Hi all,
My dad and I are looking to purchase an aircraft. We are both low time pilots (<150hr, no ifr). We like the Diamond da20 but the lack of IFR certification is limiting if we want to get are instrument ratings at some point. A steam gauge da40 looks nice but we don't need 4 seats and the extra fuel cost. A vans rv-6a/7a or glasair 1ft of 2ft fits our mission perfectly but I'm worried that they may not be ideal for low tim pilots like ourselves. Also I'm a little wary of owning an experimental build by someone else. Also how hard is it to find a mechanic who can do condition inspections. Would love to hear you guys thoughts.
Thanks,
T
I am a low time pilot. A touch over 100 hours. Did some transition training right after my PPL for insurance purposes and confidence building to fly it (well, really more to land it).. I have put on roughly 35 hours in the plane in the last two months, a bunch of it on a x-country up to the Pacific NW and back for the experience and because I wanted to get more familiar with the plane. Also did a few trips for work... Kansas City, Austin...also flew to Scottsdale to play some golf. i have learned a ton during this time. It is a great cross country plane or even just puttering around the area (just throttle back). It cruises fairly efficiently at 170kts/9.1gph. And holds about 48 gallons of fuel. I am aware that some Glasairs are configured to hold around 60 gallons with wing tip tanks.
My plane stalls in a dirty configuration at 56kts and i am over the fence full flaps at 80kts. My plane has slotted flaps and extended wing tips. I trained on a Grumman Cheetah which I was trained to fly over the fence no flaps at 80kts. So, the approach speed was the same though the sight picture is a bit different between the Glasair vs the Cheetah.
Really, the biggest difference that I have found was the need to be a bit more deliberate when planning to slow the plane when you are preparing to enter the pattern. I am sure this is no different than with RVs that also cruise at these higher speeds or any other plane that move pretty quickly for that matter (though I don't have any exp with any other). It is just a much more fun plane to fly.
Insurance asked for 10 hours of transition work. I felt confident after about 5 - 6 hours of dual to be in the plane by myself. But did the 10+ hours for the paperwork. I am paying roughly $1600/yr for insurance. I did have to call around a bit but ended up working with Sky Smith. As an aside, i called up the EAA folks and they basically told me to call them back when i had a couple hundred hours under my belt. Obviously, even they seem to be a bit confused about insurance requirements.
I also believe that the construction of these planes is rather straightforward and the original builder has been quite accessible to me to answer questions that you never think to ask when you are buying it and isn't in a manual to simply look up. I did have an annual done which did get pretty costly...was north of $2k but since this was the first non-builder annual, it included some things the builder felt comfortable with which I had changed based on the recommendation of the shop I was working with. I don't think this is a Glasair specific thing, and may not even be a homebuilt issue either but more related to preferences or tolerances by a specific A&P. I do not believe it is at all hard to find someone to work or inspect these planes. It may be easy enough to call up your local EAA chapter and ask who they recommend.
As another poster had commented, the builder community is enormous for RVs compared to Glasairs for sure. I have no data to back this up, but my Glasair Super II FT is in the mid-2000s in terms of kit number and it is considered a more recent kit. Maybe they go up to say 3000? So, loose math says that if there are 3000 kits per model, and there are three models, I, II, III, then there are a total of 9000 - 10,000 sold kits with a loose estimate at 30% flying... 3k planes? So, yes, the community is small compared to the RV family. I have also found that to mean the folks flying Glasairs are generally going to be a bit more available to help the "new" guy out.
One comment that you may hear from others (which I heard while I was considering purchasing this plane as a low time pilot) is that many consider the Glasair a plane that is too hot to handle for a low time pilot. In my own experience, I think it is too general of a comment and a bit uniformed. Obviously the training experience of the pilot and the setup of the particular plane will factor into this. But, as the plane I fly is set up with extended wing tips and slotted flaps, i found the transition to be a non-issue. I would imagine the nature of this plane changes without these "training wheels" as it were, but I find these features tame the plane down considerably: lower stall speed and more forgiveness on landing due to increased ground effect. I have not flown this plane on standard flaps and without the extended wing tips so my opinion stops beyond what I have configured on my plane.
Good luck with your search. It is a fun time. I am sure you will make the right decision for your particular needs.
