glass aeroplane ,once you have the moulds all worked out seems pretty simple after that. EVEN THE UNDERCARRIAGE LEGS ARE FIBREGLASS. ( I didn't mean to shout that ,I must have hit the caps key. Bet you don't believe me) Nev..

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

You can easily buy a new car for the price of a decent motorbike but try telling a biker that he should have bought a Daewoo (for example) instead !

 

 

[Guest MundooTriker]

:thumb_up:

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

It was for exactly that reason that I ended up adding 3axis. As an owner of an edge X (582) with streak, I just couldnt see the extra value in moving to the 912 based machine. Not to say that there arent significant evolutionary changes.... just that I didnt equate a nearly doubling in cost with them. With the old 582 and a J230 I now have the best of both worlds.

 

Off to hopetoun tomorrow. 1hr:45 in the J230 (225km/hr). 3hr:40 in the trike (100km/hr)for the same journey. At this time of year only the 230 is an option as cant easily arrive and return and spend some time on the gnd in the same day. I'll also take the enclosed cabin as down south no suit is going to cut it after 3hrs+

 

Andy

 

 

[Guest MundooTriker]

Careful Andy,

 

I have a bit of flex with my wing preference,

 

and you shifting the weight to

 

another axis or 3:juggle:

 

 

[Lizzard]

Hi Guys , my first post here, sorry it's a whine but.

 

Been triking since the early eighties and build my own bases ..mostly

 

I recently purchaced 2 uprights and a base bar with 6 new bolts for my wizzard which had corrosion damage to the lower section .Total price , landed in perth over 800 dollars.

 

The holes were not clean, had to be de swarfed and the bright annodised tubes have die marks running their length.

 

It really hard to see how so little material can be so pricey ..

 

I was used to buy this tube by the lenght for 80 dollars ... 15 years ago... it was 6061 t6 not the new "easy corrode" stuff

 

Their "service" was fast and friendly .. sorry to whinge !

 

perhaps this is normal and I need to adjust my economic expectations

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Had you looked to see whether you were comparing the price of a "Certified" trike with an LSA Trike?

 

Airborne went to the trouble and extreme cost of obtaining Primary Category Certification from CASA. If you look at the manuals, they cover both the Certified and LSA versions of the XT912.

 

The cost of a trike manufactured by a company that does its own certification, rather than having to pay for an accredited external body to do it will naturally have a much lower price.

 

 

[Lizzard]

Had you looked to see whether you were comparing the price of a "Certified" trike with an LSA Trike?Airborne went to the trouble and extreme cost of obtaining Primary Category Certification from CASA. If you look at the manuals, they cover both the Certified and LSA versions of the XT912.

 

The cost of a trike manufactured by a company that does its own certification, rather than having to pay for an accredited external body to do it will naturally have a much lower price.

I asked for the cheapest way to get the bits for the aframe, even suggested second hand to them.

 

 

[Powerin]

More often than not goods and services are priced at a level the market will bear rather than what they are worth. I would guess that the US aviation market is far more competitive than ours so prices need to be kept at a minimum. As well there is probably higher volume sales.

 

We often get asked to do a survey when a new agricultural product comes out (usually a herbicide or veterinary product). They ask questions about how useful you think the product will be and how much time will it save you. Then at the end comes: 'And how much would you be prepared to pay for a wonderful new product that does all this and saves you all this time?'. They are testing the waters to see how high a price they can get away with!

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

I asked for the cheapest way to get the bits for the aframe, even suggested second hand to them.

The cost of spares to build a whole trike would always cost a lot more than a new trike of the same make / model. Same for cars and just about anything else. I was referring to purchase of the whole trike. Maybe the Certified trikes are sold in Oz and the LSA ones in USA.

 

 

[Sloper]

l have just orded a book on aircraft maintenece, new $75 here, new from the US shiped to my door $25.08

 

l like to shop here but $50 or 200% more is nothing to sneeze at.

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[Guest nunans]

I really enjoy trike flying, but at the risk of excommunication, Jabiru offer a basic flyaway (100kt cruise?) for $58,000. Admittedly not as much fun in calm & clear conditions as a XT912 but value for money. . .makes me think about 3 axis.

Aren't they totally different animals built for totally different purposes?

 

If you are only looking for price vs speed then i guess a trike isn't the best option.

 

Also as far as the money goes, how much does it cost jab to spit out a 2200 engine compared to the price it costs airborne to source a 912?? me thinks there could be a Big $ differnce there and that may play a part in the trike being more expensive.

 

 

[Guest nunans]

At risk of getting a bit off topic here I have a question regarding triking and RAA flying in general.

 

Typically what is the motive behind buying a trike for average joe? And why is a fast cruise speed so important to so many RAA members?

 

I'm really new to all this and don't even have my own aircraft but from reading and talking to people at events like natfly it seems a constant race to go as fast as one can on a given fuel burn or airframe, Why is it so?

 

I thought the idea of ultralights and RA was to fly for the enjoyment of being in control of a craft and sight seeing from the air? not a means of transport and getting somewhere fast so you can have more time at work before you have to commute home again?

 

If you're only flying for fun and you don't have to "be at some destination on time" then you only need to go up if the weather is good and the slower the better so you have more time to take in the sights?

 

Even trike ads now are pitching 70 knots on the new wings! The last time I was in a trike the instructor said 50 knots was the speed to fly that particular 912 and didn't the older wizard wings fly at more like 35 knots?

 

So these days is there anybody left who wants to go slow or are trike buyers just looking for a factory built, certified, reliable plane that will get them to the destination as fast as possible in a straight line??

 

 

[Suitman]

If you're really interested in slow, fun, affordable and safe flying, try a PPC!

 

But they're not suitable for everybody. These are typically not an XC AC.

 

Peter

 

 

[eightyknots]

wierd pricing or being shafted?

 

I go for "being shafted".

 

Tax effect.The GST is not applied when you export. When you import you will pay an equivalent of the GST on everything (including transport ). Has this been taken into account? Nev..

In addition to transport, I understand you pay for Australian GST on insurance as well, even though -technically- this money has been spent overseas, often with an overseas freight and insurance company.