XP503

Haha, happy to help....

These are just genuine observations I made while it was online with a flying school I was involved with. I am glad there are owners out there who are happy with their aircraft.

I suppose I have the same reaction when I hear people scoff at Drifters.

Good on you and please keep enjoying your flying safely and looking after your a/c

Dont have much time at the moment so will check this thread later but the strip kind of sits surrounded by hills - on downwind you sometimes feel like you are very low, but you have to be so that your final leg is the right height, the wind around the hills can cause pilots greif!!! BE very careful!!! Every time I have been there I have found the wind to be very fickle and changes a lot, keep an eye on the sock and dont be afraid to go around if it has done a 180.

surface is ok can be sandy and soft in parts

ONe of the nicest places in QLD though

Well as much as I hate to talk negatively of anything aviation,''you asked for it''

*The allegro has many design flaws in my opinion, it's long metal wings seem to be made very flimsy and I feel are not attached to the fuselage with much integrity, - there is no ''carry through'' stucture between where both lift struts attach the fuselage, just a fuel tank (RIGHT UNDER YOUR SEAT!!!!) the ''doors'' are crappy bits of plastic that flop around, as has been mentioned the controls feel all out of wack, there is a lot of adverse yaw (similar to a glider) which is not a major problem that can be overcome with correct technique. Cruise speeds are over quoted and I personally wouldnt want to go anywhere near VNE in an allegro, considering the way it is built. It has a very narrow track for such a long wingspan which makes it awkward in crosswind conditions and the nosegear assembley design has many flaws, the seats are not real seats more like sitting in a hammock, the roof is made of plastic so the sun comes straight through but the view out is obstructed by push rods and bars, the cabin constantly smells like fuel, there is no way of telling how much fuel is in the tank as you refuel (no sight gague just a dodgy panel gague and the refuel port is on the SIDE of the fuselage under the door, the only way to know when your full is to let it overflow onto the fibreglass fuse ????) It is TERRIBLE in rough weather, the big long wing and light fuselage means that its wing loading is very light so you feel EVERY bump and every breath of wind. I worked at a school that had one online and twice it was filled with vomit from the newcomer getting airsick (coincidence???)

It has been years since I had anything to do with one of these aircraft but that's a good thing, I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole.

Lets talk about Drifters instead, more my cup of tea.

Cheers

I plan to fly my new Drifter over if the weather permits. Just got back on the ground from Wings over Warwick (went in the 150 not the drifter) the wind over the ranges was remarkable, our groundspeed reached 150knots on the way home.

Not a fan of the Allegro at all, terrible aircraft

Thanks mate but the ones on ebay are ugly, I want genuine Drifter spats......

G'day mate,

Yea I have spoken to Wayne but he is too busy with other projects to make me up a set, I get the feeling I am incoveniencing him every time I call..........

Have also spoken to the guys at Dalby and they are equally unhelpful. Seems no one wants my $$

Pretty poor really.

Wanted:

One pair of undamaged spats to suit Drifter preferabley with brackets and ready to be attached.

I cannot believe how hard it is to find a pair of spats for a Drifter. (With little to no help from those you would expect to be able to know how to get them ;-) .....pretty sad really.)

I bet there are dozens of old pairs of spats lying in hangars everywhere. Anyone want my money??

0468653440

I agree David nothing can compare to the sound of a two stroke overhead or the multi-coloured stripes of an drifter exploring the countryside.

This guy is amazing. Through an amazing twist of coincidence my Sister and niece are driving from Darwin back home to Boonah and have met up with Dave at Mataranka and keep bumping into him at restaurants and airfields on their journey home. I am begging her to get his autograph and ask him if he wants someone to show him around South East Queensland when he finally gets here. I reckon my Drifter and his Trike would cruise about the same speed and I know this place like the back of my hand HAHHAHHHAA - what an inspiration this guy is!!!!!!

It's worth it, Wayne's workmanship and expertise is incomparable

Hahahaah yea you missed a good one this weekend Dave, me and Joe flew over to canungra to see if we could chase some hot air baloons over beaudesert hahaha. It was magic with the sun rising over the high-risers of the GC and the fog still sitting the valleys. We ended up doing 2.1 hours all up. Who's up for next Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have my own Maxair XP503 I have started doing regualr ''dawn patrols'' with the other Drifter fanatics at Boonah, we depart at sunrise, usually 3 or 4 drifters flying alongside each other pretending we are WW1 air aces hahahaa, it really is a great experience, if anyone wants to come along on a ''Boonah Drifter Dawn Patrol'' text me on 0468653440

and the sabre.....................

Haha, I love that it is in the manual! And so it should be.

Did you win the lotto Tomo??????

Hey BP!!!

Yes you are correct I do own a magnificent little Drifter and it really is beautiful. BUUUUUUUTTTTTT

It is currently in the hangar at Lismore getting jazzed up even MORE by Wayne Fisher and at this stage it looks like it won't be at the fly-in. But I definitely will be!!!

Lets hope for good weather!

Hey Tomo!!

Yes I bought my ticket at the start of the year at the same time I bought my Avalon ticket!!!!!!

At this stage I will be driving up, I will think about whether to fly the Drifter up or not, the car might be quicker hahahahaha

Yea I have known about them for a while from their website and by aerial surveilance of the field. Might take the drifter out there for an adventure. They have some interesting aircraft but not much in the way of publicity etc...

Thanks Tomo, yea I did an hour of circuits today in perfect conditions, so light and nimble and can land and take off in no space at all!!!!!!

It was re-furbished at Dalby so perhaps thats where you have seen it?

Have you put July 17th in your calender, thats the Drifter Fly-In at Boonah, Should be great!

Yea she is a beauty, it really does fly well - VERY much lighter than the SB582 version of the Drifter that I am most familiar but I will adjust to the new bird.

Her previous owner was a retired CFI who did a great job looking after her.

Private strip on the Darling Downs, Queensland.

It was assembled at Austflight in 1988 in Boonah and refurbished recently.

Thanks everyone!