Guest aaronb Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Hey Guys, Im flying GA at the momentbut i would also like to get my raa to fly raa planes, i have about 35-40 hrs up on ga. im wanting to be able to fly raa to build up hours and also its a cheaper way to fly. my pickle is i only like the jabiru or texan, i can have the choice of learning at point cook in the jabiru or learning at sunbury in the texan they are both the same price $175 duel. are they any major pros\cons to these aircraft that anyone can share with me? thanks! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 $175 ! Crickey! Anyone would think that's a GA school !!! Try Tooradin, I just checked their website and their brand new J160's with glass panel EFIS are only $152.50 an hour dual. That's a huge difference. Their website looks very professional too. You may find the Texan slightly easier to learn in, however you'd probably need to convert to the Jab later because there are no other places offering Texan's on-line, so this limits your hiring choices if you wish to go away somewhere. I'm of the belief that the Texan gets along at around 105 knots. I spotted it at Sunbury recently and it looked nice enough. It's been a while since I went for a ride in it. I don't recall any major shortcomings or handling quirks. If you wish to know more about either of those operators, PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Prometheus Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 G'day Shifty... I'm a recent convert from GA (GFPT) to RA. I'm flying out at Sunbury in the Texan... nice little aircraft. 110kts isn't hard to achieve and she's rather easy to fly. I did a TIF in the Jabiru at YMPC a while back and the only thing that turned me off were the controls. The centre stick and the throttle between the legs... this to me was all wrong. Not sure if they've got any other aircraft that were any different. Chris was a thorough professional though so my choice to go to Sunbury was not a reflection on him. I take it considering your tossing up between YMPC & YPEN that you're out in the west... Tooradin isn't really a viable option. The money you'd save per hour flying you'd more than make up in fuel getting there! The Texan is more conventional; yoke between your legs, throttle on centre console, electric flap and GPS AVmap and autopilot.I like it - but I'm biased! See below for a pic. Prometheus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Dave This is a little off Shifty's subject ... so apologies to him/her for that ... but there has been some doubt cast elsewhere on the ability of the Avmap to drive an autopilot, so please advise what brand Autopilot is in that Texan and whether you know of any issues with them talking to each other. Regards Geoff Captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Prometheus Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Having not used the Autopilot (I'm restricted to solo in the training area for now so there's no need), I believe it's not linked to the GPS AVMap at all. It's operated by selecting a heading and altitude independant of the AVMap and the information it uses is gained from the transponder. I'll get more info on this next time I go up and get back to you with a more prcise answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Thanks Dave. I'd appreciate that. Regards Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Captain Geoff - give Rod a call, the operator of the aircraft. 0397441305, 0394312131. He should be happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I like the way that the Microair transponder has been mounted on a +5 degree angle! I'm wondering how that happened as the screw holes appear to be aligned correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Willett Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Actually, I think the screw holes are out of alignment aren't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Hi Shifty May I ask why you ONLY like the Jabiru or Texan? Is it because that they are the only ones available to you on that side of Melbourne without having to travel (although I believe both those schools still have their Gazelles)? I am just trying to understand the reasons why you prefer these two given they are not exactly similiar aircraft. As for the money side yes they are expensive and I started my training with one of those schools but the other one I felt existed simply to extract as much money out of my pocket as possible - I felt they would even charge me to sneeze - it was very much business like and I wanted to enjoy the whole flying experience. I found another school that was also a club but required a 1.5hr drive to get there but at the time their prices were a lot cheaper and if I stayed the sat night - sleeping in the clubrooms I was able to get more flying hours for my money over the weekend and had a great time being in a club. Now that club has 4 (possibly 5) different RAA aircraft that you can choose from not only getting your hours up in but also experiencing the different characteristics of different aircraft - just a thought! So in summary I am saying that depending on why you prefer either of these two aircraft perhaps thinking outside the square may enable bigger opportunities ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Herring Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Hi Shifty I think that in reallity it is not important what you initially learn and get your licencein.Importantly however, you must be convinced thatthe training is conducted in a proffessional manner in a facility that offers you what you expect from it. It is very important that you are comfortable in the Aircraft and with the Instructor and the Environment. To give you a clue, it is smart to be patient and just hang around a school for a while and judge the atmosphere. You will soon work it out if you are going to "fit" or not. This is important because you are going to invest a lot of time and money there! A convenient location is next on the list of prioritys and of course it needs to fit with your personal budget! Once you have your licence is the time to try the others if you still find the need. There are so many types that are very nice aircraft and available to fly. You finish up with a much better understanding of your personel wishes and needs once you have a Licence and some experience. My guess is you will change your mind on your preferences a lot as you go ( yes us blokes do it too ) So don't worry too much about the type just yet. Eventually you will settle on the type that suits your needs. Remember the meaning of patience andin the interimgo flying with an agenda to have fun in an environment you can afford and are comfortable with. I probably haven't really answered your initial question and because you have some experience you will have the situation nutted out but an individuals aircraft preference is very much a personal choice so my message is simply to enjoy your flying! Regards Ed Ed Herring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 And very well said ED I could not agree more, have fun flying Shifty, get your bum in every thing you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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