AGLyme Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 New to forum. After years of tons of research on all of the available 2 seat planes out there, I decided the CT is the very best plane for me in terms of safety, reliability and mission. I am re-learning how to fly as I am one of those who is getting back into flying in my late 50's... after stopping flying when I was in my early 20's... looking forward to sharing experiences with the group and learning from all of you veterans. The plane should be delivered in October. In the meantime I am taking lessons in a Piper Cub, and then into a Kappa LSA after I receive a tailwheel endorsement in the Cub. Had a good buying experience with Tom up in Woodstock. His approach is to my liking, the warts and all... which builds credibility. No product is perfect, but I think the CT designers did a lot of very good things that will stand the test of time. I believe the new FD owners have the right formula and culture to get FD back to #1 very soon. Every company goes through a fixit period. Fortunately the product is excellent. I am fortunate that the USA Dealer is right up the road. First question please... I plan on taking trips in the CT after I get comfortable flying it... has anyone ever carried a foldable bike in the plane? Thank you for supporting this forum I have enjoyed reading the many posts. I have learned a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Congratulations AG! Enjoy your CT and share your aviation experiences with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentWien Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Hi AG! Hope to fly with you in the area. I’m in Poughkeepsie and have a CTsw. The only bike that might fit would be a Brompton, but I still don’t think even that will fit. I could be wrong though. Look at Fisher’s Island just south of Groton. What a perfect place to take the CT and have a beach picnic. Congrats! Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Koerner Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 AG, I have a Dahon Mariner I carry around occasionally in my CT2k. I snap out the divider between the cockpit and cargo bay on the passenger side so it can slide back out of the way. I use the seat belts to hold it in place. Sometimes I carry the seat too, upside down and backwards over the top of the bike, if there's a chance of giving rides wherever I'm going. There was a CTSW at Page a few years back (I don't remember the pilot's name) that had a full-size road bike in about the same position. He had made mounts that snapped into the seat track for the front fork and, separately, for the wheels. I'm not sure of the arrangement on newer aircraft. The hat rack could pose a problem. Some disassembly may be required... of the bike. At one point Flight Design had a cargo pod that mounted to the belly. I don't know if they still offer it. Mike Koerner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Thank you all for the quick responses... Bill, my 19 yo son is a heavy equipment "nut"... he has a summer job loading trucks and trailers with a Loader and he is in heaven. He wants a career around "heavy equipment", hopefully he, like you, will be able to buy a plane one day. Kent, our next door neighbors and friends have a house on Fishers and I'm sure we will be visiting them often. The area where we live is incredibly beautiful flying country -- worth a visit by future CT pals. The Connecticut River, several islands offshore (Fishers, Block, Martha's Vineyard, etc.)… really incredible flying. My Cub instructor laughs when I get distracted by the views... This YouTube kid documented his flight into "Goodspeed Airport" in East Haddam along the CT River ("CT" is short for Connecticut not Carbon Technology...; ) where I do a lot of touch and go's in the Cub (I use the grass of course), a taste of the area. He then flies to Chester, CT where I take lessons with "Chester Charter", a short hop from Goodspeed. Whelan, the light people, own the airport and are based abutting the Chester airport. Note, Chester airport is perhaps the nicest, best managed airport I have ever been to. Note, all planes are under cover. Whelan is a superb Corporate citizen locally. Mike, the photos are unbelievably helpful to me... very much appreciate the effort. I figured I would have to buy something crazy small and foldable and put it in the plane as you have it. Removing the seat is brilliant, never thought of that. I will speak with Tom about how to do that. The pod is interesting and I will look into it. The plane build is underway and perhaps a few carrier bolts have to be mounted during the build phase. I will ask Tom. Thanks again, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Hey Andrew! I grew up in Avon, CT...that is a beautiful area (in the spring, summer and fall, at least!). You didn't mention which CT model you are getting, it sounds like you are buying new so I assume a CTLSi...correct? You are going to have a blast with it! I think you will find that while the CT doesn't land as slow as a Cub, it has a much broader speed envelope than many airplanes. I can fly easily with my friends' slow airplanes like Cubs and Avids at around 70-80kt, and if he throttles back I can fly with another friend's 182. I have even flown for an hour with a Kolb Firestar II at 15°-30° flaps and about 50kt, though it's not at all efficient and the nose was up pretty high! You can also land at most places that a Cub can, unless the surface is very rough. I have landed on a 1250ft runway over very tall (70ft+) trees; with a flat approach you can land much shorter with practice. You'll also love the range, I believe my longest leg to date was 478nm in about 4.2hr. I'm sure others on here have gone farther, but the human bladder is usually the limiting factor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 My son & I flew into Chandelle (0N4) which is 3 1/2 miles from Dover Speedway. From there, we rode Razor scooters to the track & back. The scooters fold up & fit easily in my LS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 That's a great idea... but, it looks like one has to be in shape..; )… Fortunately, there are tons of electric scooters and bikes around that fold up small. It is good to know that a razor will fit. thank you for the idea. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Andy, Yes, it is the CTLSi model with all the gadgets. I am landing the Cub on 900 foot grass runways (no tree issues), certainly a confidence builder. I porpoised better than any real porpoise yesterday... gheesh what a learning experience. Subsequent landings were far better. It's all about the training. I went to the just-past Sun N Fun and looked at all the planes I was interested in. To be fair, I wasn't all that excited about "too much technology" because I am far from a gadget geek. I am proud of myself for linking that YouTube video in up top...; )… As I dug deeper, I realized that technology isn't just another language to learn and possibly a distraction in the cockpit, it can also make flying much safer. After flying with Tom and seeing the Dynons in action I was sold regarding the safety aspects. And, I wanted fuel efficiency so the Rotax up front was in my opinion the very best solution. At Sun N Fun, I spoke with lots of plane purveyors who strongly recommended that I NOT buy the " i" version of the Rotax. Again, I did some digging and other than some early issues, the i Rotax seems to work as advertised. The CT is expensive, especially compared to fine used GA airplanes that we all know and love... but, I swallowed hard and decided I would pay 2X the cost of a fine older GA plane with God knows-what issues under the skin. I worked hard like all of you and figured after decades of working my butt off I may as well invest in something that is of high quality and great fun. So I did. I spent lots of time on this forum so I have many of you to thank for helping me make a profoundly important decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warmi Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Well... personally , now I wish I bought the “i” version of the engine but in my case I was buying a slightly used plane so I had no choice short of not going for the deal altogether. Carbs do work reliably ..but so do horses and donkeys ... Next time my engine will be fuel injected for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentWien Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Thanks for the video, AG. Now I have to check out Goodspeed. Lets meet up for lunch! Now, to the most important question... What color did you go with!? Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Jubilee design... (grey and grey)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 16 minutes ago, AGLyme said: Jubilee design... (grey and grey)... Did you order 3 Skyview HDX's (2x10"+1x7")? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentWien Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Nice! I have the black and grey version of the Jubilee scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Bill, Here is the official narrative on the avionics put out by FD for the model I am purchasing: DYNON HDX AVIONICS The big news for the 2018 model is Dynon’s SkyView HDX integrated avionics, which also has Dynon’s integrated two-axis autopilot with Level mode and a controlled 180-degree turn function intended to fly the airplane out of inadvertent IMC. It’s not the first time the SkyView and an autopilot were used in a Flight Design, but the GT is the first model to get three integrated HDX screens. To say they dominate the cabin is an understatement. Equipped with dual independent ADAHRS, synthetic vision and wireless connectivity to tablets running ForeFlight, there are two high-definition 10-inch touch displays and another 7-inch display in the center of the panel that functions as an MFD and as an engine management system, or EMS. This is full integration, with all displays connected over the network and sharing the data for reversionary backup, plus two of the displays are backed up by 30-minute emergency batteries. For redundancy, there are two pitot tubes. There’s only one EMS module, however, so if it fails you’re on your own for monitoring the aircraft’s Rotax 912iS Sport engine. The aircraft has Dynon’s SV-X83 comm radio, built-in VFR GPS and the SV-2S intercom, but there’s an option for IFR GPS navigators (including Avidyne’s IFD440) for those wanting to do instrument training or fly instrument approaches under VFR conditions. Flight Design has the 2020 ADS-B mandate covered with Dynon’s SV-261 Mode S ADS-B transponder, plus there’s full ADS-B traffic and weather capability through Dynon’s SV-472 dual-band ADS-B In receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 4 hours ago, AGLyme said: Bill, Here is the official narrative on the avionics put out by FD for the model I am purchasing: DYNON HDX AVIONICS The big news for the 2018 model is Dynon’s SkyView HDX integrated avionics, which also has Dynon’s integrated two-axis autopilot with Level mode and a controlled 180-degree turn function intended to fly the airplane out of inadvertent IMC. It’s not the first time the SkyView and an autopilot were used in a Flight Design, but the GT is the first model to get three integrated HDX screens. To say they dominate the cabin is an understatement. Equipped with dual independent ADAHRS, synthetic vision and wireless connectivity to tablets running ForeFlight, there are two high-definition 10-inch touch displays and another 7-inch display in the center of the panel that functions as an MFD and as an engine management system, or EMS. This is full integration, with all displays connected over the network and sharing the data for reversionary backup, plus two of the displays are backed up by 30-minute emergency batteries. For redundancy, there are two pitot tubes. There’s only one EMS module, however, so if it fails you’re on your own for monitoring the aircraft’s Rotax 912iS Sport engine. The aircraft has Dynon’s SV-X83 comm radio, built-in VFR GPS and the SV-2S intercom, but there’s an option for IFR GPS navigators (including Avidyne’s IFD440) for those wanting to do instrument training or fly instrument approaches under VFR conditions. Flight Design has the 2020 ADS-B mandate covered with Dynon’s SV-261 Mode S ADS-B transponder, plus there’s full ADS-B traffic and weather capability through Dynon’s SV-472 dual-band ADS-B In receiver. Drool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warmi Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Impressive. Given how little room LSA manufacturers have to differentiate from each other ( mostly due to very detailed and enumerated LSA performance limitations) avionics is pretty much the only playground left ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul m Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 Congrats Andrew! I have the black and grey Jubilee. Soon to be 5 years. The issues with the “i” have settled down. I love the engine. Tom is a true stand up guy and has always been there for any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted July 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 Yeah, I wish the weight were "upped" based on legit manufacturer data instead of some random Govt number... oh well. Paul, that is good to know re the "912i"... and agreed, really like Tom's approach and experience. PS: earned my tailwheel endorsement today in the Cub. Next up, the "Kappa" LSA which will get me ready for the real thing in a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ODowneyEng Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 Wonderful flying up North. Many airfields have restaurants which are lacking in NC. Flew many a night flight into Godspeed CT and Fishers Island. Made me change to Boom Beam Landing Lights. Good Luck AG Keep the greasy side down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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