Long-termers…

Recently, when Francis Donaldson was visiting my home strip for the RV-3 flight test, which featured in last month’s issue, while he was mulling life over a cup of tea, I spotted him admiring a Rans S-10 Sakota that’s been a long-time resident.

Returning from his quick inspection of the aeroplane, he was full of compliments for the type, and this particular examples’ condition. As we sat in the September afternoon sunshine and finished our tea, I explained that the aircraft has been based at the strip for 30+ years, and has been actively flown by its builder/owner for all that time.

This set both Francis and I thinking… this sort of long-termer combination of aircraft and owner/pilot could be of interest to the readers of Light Aviation

So, if you have a homebuilt that you’ve built and have been flying for more than 30 years, please do get in touch. I’m sure there’s some stories that would be worth sharing with the readers of Light Aviation

Also falling under the banner of ‘longtermers’, I’m sure there are a few owners out there who have restored and operated some factory-built aircraft for 30+ years. Just take a look at Michael Greenfield’s wonderful Piper Cub that features in this issue’s flight test, starting on page 18. An aircraft that’s been in his family for more than 40 years.

So if this is you, then please join in.

It’s easy to overlook, but there’s some excellent green credentials in stories like this. As a general rule, light aircraft tend to be built to last, and with good maintenance and careful operation, they tend to stick around for a long time. Plus, when the time rolls around for refurbishment, then it’s in the realm of easy capability for restorers to take them apart and return them to ‘like new’ condition. In fact, I’m sure most of the restorations I’ve seen in recent years have resulted in something far better than the original! OK, sometimes the money spent on such endeavours might occasionally outstrip what the market considers to be value of an aeroplane, but compared to what some old-timers might cost, were they were to be sold new today, I think we’d be surprised.

I once saw a perfectly restored Beech Staggerwing for sale at Oshkosh for £400k –such an aeroplane built today would surely cost three or four times that… ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

In a world where having new shiny ‘stuff’ is all too common, it’s refreshing to know that old aircraft can continue to bring lots of enjoyment.

Features

12 PROJECT NEWS

This issue we look at a Van’s RV-7, Van’s RV-8, and continue with part two of John Price’s RV-12 iS adventure. Plus New Projects and Cleared to Fly.

18 FLIGHT TEST

A beautifully restored aeronautical family heirloom – and truly cultured Cub. Clive Davidson takes to the air in a Piper J3C-65 Cub

26 FLYING ADVENTURE

It’s a big ask to fly over – and ‘bag’ – all 282 mountain summits above 3,000ft in Scotland… but Derek Pake does it all in 24 hours

34 COACHING CORNER

PCS Head of Training, David Cockburn, says the ability to read the weather as it develops around you as you fly, is a vital skill for pilots. Part I.

36 ENGINEERING MATTERS

Advice about buying engines for sale without documentation or logbooks, cracked Auster brake plates, and a Van’s stick boot service bulletin

40 TECHNICAL

In part four of his occasional series, Mike Roberts takes a look at airfoil selection and performance estimates

47 MEET THE MEMBERS

For Russ Pinder a cycling accident almost 20 years ago left him with a spinal cord injury, but a specially adapted Foxbat has enabled him to expand his horizons…

Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!