Slingsby T.61 MotorFalke

At 04:30 04 December 2004, R. Wubben wrote:
Is this an exact copy of the Scheibe SF-25?

The early ones are exact copies, later versions diverged
in engine and wingspar - but essentially the same aircraft.

How hard is it to get Stamo engine parts in the US?

Probably impossible, but VW parts easily available.

What would one go for in the US if it has been well
taken care of and
recently recovered and repainted?

No idea, let me know if you find out. Look carefully
at the empty weight.


Could one register it in the new sport pilot, or Light
Sport Aircraft
rules?

Possibly yes; probably hard to do. Experimental-exhibition
motorglider is straightforward and less restrictive.

How are they to fly?

Great fun as long as you're in no hurry. Will climb
out from density altitudes of 10,000 ft - but only
just. Expect typical 5,000 ft rate of climb around
250 ft/min under power, cruise around 60 kts under
power, glide performance very much like 2-33.

Ground handling better than most motorgliders, but
still requires care.

Any big AD's on them?

No ADs [except possibly for the magneto], Slingsby
can provide a bunch of recommended tech notes. BGA
website lists recommended inspections.

Thanks for any collective wisdom out there!
Ryan in Madison, WI


Good luck,

Ian

Thanks for the response!
Do you have one? If you do, I'd like to hear more about maintence and
flying it!
Any concerns with the wood or fiberglass spar that you are aware of?
Do you use standard VW parts when you need them?
I'm very curious about the type, my first rating was a glider rating
and did manage to sneak in a motorglider endorsement. But most of my
flying the last few years is of the Cessna variety.
The Scheibe/Slingsby motorgliders always struck me as a relatively
cheap and easy to maintain way to soar by yourself, (cheap compared to
the Grob/Taifun/Ximango/Stemme/DG crowd) and looking quite fun!
I'd be interested to hear about your perspective if you have one.

Thanks
Ryan