Six Seat Singles in Sydney for Hire

[JakCox]

I am a PPL flying out of Bankstown and have come to learn the frustration of being given a license to fly with 6 people on an aircraft. That is you can't hire a 6 seat single anywhere!

Does anyone know of any Saratoga’s, Bonanza's, Six's out there for general hire or am I going to have to bite the bullet and either gain a multi engine rating or buy into a syndicate??

[das Uber Soldat]

probably try JDQ the C206 at bankstown parked in the open hangers next to basair, cant remember who owns it. Someone around here will know. Its pretty old though.

[bizzybody]

yeah Mike Tickner ownes that thing. Its a bit ruff though but it will dothe job. He will take you on a heap of check lights before he will let you go alone. I thin he wants 10 hours on a 200 series. Pm for his details. he used to charge a fairly high rate like 340 per hour wet.

or let me know if you want a syndicate may be startng one with a chieftain we dont need

[JakCox]

Thanks guys. All the info I can get on this is appreciated. 10 hours + $340p/h hour is pretty steep though! But i reckon he'd get punters taking him up on it purely because of the lack of options.

How much would a share in a chieftain cost and an extimate hourly rate? Won't hold you to these but just curious as its a hell of a plane for a lowly 100hr PPL to fathom!

[Wheeler]

There's always the famous 210A at Wedderburn but only 4 seats - he's got a 207 too, which has even more seats than a 206, except they're mostly not in there because he fills it with looney folk who get out at 10,000 ft.

[bizzybody]

the 207 gets a bit of use these days from wht i hear.
if you like bright red planes it just might be the plane for you

[HotPete]

If you like Saratogas and C206s, you should join the Alpha Group at Bankstown. They have one of each and they're in very good order.
Web site is alphaflying,asn.au.

[Victa Bravo]

Speaking of Alpha. What is the go. I know how much it is to join and all the other details but how does it stack up against hiring privately?

1) Can you get the plane you want when you want?

2) Can you have it for as long as you like?

3) How much notice do you need to give for bookings?

4) If you are VFR do you get charged if you cancell due WX?

So many question I know.

If you are a member and want talk private then PM me, would love to know more.

VB

[bizzybody]

I have looked at Alpha in trhe past. It is fairly cheap to get in but i think its hard to get it. As in you have to buy someones shares off them. In my opinion, it didnt feel as though you actually ownerd part of the planes and the cost per hour was high

[JakCox]

I've looked into Alpha as it seemed a good way for me to go however im not so certain now. Head over to Basair who keep the booking system for the group. It's a hell of a boys club with only about 5 names appearing consistently meaning a booking months in advance from what I saw.

Also the rate for the Archer is around the same money as C&H are charging and Alpha is supposed to be not for profit? Others actually manage to make a living from charging these amounts so where does all the extra cash go?

If anyone knows of any other options get on board and let me and others know!!

[Wheeler]

Jak, What are the Alpha aircraft like? If they are clean, tidy, well equipped and propely maintained, maybe a comparison with the average on-line hack is not fair and you just get what you pay for?

[st777]

Hi Guys
I'm a happy member of Alpha and have been for a number of years.
Just thought I'd clear up a few misconceptions...
1) Is it easy to get in? Yes, in fact at the moment you'd be able to get in immediately as there are a few members who have stopped flying altogether and are ready to sell their shares.
2) Is it easy to get bookings? Yes. Often you may not need to book ahead if you're going up for a few hours. Multi day trips may require a bit of a forward booking, but much easier to get the aircraft for a number of days than it is at a flying school and with much less onerous standing charges.
3) Are they well equipped? Yes, all are IFR equipped aircraft with a Garmin 430 (Archer) or 530 (206 and Saratoga), 2nd King Nav/Comm, ADF, DME and Autopilot - all in working order!
4) Are they in good condition? Yes - absolutely great condition. All get repainted and reupholstered on a regular basis. Much better than any other flying school.
5) The rates are very reasonable compared to flying schools. All rates are tacho, not VDO (usually a 10-15% saving) and include BK landing charge, Airservices en route charges for IFR pilots and fuel.
There's a ton of info on the website at www.alphaflying.asn.au . Give one of the board a call if you're genuinely interested in joining and they'll show you around the aircraft.
Cheers

[JakCox]

I have actually spoken with WR (director) and been out and seen the aircraft. There is no denying they are excellent examples of type and anyone would love to fly them. I am keen so the next step was to take a trip down and check out the booking sheets. For the next 3 months both the 6 seaters have names next to them for most of the days from now to a fair way from now!

I'm almost giving up on the 6 seat single option and am thinking I might as well go and fly a 4 seater that goes like a bat outa hell. Came across a Mooney M20J 201 for $210p/h inc on the weekend and though I was in love. 170kts for $210p/h!!! Unfortunatley the owner wants 700hrs TT which is well out of the reach of <50yr olf PPL's.

Anyone know of any >150kt machines out there that are accessible, reasonably priced and nice to fly?

[Crosshair]

Used to...Whitworth Aviation's Cirrus SR-22 VH-HYY is no longer with us.

Does anyone know if they're going to replace it?

[Ratshit]

"Came across a Mooney M20J 201 for $210p/h inc on the weekend and though I was in love. 170kts for $210p/h!!! "

170 kts from a M20J ?

In your (or the owner's) dreams!

R (Channeling FTDK)