Need advice for a club

[Swick-T N7010S]

I'm VP of an aeroclub without a plane right now. We are trying to get a plane again so I need some advice. We used to have a Cherokee 180 that we sold since it didn't get flown enogh but now we have some new pilots and wanna bees at the airport. I'm a CFI and had a C-172 that i was instructing in and rented, but it wasn't bussy enough to make it work.
Ther are about 10 guys that are in the club or wanting to join if we get a light plane to fly. We were looking at some of the Ultralights/ Light sports such as the QC Challenger but you cant get any sort of insurance. I would like to see us get a T-craft, Champ, Chief or Cub that fits into the light sport category. I'm not much of a fan of 2 strokes, plus it would give me something to fly while I'm rebuilding my Swick-T other than the 172 . However I'm the only one with any tailwheel time.

Is there anybody in this group that is involved in anything like this?
Would a T-craft be the best choice? I think so, but I don't have much time in Cubs, Champs and Chiefs. We have a couple of big guys in the club 6'4" 250 lbs.

This light sport category is good if the insurace companys would get with the program. The only planes that you can insure with a club are the certified ones. I got a quote from AVEMCO for 6-10 in a T-Craft was ~$1,500 for liability only.

Thanks,
Mike

[jgerard]

Re: Need advice for a club

A Champ may be the best way to go since it has dual brakes, and can easily fit a "large man" Not that it is a better plane than the Tcraft, but it may just be a bit more user friendly in your clubs case.

[crispy critter]

Re: Need advice for a club

I must agree with Jason on this one. I'm 6'3" at about 230lbs.I fit fine it a t-craft but it has to be adjusted for me. The seat sling has to be let out to give me head and knee clearance. My father is 6' at 250lbs and a t-craft that is comfortable for me is a little bit of a stretch for him and my poor little short legged uncle has to have 2 pillows under his butt and a cushion behind his back to fly the same bird adjusted for me. A t-craft is a much better flying airplane,faster,slower stalls,easier ground handling,better preformance in both speed and climb,cheaper to own,buy, and operate. However you have a large number of guys in many different sizes with no tailwheel time to speek of,plus you or someone will be doing a lot of instruction and tailwheel sign offs so IMHO the Champ is much more suited. The Champ has a much larger door,much more leg,head,and shoulder room from either seat,dual brakes, and excellent visibility over the nose even from the back seat it's not bad. The Champ does have a few things to watch out for such as the oleo gear struts,if they're not properly maintained on a very regular basis they become a big handful in a hurry for a low time tailwheel pilot. Soo,my advice is to start with a Champ and if it works out good for everyone then maybe ad a T-craft to the club a little later. Hope this helps.