"Jay Maynard" wrote in message
...
On 2008-01-05, Vaughn Simon wrote:
There is one for rent at my local airport (LNA) I have checked out in and
used for several hours. There are things I really like about it, and things
I
don't. The superior visibility alone is almost worth it to me...almost. On
balance, I have happily gone back to the rental Cessnas. Be sure to get all
of
those 5 or 10 hours in a Zodiac, and then you will know if it is the plane
for
you. A few trips around the patch with a demo pilot won't do it.

Okkay, so what don't you like about it?

In general, the thing seems fragile and "fussy" to me. The seat is way too
uncomfortable for more than local flying. (It feels like the wing spar is
hitting you in the middle of the back) The canopy (which gives great visibility)
is a PITA. It almost takes two people to close it because you must spring it
into shape to get it to close on both latches. In my personal opinion (I come
from a glider and Cessna background so take this with a grain of salt) the thing
just needs more wing. It hates to climb and loves to come back down.

I like the control stick and the sensitive controls, but others hate it for
just that reason.

It's going to be tough for me to get
several hours in one.

How about a nice Florida vacation? PBFT has a nice Zodiac for rent in the
Palm Beach area. The flying weather is great during the winter.


I have reluctantly come to a conclusion about LSAs as our regulations
presently exist in the USA: If you want a plane with a bulletproof engine
that
any small-plane A&P can fix, then you want an 0-200. If you want a
full-tank,
fill-both-seats cross-country machine, then you need something powered by an
engine lighter than an 0-200; probably something like a 912. There is no
free
lunch.

Hm. With a useful load of 550 pounds, and a 30-gallon tank, and me and my
roommate together weighing 350 pounds, that leaves 20 pounds of luggage,
enough for a weekend. What am I missing?

You are lucky, your average pair of USA pilots runs more like 380 pounds.
Also, just my flight bag can weigh 20 pounds. There are also other useful
weight-robbing things that you may not have considered, like engine oil and
various accessories.


Where I fly, the Zodiac is the only rental that is not routinely sent out
with the tanks full.

Has it got tabs?

No, and because of the shape and tilt of the tanks it is hard to tell how
much is in them. The gauges on the Zodiac seem to be excellent, particularly
compared to the POS in Cessnas. I haven't had enough cross-country in the
Zodiac to know if they can truly be trusted. The over-center gas caps are a
PITA.

I don't mean to sound negative on the Zodiac, there are many things I like
about it. Just be sure to invest the time to properly shop around before making
such a big investment.

Vaughn