Standard Cirrus

I recently acquired a Standard Cirrus with a servicable trailer. It is in decent overall condition, but it is a bit old and dusty. The trailer needs new lights/wiring but that is a relatively simple matter to accomplish. The ship hasn't been flown in at least 15 years. The panel is outdated, but overall it is in decent condition. I plan to do some clean-up work on it in the next few months in order to get it airworthy again. I may install a new panel (from Pimp My Glider) and new avionics, time will tell on this one. I will entertain purchase offers at any time during the clean-up process.

Photos and detail will follow.

Sounds like an exciting project, Dr. Jet Will you keep us posted on progress?

That I shall do. First, I need to sell (trade?) my Standard Libelle to make room in the hangar for the Cirrus.

Now, that is fascinating. This site let me post without logging in first.

Photos and details will follow in a couple of weeks.

Ah yes, good luck with selling your Standard Libelle I am really curious as to the photos !

'Real World' Performance differences between the Libelle 201 and the Cirrus? Can't be more than 2 points?

Tnx

Pieter

Here's an update on the Standard Cirrus: I have cleaned up the wings and they are in excellent condition. There are a couple of spots where it appears that the gel coat is de-bonding in a circular pattern, but the area is not much bigger than a fingerprint.

I need to fabricate a new ramp so I can get the fuselage out of the trailer. I think the original was stolen at some point in time.

Photos will follow soon.

Great You are progressing slowly but steadily. What happened with the Libelle? Did you sell it and do you have room in your hangar now?

Yes, the H-201 (Y2) is sold and the room in the hangar is quite welcome. I will keep the H-301 (4D) for a long time to come (unless I win the Lotto or something).

Y2 was a gorgeous ship. The new owner has a real jewel to fly.

Yeah, winning the lotto would be great for me as well. Especially since I don't play in it

Good to hear about these developments though. Keep us updated, please

Well, here's a little update: I've been trying to figure out how the previous owner rigged the ship. I can not get the nose of the fuselage out of the trailer far enough to open the canopy fully. This makes inserting the wing pin in place a nightmare. Ditto for trying to lower the gear.

There must have been some sort of ramp or other fixture he used to get the ship out of the trailer; but as I said earlier, there is no sign of anything like that in the trailer. I contacted a local welder and I'm having a ramp made up that will allow the glider fuselage/cradle to roll further out of the trailer, and position the fuselage at an elevation that will allow the landing gear to be lowered and just contact the ground. It will have a central ramp for the tailwheel making the process of getting the tail into the trailer without hitting anything much easier. It is a free-standing ramp that will index into holes in the trailer for alignment. The trailer could conceivably be moved away from the ramp after the glider is rolled onto it.

I won't tell you how much this guy is charging me for it, but I will say it's going to be more than a BUNCH of aerotows. The end product should be sharp though. I'll have photos in a couple of weeks.

I'm hoping to find a buyer sooner than later, but I suppose photos are the first thing I need to market the ship. I can't take photos until I clean it and assemble it, which means the ramp is the "Critical Path" priority project at this time.

My ramp is now done in a nice red powder-coat finish and works perfectly. I fixed all the trailer running lights and added a tongue jack. I can get the ship out of the trailer to the point where the wings can be installed.

I've cleaned the wings, stabilator, and most of the fuselage. There's a really nice ship under all that dirt and grit. I replaced the gear door bungie and everything looks good. The main tire is practically brand-new. I have removed all of the old aileron and rudder seals, and plan on getting new ones from Tim Mara (W&W) when everything else is done.

When I have the time and a spare warm body, I will assemble the ship and take photos. My one-man Libelle wing assembly dolly doesn't quite fit the Cirrus bottom wing profile as well as I would like, so I will opt not to use it.

Well, I can confirm that no other 15M ship on the planet is easier to assemble than the Libelle. That said, the Cirrus is a close second. Two people can put it together in about 15 minutes with nothing more than a wing stand.

The Cirrus is now officially "for sale". Current price: $12,500. If I update the panel (CF panel from Pimp My Glider, new radio, and vario would be in order as would a transponder) or add any other refinements, the sale price would be adjusted accordingly. The enclosed trailer is a bit rough, but it is weather-tight and completely servicable.

Here's a shot of the panel

I plan to continue to clean things up. For example, you can see that the air vent hose attachment at the shut-off valve needs some attention, the inside of the trailer needs a good cleaning, I'll pull the seat pan out for inspection and lubrication, and continue cleaning until it meets my standards.

Well, the air vent is fixed and the trailer is clean. Next step will be the seat pan removal, inspection, and lubrication. EX is shaping up to be a nice ship. Somebody is going to get a great deal if they swoop on this before I post it on Wings and Wheels.

More Photos: This is the ramp I had made.

More Photos: The wings with the trailer in the background. If you look, you can see part of the fuselage of HD hanging from the roof girders, and 4D's trailer.

The Cirrus has been sold. Now, with a bit of cleaning and rearranging in my hangar, I will have a place to park the crew vehicle (a 3/4-ton stretch van).

Karl(the new owner) will be updating the panel, and finishing the odds-and-ends to get it airworthy. He got a great deal on a nice ship.