Perhaps. I have flown with our CFI Eric here enough IFR flights to appreciate why its needed.
No I didn't say they should go rent it from a FBO. I talked about owning a used IFR certified GA plane. What I am saying is that you can get your hands on even a Bonanza IFR certified for the price of a new VFR LSA. This was to counter the affordable IFR plane argument for LSA.
I am not saying that its fair to compare prices of a new LSA with a 25 year old GA airplane. Its definitely not fair but the reality is that you -can- get a GA IFR certified 4 seater for a new LSA VFR 2-seater in many cases. That reality cannot be denied.
Given that reality, one has to question why a private pilot who wants to do serious IFR flights would not go for a 160 knots cruise more stable and well suited to IFR airplane compared to a less stable, slower LSA airplane with only 2 seats. One could say its because at 160 knots the Bonanza is burning 13 GPH ... sure, true and LSA is burning 5-6 GPH at 112 knots. The less you have to stop in a XC, the biggest the time savings there so that argument has some pros and some cons but besides that argument there isn't a whole lot more affordable by buying LSA-IFR. Again just my opinion.
This then brings me to think that a lot of people interested in buying LSA-IFR airplanes ... are they current private pilots (with medicals) rated for IFR??? I wonder what this breakdown would show us. I have my suspesions but I truly may be well off the mark.
Abid
--- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, Helen Woods <Helen_Woods@...> wrote:
>
> In that case, I don't think you can really understand how and why
> instrument pilots enjoy flying and the problems they face in finding
> access to low affordable aircraft that are properly equipped to operate
> in IMC in the modern instrument system. I think you mentioned in an
> earlier post that they could just go rent an older plane that's IFR and
> cheap. Problem is, FBOs don't maintain older planes for serious IFR in
> the modern system. Legal doesn't mean safe in the IFR world.
> Increasingly instrument pilots are looking at $200-$300/hr to rent a
> properly equipped IFR aircraft. New IFR LSAs would solve this problem.
>
> Without this understanding, I really don't think it is fair of your to
> wish to exclude this segment of the aviation community from enjoying
> light sport aircraft in the manner which they enjoy flying. It's kinda
> like saying "only Abid and his friends can play in the sandbox." The
> way I see it, GA is dying in this country. The only way to save it is
> to bring more pilots into the fold and work together. Making LSA the
> exclusive domain of a few rather than inclusive of the entire community
> is not the way to accomplish this.
>
> Helen
>
> Abid Farooqui wrote:
> > No. CFIs who work for me do but not me
> > Abid
> >
> > --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, Helen Woods <Helen_Woods@> wrote:
> >
> >> Just curious Abid, do you actually have an instrument rating yourself?
> >>
> >> Helen
> >>
> >> Abid Farooqui wrote:
> >>
> >>> And that's great for you. Expressing a personal opinion does not mean you need to agree with it.
> >>> I would however like to correct some things you pointed out.
> >>>
> >>> 1) $125000 will not get you an IFR certified LSA meant for long XC's equipped with auto-pilot and GPS. It will cost you more than that unless you find a distress sale
> >>> 2) No reason to buy a $480k 182 with G1000 when you can get a used IFR certified airplane for much less
> >>> 3) No one is bitching and moaning and certainly not me. I could care less but I do have opinions
> >>>
> >>> Abid
> >>>
> >>> --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, "James Galvin" <james-galvin@> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> I fly all kinds of single engine planes. From LSAs grandfathered in from Fat ULs to G1000 182s. I will be buying a new plane in the next year and it will probably be a high end LSA. I want ECONOMY but I also want a very comfortable x-county and that includes autopilot coupled to a GPS and IFR wouldn't hurt either. Even though I can fly G1000 182s I don't want one. I am not going to drop $480,000 and pay 12gal./hr for fuel. I want what one of those suckers can do though. So I spend $125,000 and pay for 4gal./hr. I'm happy, I'm legal, and at the end of the day that is all that matters to me.
> >>>>
> >>>> You can bitch and moan that LSA was never intended to have autopilot or IFR. You know something I don't give a sh!t what you think. I am only concerned about what I want and what I am willing buy. You know something else every dealer I spoke with is more than willing to make me happy.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ------------------------------------
> >>>
> >>> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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