Microlite Flying In Chiang Mai

[JimsKnight]

Okay flyboys I've done some digging and come up with some figures...

To store a privately owned plane in a airstrip hanger in Thailand costs about 50,000 baht per year. Thats the fee I just found out from a sugar daddy retiree down in Pattayasville (Rayong to be exact). Adjust that figure accordingly if you live in the back of beyond...

To get a pilots license (PPL) its *about* 250,000 baht all-in (Assuming you pass of course ). It can take at least 6 months to achieve so long-term expats and retirees should be alright, for the two week I think its a bridge to far.

Incidentally thats about the same price as S. Africa. The bulk of the amount comes from hiring an instructor and plane for an hour or so in the sky.

Hey, this reminds me of getting my driving license! Except it only cost a fraction of what they're asking for and its a bit trickier

Now I'm assuming that someone with a pilots license should be ok for the microlight / gyro thing with some familiarisation?

I'm not too sure about getting a helicopter licences out in LOS though.

Hey Zeid, Whats G Airspace?

Cheers

[madjbs]

You don’t require a full pilots license to fly a microlight, In Thailand it is called an Ultralight license. It is also much easier to get and much cheaper, less than 80,000 baht comes to mind. The fee for storage of a microlight should be cheaper than a light aircraft and it also depends on whether you keep the wing attached to the microlight or if you put it away after each use. Obviously its cheaper if your putting it away as less space is required.

Jake

[Dustoff]

Back in CM and finally found this thread.

As to storing an ultralight, the ones I flew had a soft wing that easily folded up, could be stuffed into a narrow bag about 10' long and carried easily on a car roof-rack. The body of the aircraft is really not very big and is easily towed on a small trailer. You need little more than a medium sized garage or carport to keep both your car and your microlight!

The wing is actually very light and I used to carry mine up hills on my shoulder when I tried hang-gliding in the US Rocky Mtns.

[Austhaied]

Back in CM and finally found this thread.

As to storing an ultralight, the ones I flew had a soft wing that easily folded up, could be stuffed into a narrow bag about 10' long and carried easily on a car roof-rack. The body of the aircraft is really not very big and is easily towed on a small trailer. You need little more than a medium sized garage or carport to keep both your car and your microlight!

The wing is actually very light and I used to carry mine up hills on my shoulder when I tried hang-gliding in the US Rocky Mtns.

That would suit me fine, as i have the roof-rack on the 4wd and the garage space to store the main vessel.

Looking forward to starting my lessons, weather permitting.

Hope to see a few of you at the TV BBQ in CM to chat about the skies.

Cheers.

AT.

[Zeid]

Okay flyboys I've done some digging and come up with some figures...

To store a privately owned plane in a airstrip hanger in Thailand costs about 50,000 baht per year. Thats the fee I just found out from a sugar daddy retiree down in Pattayasville (Rayong to be exact). Adjust that figure accordingly if you live in the back of beyond...

To get a pilots license (PPL) its *about* 250,000 baht all-in (Assuming you pass of course ). It can take at least 6 months to achieve so long-term expats and retirees should be alright, for the two week I think its a bridge to far.

Incidentally thats about the same price as S. Africa. The bulk of the amount comes from hiring an instructor and plane for an hour or so in the sky.

Hey, this reminds me of getting my driving license! Except it only cost a fraction of what they're asking for and its a bit trickier

Now I'm assuming that someone with a pilots license should be ok for the microlight / gyro thing with some familiarisation?

I'm not too sure about getting a helicopter licences out in LOS though.

Hey Zeid, Whats G Airspace?

Cheers

hey jimsknight

airspace has classification, the top three are A,B,C and the last one is G

for example A airspace is or stands for alititude is 18,000feet and above correct me if i am wrong anyone i think i ama bit rusty

B airspace stands for BIg that is around international airports where you would need a min of two way radio, transponder, and ..........., you need to be a classified pilot such as a PPL,

C airspace is controlled airspace, almost as above, but less conrol and restriction.

anyway G airspace is simply GO for it, it is uncontrolled no tower, nothing, so you can take off and do what ever you like as long as you are within safety limits and stay away from otherh airspaces.

i used to fly out of Daytona Beach and took off from a B space, went into C and then had fun in G.

[shroomer]

I own an ultralight at the same airstrip near Doi saket where the original poster flew from, have been there for a few years. The group of guys who work there are great, a very decent straightforward group. The cost to keep an ultralight there is 10000 baht a year, but you would need to build your own hanger, not so expensive if shared between a couple of guys. I think the cost of lessons is about 50000 baht, but am not so sure on that. A new ultralight with a 4 stroke engine is about a million baht, but you can pick up decent second hand machines with rotax engines for half that or less.

Someone mentioned a guy called Nimit earlier- he no longer flies in Chiang Mai. I have never met the guy, but have heard more than one story about his business dealing's / otherewise which I am not going to go into here- suffice it to say he is not a very savoury character.

[Zeid]

when you say you own the airstrip?

do you mean that you created and applied for it to be approved as an airstrip?

and then started operating from there?

do you ask for clearance from CM airport? or you just take off?

[Dustoff]

I own an ultralight at the same airstrip near Doi saket where the original poster flew from, have been there for a few years. The group of guys who work there are great, a very decent straightforward group. The cost to keep an ultralight there is 10000 baht a year, but you would need to build your own hanger, not so expensive if shared between a couple of guys. I think the cost of lessons is about 50000 baht, but am not so sure on that. A new ultralight with a 4 stroke engine is about a million baht, but you can pick up decent second hand machines with rotax engines for half that or less.

Someone mentioned a guy called Nimit earlier- he no longer flies in Chiang Mai. I have never met the guy, but have heard more than one story about his business dealing's / otherewise which I am not going to go into here- suffice it to say he is not a very savoury character.

An interesting response, shroomer.

I was the one who mentioned Nimit but haven't been in touch with him for a while and didn't know that he was no longer here. I liked flying with him and his female cousin but had no business dealings with him so have no knowledge of that aspect of his life.

I wonder what the charges would be to set up at that airstrip rather than the one closer to Doi Saket? Just from the looks of it and location, I would suspect it would be cheaper.

What brand/model of ultralight do you have? I am particularly fond of Airborne models with the Rotax engine.

Is Prayote still flying out of your location?

Look carefully for snakes during your preflight. In Hawaii the stowaways were cane spiders.

Edited August 11, 2007 by Dustoff

[shroomer]

Zeid, I own an ultralight there, not the airstrip.

Dustoff, Prayote is still flying there, he owns the operation. He builds his own trikes, calls them aerocruise. The wings are aeros from Rusia and mostly the engines are verner 133M 4 strokes- that is what I fly. He is experimenting with various 4 strokes at the moment, he always has something going on. Attached is a picture of the type of trike he builds.

[Zeid]

sweet aircraft you got there,

you said that goes for around 1mil.

not bad.

once i am back in thailand we should organize a trip from the north to the south and have 20 some flying like a flock of birds.

[Austhaied]

Zeid, I own an ultralight there, not the airstrip.

Dustoff, Prayote is still flying there, he owns the operation. He builds his own trikes, calls them aerocruise. The wings are aeros from Rusia and mostly the engines are verner 133M 4 strokes- that is what I fly. He is experimenting with various 4 strokes at the moment, he always has something going on. Attached is a picture of the type of trike he builds.

That was the aircraft that i flew in (and made me post this thread), sweet ride and very quiet. He was willing to sell me one for around 950,000 baht.

Would like to go halvies or 3 ways even. Sound good at 10,000 baht a year for storage, very convenient.

[Zeid]

unfortunatly me not in chiang mai,

but in beloved nongbualamphu

at least will be once i nail my new job

Edited August 11, 2007 by Zeid

[pcafrica]

Hello,

I just arrived in Bagkok to work here and in Trat. Can anybody help me with contacts to flight clubs. I have a current PPL an would like to get training in a trike. Any information will help. Thank you.

'Pcafrica'

Mobile: +66 (81) 2510893

[Zeid]

www.flythailand.com

[LivinLOS]

Just found this thread..

I have been considering doing the microlight training up in Patts.. But the new development is that Phuket (where I am) is soon to have its own airpark, myself and a couple of others are all interested in microlight flying and the group share of splitting a microlights cost has come up a few times. We will see once it gets going if this is a viable option.

http://www.phuketflying.com/

[Tywais]

Hope none of you were in this.

"Small aircraft plunges onto a lawn in Lamphun

An ultra-light aircraft crashed onto a lawn of a house in Lamphun's Muang district on Wednesday, seriously injuring two of four passengers. "

Source: Nationmultimedia

[jumnien]

No ultralight has more than two passengers. Four? Typical news story; doesn't make sense.

[Dustoff]

Hope none of you were in this.

"Small aircraft plunges onto a lawn in Lamphun

An ultra-light aircraft crashed onto a lawn of a house in Lamphun's Muang district on Wednesday, seriously injuring two of four passengers. "

Source: Nationmultimedia

Not me.

It could be my lack of experience but I know of no ultralight aircraft that carries more than a pilot and one passenger.

Maybe it had a couple of American left and right-wing stowaways and that is why it crashed?

Edited September 12, 2007 by Dustoff

[Tywais]

It could be my lack of experience but I know of no ultralight aircraft that carries more than a pilot and one passenger.

Yeah, I didn't think about at the time I came across it and sunrise07 mentioned the two passenger limit. Modified? So what is in somebody's lawn now.

[Dustoff]

It could be my lack of experience but I know of no ultralight aircraft that carries more than a pilot and one passenger.

Yeah, I didn't think about at the time I came across it and sunrise07 mentioned the two passenger limit. Modified?

At least in the US, the two pax thing I think is a misnomer since obviously one of them has to be the pilot. They also had, when I was flying there, regulations against flying an experimental a/c with more than one person on board unless you are giving flight lessons. So much for taking da wife or a friend up for a ride, eh?

So what is in somebody's lawn now.

When we flew on Lanta Island, the owner seemed to be doing more than a cursory pre-flight inspection of the ship's controls, wires, etc and was peeking into every nook and cranny..

"What are you looking for," I asked?

"Snakes", says he...

Did the news article differentiate between human and reptilian casualties...?