Aviation In Thailand

[cornishcarlos]

I saw one of these whilst working on a yacht in France... Think I want one

http://www.polarismotor.it/fib.htm

These are built in Italy and they will ship worldwide. Cost around 25k euro depending what add ons you go with.

Just wondered,

a) how long does it take a reasonably intelligent person to learn to fly something like this

what would be import taxes on this if it was shipped in separate components

c) how long would the registration process take and how much would it cost

d) is there any pilot licensing requirements for this type of aircraft in Thailand

And finally, is it a worthwhile dream or should I stick with my mountain bike ????

Thanks all,

Cloudhopper flies a wing so he should be able to give you a good opinion on what it would be like to drag an inflatable through the sky. Inflatable boats on the water with an oversize motor sure are fun though.

Apparently you can take the wing off and use it as an airboat to carry 4 pax

Can also get wheels for them to land on solid..

Gotta be fun in southern Thailand, sea, dams, whatever !!!

[cloudhopper]

I saw one of these whilst working on a yacht in France... Think I want one

http://www.polarismotor.it/fib.htm

These are built in Italy and they will ship worldwide. Cost around 25k euro depending what add ons you go with.

Just wondered,

a) how long does it take a reasonably intelligent person to learn to fly something like this

what would be import taxes on this if it was shipped in separate components

c) how long would the registration process take and how much would it cost

d) is there any pilot licensing requirements for this type of aircraft in Thailand

And finally, is it a worthwhile dream or should I stick with my mountain bike ????

Thanks all,

Hi Carlos that is an interesting machine and would be fun to fly around the Krabi region.

a) It took me 12 hours of dual instruction before I flew one solo, 5 more than it took to solo a C150 decades earlier, but this might be because all 3 control axes are opposite a conventional aircraft. The few people I have seen learn have all needed over 20 hours to solo. AFAIK there are only 2 licensed instructors in LOS - in Doi Saket and Pattaya.

Import duties will be around 8%. The price you are quoting is about half of a top model from Oz or the UK.

c) Aircraft registration like everything else here is a tortuous process but one of the ultralight clubs can help you. All aircraft including ultralights etc must be registered to a Thai national.

d) You will need a student pilot license to solo then an Ultralight Pilots License to fly one here. There is a written and flight exam.

I have never flown one of these on the water but I do have a seaplane rating and there are a few other things to think about - there are no brakes once you start the motor and steering while on the water is going to be difficult. It is paramount that you not land downwind in a seaplane so you need to read the wind direction since there will be no runways with wind socks. Judging altitude above glassy calm water is difficult.

Also be advised that private flying in Thailand is generally a PITA c/w other countries - the air law here is 50 years behind the developed world.

[cornishcarlos]

I saw one of these whilst working on a yacht in France... Think I want one

http://www.polarismotor.it/fib.htm

These are built in Italy and they will ship worldwide. Cost around 25k euro depending what add ons you go with.

Just wondered,

a) how long does it take a reasonably intelligent person to learn to fly something like this

what would be import taxes on this if it was shipped in separate components

c) how long would the registration process take and how much would it cost

d) is there any pilot licensing requirements for this type of aircraft in Thailand

And finally, is it a worthwhile dream or should I stick with my mountain bike ????

Thanks all,

Hi Carlos that is an interesting machine and would be fun to fly around the Krabi region.

a) It took me 12 hours of dual instruction before I flew one solo, 5 more than it took to solo a C150 decades earlier, but this might be because all 3 control axes are opposite a conventional aircraft. The few people I have seen learn have all needed over 20 hours to solo. AFAIK there are only 2 licensed instructors in LOS - in Doi Saket and Pattaya.

Import duties will be around 8%. The price you are quoting is about half of a top model from Oz or the UK.

c) Aircraft registration like everything else here is a tortuous process but one of the ultralight clubs can help you. All aircraft including ultralights etc must be registered to a Thai national.

d) You will need a student pilot license to solo then an Ultralight Pilots License to fly one here. There is a written and flight exam.

I have never flown one of these on the water but I do have a seaplane rating and there are a few other things to think about - there are no brakes once you start the motor and steering while on the water is going to be difficult. It is paramount that you not land downwind in a seaplane so you need to read the wind direction since there will be no runways with wind socks. Judging altitude above glassy calm water is difficult.

Also be advised that private flying in Thailand is generally a PITA c/w other countries - the air law here is 50 years behind the developed world.

Thanks for the response CloudHopper,

Some good advise there. It really is just a pipe dream at the moment as I'm busy with other projects but one day

What is the rate for flying lessons in LOS ? When I contacted Polaris about these, they were offering 50% discount on lessons in Italy with them (still 80 euro/hr). They also suggested 15-20 hrs. Having never flown before, would that be an advantage re the control axis being opposite, as I would not know any different !!

They terrain down south where I am is perfect for this sort of thing, we are near the east coast but also have the huge dam in Koh Sok.. Obviously I would have to investigate the local regs and probably grease a few palms..

Guess I will have to go do a trial flight somewhere, see if I get on with it and then save my pennies...

Thanks again to all who replied.

[cloudhopper]

They terrain down south where I am is perfect for this sort of thing, we are near the east coast but also have the huge dam in Koh Sok.. Obviously I would have to investigate the local regs and probably grease a few palms..

Guess I will have to go do a trial flight somewhere, see if I get on with it and then save my pennies...

Then this should be a good resource for you - http://www.phuketflyingclub.com/

[cloudhopper]

Oh and one more thing I wanted to mention - there was a fatal accident off Phuket some years back involving this type and I think it was later determined that a flying wire or wires had separated due to corrosion. So if you end up flying off salt water pay extra attention to the maintenance. And I strongly recommend a ballistic recovery chute as well.

[monty]

They had a bunch of them on Pattaya beach, taking up tourists for short flights.

Must have been about 10 years ago, they suddenly disapeared after they had the accident in Phuket.

Back then everybody was flying around, no licenses, nothing.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

[cornishcarlos]

I must admit, when researching these and watching various video clips on Youtube, my wife wanted me to show her a video that came up in the related column to the right (on Youtube). It was a clumbsy landing and rapid sinking.. She asked me again how much they cost and then walked away

On the corrosion point, yes I agree... I was an aircraft engineer for 8 years in the Navy, the condition of some of the helicopters that I did frame repairs on after just 1 deployment was scary !! If I do end up buying one, I promise to be very diligent..

I didn't know that there was an accident but maybe after 10 years, the build quality has been raised ? Having said that, I'm working on an Italian built motor yacht right now and they are horrendous

Thanks for the heads up...

[HSJAT]

I have recently imported an Airplane from the states to Thailand.

During this quest I realized that there is really zero information out there (In English) on how to go about this task, and what is involved. I started a website to outline all this in hopes of getting more people interested in Recreational flying in Thailand. Please have a look and participate.

http://thaiaerosport.com/import-airplane-thailand

[T_Dog]

HSJAT... Congrats on a monumental achievement! Very impressive photography on your webpage by the way. If you think you can put it down in 240 feet, send me a PM! The Highlander is an impressive airplane, and yours is a beaut!