Looking at an old Ercoupe today...

I'm not trying to paint gliders negatively -- I agree that they're
great, and they *do* enhance power flying. But realistically, not
everyone has even ONE sailport within a reasonable drive from their home

That's been our dilemma. We wanted Joe (and now Becca) to do gliders at age
14, in (relatively) nearby Muscatine, IA, which has a small glider
operation -- but getting there is a 45 minute drive, minimum. We simply
don't have 90 minutes in our day to waste sitting in a car.

Mary and I experienced soaring over in Ames, IA, and had a wonderful time --
but that's so far away that we had to fly to get there. Kinda makes soaring
less-than-cost-effective...

No, buying an old Ercoupe is a great solution for affordable LSA flying.
Fuel efficient, burns car gas, has a canopy you can hang your arm out of in
flight. Low, slow, and we can park in the "Antique/Classic" section, if we
want to...

We'll see how negotiations go. Here are some pix we took of it in April, if
you're interested: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/ercoupe_n2572h.htm

It would sure be pretty if the guy hadn't let bird crap sit on the bare
aluminum for so many years. Now, the only solution is to paint it...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article hhBXj.167793$yE1.58683@attbi_s21,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:

That's been our dilemma. We wanted Joe (and now Becca) to do gliders at age
14, in (relatively) nearby Muscatine, IA, which has a small glider
operation -- but getting there is a 45 minute drive, minimum. We simply
don't have 90 minutes in our day to waste sitting in a car.

um, driving somewhere in order to go flying isn't a waste...

and perhaps using motorcycles as the mode of transportation
would be fun (side car?)

--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)

um, driving somewhere in order to go flying isn't a waste...

With $4/gallon gas, I beg to differ.

and perhaps using motorcycles as the mode of transportation
would be fun (side car?)

Now that would sure be fun -- but we're still up against that time
constraint. My schedule simply doesn't permit 1.5 empty hours anymore...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Shirl:
I'm not trying to paint gliders negatively -- I agree that they're
great, and they *do* enhance power flying. But realistically, not
everyone has even ONE sailport within a reasonable drive from
their home

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
That's been our dilemma. We wanted Joe (and now Becca) to do
gliders at age 14, in (relatively) nearby Muscatine, IA, which has a
small glider operation -- but getting there is a 45 minute drive,
minimum. We simply don't have 90 minutes in our day to waste
sitting in a car.

Not to mention, with current fuel costs and the number of times you'd
have to go out there and back for them to get their foundation in
gliders, how much that drive would add to the expense.

Curious ... is the sailport in Muscatine run as a club? The one of three
sailports here that was run as a club requires members to each take
their turn "working" in various slots at the facility. It's great in the
respect that everyone is contributing, there is a "community" spirit
there (there were *60* people in attendance at a safety meeting!), and
with various people having specific jobs, the place runs like a Swiss
watch. BUT, again, not everyone has that kind of time to donate in
exchange for reduced rates, and at some point, that exchange becomes a
wash (taking into consideration the time and costs just getting there
and back).

Mary and I experienced soaring over in Ames, IA, and had a wonderful time --
but that's so far away that we had to fly to get there. Kinda makes soaring
less-than-cost-effective...

Exactly. I learned to fly in gliders, and at the time, I *had* time to
make the drive and gas was half what it is now. But it was just under an
hour drive each way. I have never added up how much it cost me to get my
private pilot license in gliders -- part of me doesn't want to know! But
even without adding it up, I can say that while I appreciate the things
I learned that I could bring with me to power flight, it was hardly
"inexpensive".

No, buying an old Ercoupe is a great solution for affordable LSA flying.
Fuel efficient, burns car gas, has a canopy you can hang your arm out of in
flight. Low, slow, and we can park in the "Antique/Classic" section, if we
want to...

My glider instructor is a huge Ercoupe fan and a LS instructor and
examiner. We fly once/week in my Varga, and whenever we see an Ercoupe,
he goes crazy!

We'll see how negotiations go. Here are some pix we took of it in April, if
you're interested: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/ercoupe_n2572h.htm

I see you have the panel off ... you going to redo the whole panel? I
just did that with my Varga while it was down for the engine overhaul.
It had that old "Ford Torino" wood-grain panel that I changed to
military power-coated gray. Big improvement (IMO).

It would sure be pretty if the guy hadn't let bird crap sit on the bare
aluminum for so many years. Now, the only solution is to paint it...

A friend recently painted his formerly polished aluminum plane. It was
beautiful as polished aluminum, but REALLY labor intensive, to the point
where he blamed his rotator cuff on that continuous maintenance! Pretty
as the polished aluminum is, it would drive me crazy to have to worry
about every little fingerprint and follow people around with a cloth
whenever anyone is near the plane. Besides, it would be fun to be able
to CHOOSE a paint scheme. Any ideas?

Shirl

A friend recently painted his formerly polished aluminum plane. It was
beautiful as polished aluminum, but REALLY labor intensive, to the point
where he blamed his rotator cuff on that continuous maintenance! Pretty
as the polished aluminum is, it would drive me crazy to have to worry
about every little fingerprint and follow people around with a cloth
whenever anyone is near the plane. Besides, it would be fun to be able
to CHOOSE a paint scheme. Any ideas?

Plenty. But first we have to buy it!

The seller is out of town for the weekend, so we've got a few days to hammer
out the paperwork in the flying club we're setting up...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay ...

One of the problems is that you have the same mindset that 95% of Americans
have. "We have to drive them over there."

In the first place, if you tell me that Greyhound (or ilk) doesn't go
between Iowa City and Muscatine, I'd find it hard to believe. Or other
public transportation.

In the second place, if you don't have to make the trip and wait around for
the lesson to be over, Becca can get multiple flights in a single day. When
I was in the glider game, I saw young kids (who seem to be much more
adaptive and quicker on the pickup than old geezers) solo in gliders at the
end of their second day.

Third and last, I'm sure that you are in the Iowa Hotel Club (or whatever
you call it). If members have a swapsie policy (you stay at my place and I
stay at your place swap) then Becca could do ten flights in two days with an
overnighter in between relatively easily.

Just some random thoughts, mindya.

Jim

--
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it."
--Aristotle


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:hhBXj.167793$yE1.58683@attbi_s21...



That's been our dilemma. We wanted Joe (and now Becca) to do gliders at
age 14, in (relatively) nearby Muscatine, IA, which has a small glider
operation -- but getting there is a 45 minute drive, minimum. We simply
don't have 90 minutes in our day to waste sitting in a car.

"RST Engineering" wrote:
One of the problems is that you have the same mindset
that 95% of Americans have. "We have to drive them
over there."

But since most Americans aren't just sitting around doing nothing 98% of
the time, *is* a real consideration. Sometimes 14-year-olds have
wealthy, retired grandparents that are able and willing to spend
half-a-day or more to the scenario Jay described, but many do not have
that luxury.

In the first place, if you tell me that Greyhound (or ilk) doesn't go
between Iowa City and Muscatine, I'd find it hard to believe. Or other
public transportation.

I don't know where you are, but I've yet to see a sailport in an area of
town that is on any Greyhound route. There are 3 sailports each within
1-2 hours drive (in a car) from me, but the nearest bus stop to any of
them would still leave me 5-8 miles away from the facility. Most
gliderports aren't right in the middle of town on the bus route.

In the second place, if you don't have to make the trip and wait around for
the lesson to be over, Becca can get multiple flights in a single day. When
I was in the glider game, I saw young kids (who seem to be much more
adaptive and quicker on the pickup than old geezers) solo in gliders at the
end of their second day.

Third and last, I'm sure that you are in the Iowa Hotel Club (or whatever
you call it). If members have a swapsie policy (you stay at my place and I
stay at your place swap) then Becca could do ten flights in two days with an
overnighter in between relatively easily.

And then what? Even if Becca could get her Private Pilot Glider in those
two days (doubtful, and that's not an insult to Becca, Jay), if the
place is that far away and Becca doesn't drive yet and Jay doesn't have
time to take her there and back, how does she fly often enough to
maintain her skills?

I'm just saying that it boils down to the bottom line of almost
everything -- is it convenient? affordable? time-permitting?

Most of us will make sacrifices in any or all of those areas to do
something we're passionate about, but it's also not uncommon for any one
of those considerations to be significant enough to make it un-do-able.

I don't know where you are, but I've yet to see a sailport in an area of
town that is on any Greyhound route. There are 3 sailports each within
1-2 hours drive (in a car) from me, but the nearest bus stop to any of
them would still leave me 5-8 miles away from the facility. Most
gliderports aren't right in the middle of town on the bus route.

And most gliderport operators, sensing money in the air for glider rental,
would probably be thrilled to give Becca a ride from the bus stop to the
airport.



And then what? Even if Becca could get her Private Pilot Glider in those
two days (doubtful, and that's not an insult to Becca, Jay), if the
place is that far away and Becca doesn't drive yet and Jay doesn't have
time to take her there and back, how does she fly often enough to
maintain her skills?

Nobody said anything about Becca getting her gliderguider private in two
days. As a matter of fact, impossible. Forty hours is forty hours and even
with minimal pottybreak downtime, forty hours in forty-eight hours is nigh
impossible. However, string eight or ten of the twofers together over
summer break you'll be able to come damned close.



I'm just saying that it boils down to the bottom line of almost
everything -- is it convenient? affordable? time-permitting?

It can be made so.

Jim

In the first place, if you tell me that Greyhound (or ilk) doesn't go
between Iowa City and Muscatine, I'd find it hard to believe. Or other
public transportation.

Nope. No public transportation (that I know of) between here and there.
(And, quite frankly, I wouldn't let Becca ride a Greyhound bus alone at age
14 anyway...)

Third and last, I'm sure that you are in the Iowa Hotel Club (or whatever
you call it). If members have a swapsie policy (you stay at my place and
I stay at your place swap) then Becca could do ten flights in two days
with an overnighter in between relatively easily.

Sadly, stupidly, there is no such thing. I've talked to our Chamber of
Commerce about setting something up, but the friggin' gummint has everyone
running scared about the tax ramifications of barter.

Just some random thoughts, mindya.

Appreciate it, too. I'm afraid she'll just have to wait and do her Private
when she's a wizened old 16-year-old, just like her brother...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Nope. No public transportation (that I know of) between here and there.
(And, quite frankly, I wouldn't let Becca ride a Greyhound bus alone at age
14 anyway...)

As I mom, that was my first thought as well...not to mention having
"someone" from the sailport picking up and dropping off a 14-year-old
girl -- you arrange for the owner of the place to do that, but he's busy
so he sends someone else, etc. And on the other side of it, in today's
times, would YOU go to the bus stop to pick up a 14-year-old girl?
Creepy, and off topic, but part of the proposed scenario, nonetheless.

Appreciate it, too. I'm afraid she'll just have to wait and do her
Private when she's a wizened old 16-year-old, just like her brother...

And if SHE really wants it, it's not as if 16 is an old lady! And she
could drive herself.