Earthstar Forums

Gents, I'm so excited I can hardly spit. I'm buying the Gull 2000 advertised several weeks back in Barnstormers that is currently resididing in the Dallas area. I'm finishing up my Sport Pilot rating, after having soloed in Oakland, Cal in 1971. My mother knew I was a slow learner, but even she is surprised by this gap in time. The truth is, I ended up with diabetes and heart disease from exposure to agent orange while spending 2 years in Vietnam with the US Army. Thus, no private pilot ticket.
I've got 56 hours logged, another 10-15 coming up this month, then I plan on flying the bird home to South carolina from Dallas. My question (questions) to you are what special advice or suggestions do you have regarding how the plane flies? It's registered and has an HKS and parachute. I'm open to all suggestions and advice. Thanks very much.
John

Hi John, your going to love the gull 2000! Talk to Mark about the bird and the flight you have planed. He is a great guy with lots of cross country time. Good preflight/good fuel/good weather. Have Fun!

Congratulations. I remember the ads. It looked like a fine plane, well equipped.
I know that some of my friends talked about wanting to buy it.

>From my perspective, there are all sorts of issues raised by your plan. Flying
cross country is a way different experience than flying in the local area and
doing your first real cross country at the same time you're learning how to fly
the Gull is taking on a pretty tall order. Add in this year's severe weather,
which is going to be around for months to come, it gets to be a potentially
dangerous undertaking.

I bought my Thunder Gull JT2 last July after not flying for eight years, but
with a background of having owned four different single-engine Pipers, a
commercial certificate with an instrument rating and nearly 1100 hours, about
half of which were serious cross country all over the west and midwest.

My LSA qualifications were a BFR in a EuroFox, done in an hour in the air and
and hour and a half on the ground reviewing light sport rules, etc., plus a
second hour of dual later in the EuroFox.

I bought the Gull a few weeks later, at the same airport where I flew the
EuroFox. Due to a series of scheduling difficulties which delayed the seller
from being able to give me a checkout, I finally decided to teach myself. As
soon as I started taxiing to the runway it became obvious that I couldn't steer
the plane straight. The nosewheel steering is very sensitive. I spent the next
45 minutes taxiing back and forth, eventually getting comfortable at almost
takeoff speed.

The next thing I didn't know was how sensitive the controls were. The only way
to find out is in the air, and I found them light, crisp and very predictable.
If I was out of trim, it was easy to fly with the stick anyway. Rudder
sensitivity was much less than the EuroFox.

I paid heed to the words of one ultralight pilot at the airport who had taken me
aside after I bought the plane and impressed on me the need to fly it right down
to the ground, a little nose high. Do not flare! When you feel the mains on the
ground you can begin to lower the nose slowly. You'll be sitting close to the
ground and that may be different than your LSA lessons. That said, it is a very
easy plane to fly and a very easy plane to land well.

It's better in turbulence than most of the other "fat" ultralights at our
airport. But the wing loading is only about half of what I was used to, which
means it bounces around a lot. You'll encounter a lot of turbulence on your
trip. It can be unnerving. And it adds to the stack of challenges that you are
taking on. Out west the solution is to fly early in the day and remain on the
ground in the afternoon, if you want to avoid turbulence. I'm not sure that
formula works along your route.

I've got 35 hours in my Gull now and I'm beginning to feel pretty comfortable in
it. But I haven't done any cross country flying with it and I'm not sure I'm
ready for it. (Your HKS is certainly a better cross country engine than my Rotax
503.)

I know from my recent off-airport landing that overland transport of the gull is
not easy. But it is sure. My recommendation would be to rent a box truck long
enough to contain the fuselage and wing and drive it to your home airport. Then
you can learn to fly it at a comfortable pace in an environment that you can
control much more than you can on the flight there from Dallas.

I'm sure that Mark and others can give you good advice on the best way to
transport the plane by land.


Naturally you don't want to put yourself in danger. But you also don't want to
be in a situation where somewhere along the way you decide the flight isn't
working out as you'd hoped and then be faced with the task of how to get the
plane home from there.

I'm sure that others in the group will find this advice way too conservative,
and you're the only one who can know how comfortable you like things to be. What
is for sure is that plane will get you home if you know how to pick the times to
fly and the times to wait. If you're having trouble with anything, including
your nerves, land at the nearest airport, or turn back to the one you just
passed. Be patient. Knowing how to fly is only part of the skill set. Knowing
when not to fly is just as important.

Every time I takeoff, I know that the only way I'll return to earth safely is
through my own skill and knowledge. I really like that. There's nothing else
that gives me so much control over my life.
Dick O'Reilly

John,

If you don't hear from Mark, e-mail him direct at Thundergull@aol.com. I am flying the Gull 2000 with the 503 and 10 gallons of gas. My legs are about 2hrs, using about 4g/hr. The Gull is such a sweet flyer, after youv'e trimmed out, it's finger tip flying, and feet only while folding and unfolding maps, setting radios and GPS's. The 20' wing punches through the turbs just great. Keep us posted.

kb

Hey John,

I'm also re-thinking the solo long cross country in a new aircraft. As Richard has carefully pointed out, the Gull can be easy to fly, once you have spent some time with it. I had lot's of Cessna 150 time, and an old draggy ultralight 25 years ago and still was humbled with the characteristics of the Gull. It flies like a much bigger airplane, and is response as such. The nose wheel steering is a little quick, like go-carts, but once off the ground, nicely balanced to the ailerons and elevator. The sink rate does build quickly if you pull the nose up too soon. Just keep 65-70mph nailed right to the ground with power off and you will do fine. Later you can slow to 60mph and put it where you want it.
One of my flying friends just bought a Titan II, and had another high time in type friend fly it back home. My friend was high Cessna time and Phantom ultralights, but felt safer to have our buddy ferry it back just 3 hours away.

kb

What fun! My recommendation is to talk to Mark. The biggest issues in my mind are the airworthiness of the aircraft and your flight experience in a gull. You might want to go visit Mark and get some time in a gull as well as some training in inspecting your aircraft. Have fun and fly early in the day until you get used to things. A GPS with weather downlink helps too.

-Alan Cossitt

>From my iPhone. Please excuse typos and terseness.

Hi John
I flew the plane to him in Texas.
It was a fun flight.
I would plan the trip along a wrought that will have airports with gas at a
distance of 180 miles apart of closer. The plane has a longer range than
that but weather and wind and all can require you to have shorter legs some
times. I have made these long flights several times a year and cant weight
till the next trip. Check your blood sugar often, once an hr while flying
is important if you have type one. I Cary my tent, sleeping bag, matters pad
and close and 20 # of tools. I also recommend s garman 396 with XM
weather! it not only will allow you to stay out of the really bad weather that is
afoot this year but it also paints the Presidential TFRs that are 60 miles
in diameter were ever the president goes. It is imperative to stay out of
these traps and the 396 is an indespincable tool for this. I was able to
predict the severe storms that hit Lakeland Sun-N-Fun this year and stay away
till after they went through. there were 70 planes damaged in that one
storm, so I was really glad I wasn't there.
I am not trying to scare you out of making the flight, on the contrary, the
right tools make flying very enjoyable.
The HKS needs premium auto fuel but while flying cross country I buy 100 LL
at the airports.
For 50 or so hrs the 100LL does not really harm the engine but if you run
it longer than that you will need to mix in Marvel Mystery Oil with the gas
and oil to clean the led of the exhaust valves.
There is 2000 times more led in the 100LL as there is in the premium auto
fuel.
Buy your charts ahead of time since there not generally available in route.
If you want to email me a picture of your route I can look over it and give
you suggestions.
Happy Flying
Mark

In a message dated 5/2/2011 8:26:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
dickoreilly@yahoo.com writes:

Congratulations. I remember the ads. It looked like a fine plane, well
equipped. I know that some of my friends talked about wanting to buy it.

>From my perspective, there are all sorts of issues raised by your plan.
Flying cross country is a way different experience than flying in the local
area and doing your first real cross country at the same time you're learning
how to fly the Gull is taking on a pretty tall order. Add in this year's
severe weather, which is going to be around for months to come, it gets to
be a potentially dangerous undertaking.

I bought my Thunder Gull JT2 last July after not flying for eight years,
but with a background of having owned four different single-engine Pipers, a
commercial certificate with an instrument rating and nearly 1100 hours,
about half of which were serious cross country all over the west and midwest.

My LSA qualifications were a BFR in a EuroFox, done in an hour in the air
and and hour and a half on the ground reviewing light sport rules, etc.,
plus a second hour of dual later in the EuroFox.

I bought the Gull a few weeks later, at the same airport where I flew the
EuroFox. Due to a series of scheduling difficulties which delayed the
seller from being able to give me a checkout, I finally decided to teach myself.
As soon as I started taxiing to the runway it became obvious that I
couldn't steer the plane straight. The nosewheel steering is very sensitive. I
spent the next 45 minutes taxiing back and forth, eventually getting
comfortable at almost takeoff speed.

The next thing I didn't know was how sensitive the controls were. The only
way to find out is in the air, and I found them light, crisp and very
predictable. If I was out of trim, it was easy to fly with the stick anyway.
Rudder sensitivity was much less than the EuroFox.

I paid heed to the words of one ultralight pilot at the airport who had
taken me aside after I bought the plane and impressed on me the need to fly
it right down to the ground, a little nose high. Do not flare! When you feel
the mains on the ground you can begin to lower the nose slowly. You'll be
sitting close to the ground and that may be different than your LSA lessons.
That said, it is a very easy plane to fly and a very easy plane to land
well.

It's better in turbulence than most of the other "fat" ultralights at our
airport. But the wing loading is only about half of what I was used to,
which means it bounces around a lot. You'll encounter a lot of turbulence on
your trip. It can be unnerving. And it adds to the stack of challenges that
you are taking on. Out west the solution is to fly early in the day and
remain on the ground in the afternoon, if you want to avoid turbulence. I'm
not sure that formula works along your route.

I've got 35 hours in my Gull now and I'm beginning to feel pretty
comfortable in it. But I haven't done any cross country flying with it and I'm not
sure I'm ready for it. (Your HKS is certainly a better cross country engine
than my Rotax 503.)

I know from my recent off-airport landing that overland transport of the
gull is not easy. But it is sure. My recommendation would be to rent a box
truck long enough to contain the fuselage and wing and drive it to your home
airport. Then you can learn to fly it at a comfortable pace in an
environment that you can control much more than you can on the flight there from
Dallas.

I'm sure that Mark and others can give you good advice on the best way to
transport the plane by land.

Naturally you don't want to put yourself in danger. But you also don't
want to be in a situation where somewhere along the way you decide the flight
isn't working out as you'd hoped and then be faced with the task of how to
get the plane home from there.

I'm sure that others in the group will find this advice way too
conservative, and you're the only one who can know how comfortable you like things to
be. What is for sure is that plane will get you home if you know how to
pick the times to fly and the times to wait. If you're having trouble with
anything, including your nerves, land at the nearest airport, or turn back to
the one you just passed. Be patient. Knowing how to fly is only part of the
skill set. Knowing when not to fly is just as important.

Every time I takeoff, I know that the only way I'll return to earth safely
is through my own skill and knowledge. I really like that. There's nothing
else that gives me so much control over my life.

Dick O'Reilly


Hi Dick
Your JT2 may be tail heavy. If you are not comfortable in turblance. the
way to check it out is if the nose bobs up in turbulence it is tail heavy or
the horizontal stabilizer hinges are loose.
My experience has ben that a well balanced and well maintained Gull is a
real pussycat of a cross country flyer. Get an HKS and do lots of cross
country's, there is no better way to way this beautiful plannet we live on,
after all it is our responsibility to see this plannet from the air. The
experience cannot be beat!
Happy flying
Mark

In a message dated 5/2/2011 8:26:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
dickoreilly@yahoo.com writes:

Congratulations. I remember the ads. It looked like a fine plane, well
equipped. I know that some of my friends talked about wanting to buy it.

>From my perspective, there are all sorts of issues raised by your plan.
Flying cross country is a way different experience than flying in the local
area and doing your first real cross country at the same time you're learning
how to fly the Gull is taking on a pretty tall order. Add in this year's
severe weather, which is going to be around for months to come, it gets to
be a potentially dangerous undertaking.

I bought my Thunder Gull JT2 last July after not flying for eight years,
but with a background of having owned four different single-engine Pipers, a
commercial certificate with an instrument rating and nearly 1100 hours,
about half of which were serious cross country all over the west and midwest.

My LSA qualifications were a BFR in a EuroFox, done in an hour in the air
and and hour and a half on the ground reviewing light sport rules, etc.,
plus a second hour of dual later in the EuroFox.

I bought the Gull a few weeks later, at the same airport where I flew the
EuroFox. Due to a series of scheduling difficulties which delayed the
seller from being able to give me a checkout, I finally decided to teach myself.
As soon as I started taxiing to the runway it became obvious that I
couldn't steer the plane straight. The nosewheel steering is very sensitive. I
spent the next 45 minutes taxiing back and forth, eventually getting
comfortable at almost takeoff speed.

The next thing I didn't know was how sensitive the controls were. The only
way to find out is in the air, and I found them light, crisp and very
predictable. If I was out of trim, it was easy to fly with the stick anyway.
Rudder sensitivity was much less than the EuroFox.

I paid heed to the words of one ultralight pilot at the airport who had
taken me aside after I bought the plane and impressed on me the need to fly
it right down to the ground, a little nose high. Do not flare! When you feel
the mains on the ground you can begin to lower the nose slowly. You'll be
sitting close to the ground and that may be different than your LSA lessons.
That said, it is a very easy plane to fly and a very easy plane to land
well.

It's better in turbulence than most of the other "fat" ultralights at our
airport. But the wing loading is only about half of what I was used to,
which means it bounces around a lot. You'll encounter a lot of turbulence on
your trip. It can be unnerving. And it adds to the stack of challenges that
you are taking on. Out west the solution is to fly early in the day and
remain on the ground in the afternoon, if you want to avoid turbulence. I'm
not sure that formula works along your route.

I've got 35 hours in my Gull now and I'm beginning to feel pretty
comfortable in it. But I haven't done any cross country flying with it and I'm not
sure I'm ready for it. (Your HKS is certainly a better cross country engine
than my Rotax 503.)

I know from my recent off-airport landing that overland transport of the
gull is not easy. But it is sure. My recommendation would be to rent a box
truck long enough to contain the fuselage and wing and drive it to your home
airport. Then you can learn to fly it at a comfortable pace in an
environment that you can control much more than you can on the flight there from
Dallas.

I'm sure that Mark and others can give you good advice on the best way to
transport the plane by land.

Naturally you don't want to put yourself in danger. But you also don't
want to be in a situation where somewhere along the way you decide the flight
isn't working out as you'd hoped and then be faced with the task of how to
get the plane home from there.

I'm sure that others in the group will find this advice way too
conservative, and you're the only one who can know how comfortable you like things to
be. What is for sure is that plane will get you home if you know how to
pick the times to fly and the times to wait. If you're having trouble with
anything, including your nerves, land at the nearest airport, or turn back to
the one you just passed. Be patient. Knowing how to fly is only part of the
skill set. Knowing when not to fly is just as important.

Every time I takeoff, I know that the only way I'll return to earth safely
is through my own skill and knowledge. I really like that. There's nothing
else that gives me so much control over my life.

Dick O'Reilly


Hi Dick
Also check your elevator cable tension. Have someone hold the stick all the
way back or tie it tightly, than go to the trailing edge of the Horizontal
Stabilizer and push down on the trailing edge with 5 lb of pressure. the
trailing edge should not go down more than 1/2 an inch. If it does move more
than that tighten the turn buckles and re safety wire them. it will fly
much better and rotate quicker at lower speeds.
Happy Flying
Mark

In a message dated 5/2/2011 9:56:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
kessb@wavecable.com writes:

John,

If you don't hear from Mark, e-mail him direct at _Thundergull@aol.com_
(mailto:Thundergull@aol.com) . I am flying the Gull 2000 with the 503 and 10
gallons of gas. My legs are about 2hrs, using about 4g/hr. The Gull is such
a sweet flyer, after youv'e trimmed out, it's finger tip flying, and feet
only while folding and unfolding maps, setting radios and GPS's. The 20'
wing punches through the turbs just great. Keep us posted.

kb



Hi Kess
The Plane John is buying with the HKS will use 2.6 gph at the same speed
you fly at. You can slow down and use 2 gph or less it is a 24 foot wing but
still handles turbulence well.
Happy Flying
Mark