Sport Pilot Talk

tu16 · Joined: 18 Feb 2010 Posts: 85 Location: Bellevue, WA

http://www.gobosh.aero/G800.cfm

I do not seem to find much about this plane. What do you guys hear?
Is it on the US market? Any pilot reports, sightings, stories etc.? I'd be intrested to learn more about it. What is general experience with Gobosh post-sale support etc. if you had experience with another Gobosh model?

Thanks,

Alex.

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1186 Location: Lock Haven PA

I've never actually seen the 800, and wouldn't consider one for my flight school, only because it's composite (and nobody around here is equipped to work on composites). I have flown two different Gobosh 700S models (the all-metal one), and very nearly bought one for my flight school. I like that Gobosh a lot! The only reason I don't have one is that I got a much better deal on a SportStar. But I would consider the 700S if I expand my fleet.

tu16 · Joined: 18 Feb 2010 Posts: 85 Location: Bellevue, WA

Thanks, Paul!

I totally understand that for flying school the metal one is much more preferrable. I, on the other hand, for my "air-gypsy" project of extended x-c cruising in LSA would not consider anything BUT all-composites :) Every pound counts. :) I wonder what happened to 800 - all-composite high-wingers CTs with similar specs are around, but I don't hear much about low-wing all-composite 800...

Thanks!
Alex.

P.S.
Coming from a sailing background where "composite" (fiberglass hulls, carbon-fiber spars, kevlar sales) are so commonplace that every boatyard in the world being that in USA or Guatemala can repair your banged on the rocks fiberglass hull - it is somewhat entertaining to see aviation flatfootedness in this area. :) In fact fiberglass boat hulls are considered "eternal" because of their infinite repairability.

Granted, modern aviation composites may require more advanced technology, materials and structural QA than a good old fiberglass in boating. Probably fear of liability issues as this is all regulated to death... I just wonder if it is *that* different... I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years every light plane will be all-composite - if, of course, GA survives that long in US...

tadel001 · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 251

Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass are two different things. Actually, most boatyards cannot repair Carbon Fiber. I also race sailboats in Annapolis. The really high performance carbon fiber components on some of the boats take a special shop to repair.

There are several significant concerns with composite:

1) What resin and fiber is being used? You cannot easily mix and match. See Airbus accident in NY when wrong resin rejected the repair and tail section failed.

2) Useful live of carbon fiber components. I believe the Cirrus still have a 20 year shelf life. After 20 years, the plane must be inspected for integrity. This is partly because at the time of airworthiness certification there was not enough information about the longevity of Carbon Fiber.

3) Standards for Carbon FIber. There really are no standards for carbon fiber in LSAs. THerefore, quality control is hard to monitor.

All three of the above doesn't mean that carbon fiber is bad. It just means you need to understand the issues and have answers to them. A little pre-buy questioning can usually ease your comfort, i.e. where can I source the fiber, resin, etc. Do you have tech specs for laying the fiber, etc.

tu16 · Joined: 18 Feb 2010 Posts: 85 Location: Bellevue, WA

Thanks, tadel001 - I totaly agree with your points. All are true and valid.

Still it feels like general aviation business in US is stuck somewhere in the previous century, that keeps perpetually attaching new sheets of metal to its decades-old rickety GA light plane fleet. Quite sad really for once technolgically advanced country reduced to importing LSAs from the Eastern Europe and not being able even to do airframe repair.

I've heard in Europe carbon-fiber manufacturing of LSA often has an origin in the light glider repair shops that are historically abundant there.

As my digging on the net shows t - this appears to be the case for example for so called "Gobosh 800XP" that is called VL-3C-1 produced by Czech Aveko s.r.o - a larger, fixed gear, slowed down version for US LSA market of smaller VL-3 Sprint, holder of the three world speed records in lighter european light category (472kg) with retractable gear. Total 5 planes are registered in USA where it is distributed under brand name "Gobosh 800XP" by Gobosh LLC and one in Romania...

I found no relationship to all-metal "Gobosh 700" that is produced by Polish manufacturer : Aero SP Z O O, model AT-4 ( http://www.aero.com.pl/en/at4 ), version of european AT-3 modified for US LSA market and specs.

"Gobosh 800XP" (or, Aveko/VL-3C-1 as it is correctly listed in FAA registry ) probably is a great plane. Not sure, though, how the prospective US buyer should be feeling about small volume production carbon-fiber plane by small eastern european factory with unclear staying power amidst local US metal shops of GA :) Which of course brings up Paul's point and his wise decision to stick with the metal.