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« on: July 05, 2010, 07:55:44 AM »
Hi,
I am a student pilot and hope to have my PPL completed shortly. The plan/goal is to purchase a Varieze shortly after completing my license. (possibly before, though I would not fly it until obtaining PPL).
Just wondering if there are any "heads up" things I should know about.
First and foremost, flight characteristics. Basically, is the Varieze a plane that a newer pilot could safely learn to fly in a reasonable amount of time, perhaps 3-5 hours with a current EZ pilot. I will have about 70-80 flight hours when I complete my license, more than most because life interrupted previous flight training.
Second, costs. Relative to other planes of this use category (i.e. Vans RV3,4, etc.) Anything unusual about Variezes regarding costs of ownership. I know I won't be able to get insurance until I have more hours, but once I do, are they more to insure, less, etc? Stuff like that.
Finally, my local airport currently has a long waiting list for hangar space. Part of the appeal to the Varieze is I could trailer it home and store it in the garage if I need to. The idea being to leave the plane on tie down for the week I plan to fly a lot, and then bringing it home if I won't be flying again for a week or more, or if the weather looks bad. Just wondering how big of a deal removing the wings is on a Varieze. Since they are all set up differently, is there something in particular I should look for that makes this process simpler?
Thanks to anyone for input on any of these questions.
Eric