I've had the pleasure of flying both mono and trike versions of the
Europa and have just been asked to do the 25 hour test flight programme
on a Europa trike that's about to arrive in NZ which I will happily do.
If you have nice fat tarmac runways that you always operate off then the
trike is great - but in places where grass is the dominant surface and
some of those surfaces are unprepared (and at times quite narrow) then
I'd take a monowheel into those locations anytime whereas I'd think
twice about using the trike off those strips.
One of Ivan's design considerations was that the aircraft should be able
to operate of an unprepared farm field hence the monowheel
configuration. Many pilot's, myself included, love the monowheel
configuration and no, I don't end each landing feeling that I've just
survived an horrific experience. The mono has actually taught me how to
correctly land an aircraft and I wouldn't have missed acquiring that
skill for anything.
The mono is great for taking to the beach as it handle firm sand
beautifully. It's hard to beat landing a monowheel Europa on a deserted
black sand beach, cooking up a batch of big NZ greenlip mussels
collected off the rocks and then flying home after a most satisfying
day.
Believe me, the trike at times, with its finger brakes, can be just as
'entertaining' to handle as the monowheel. Like all aircraft it takes
practice, experience and good airmanship to handle an aircraft well, be
it a monowheel or a trike
The mono v strike debate will go on for as long as there is a Europa
flying. Some people will never feel comfortable flying the monowheel and
for those people they have the opportunity to fly the trike. For those
of us who have got to know the monowheel you just have to accept that we
love using our aircraft in locations which are ideally suited to the
design and have a propensity for walking around with stupid grins on our
faces after flying one.
Regards
Tony
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