freehugs wrote:
The thing is I would prefer to burn mogas as avgas seems too pricy for me. So the logical conclusion would be to go experimental.
:) Not really – many (most?) aircraft and engines are allowed to run on Mogas.
The question you should be asking is which countries allow the aeroplane you want to fly on the experimental register (not all are allowed everywhere) and if you can keep or even fly that aeroplane in the country you are based… ie can you keep an eg French registered experimental, or even fly it, in Romania?
I’d say :
1. Get licenced.
2. Fly abit with a school/club (I know there is a club scene in Romania, as well as private flying schools, I’ve worked there) and look at what aircraft are owned locally and what kind of flying you like.
3. Once you have done 1&2, you will have a good idea of the mission you want the aircraft you buy to fulfill. This will likely determine the aircraft type.
Good luck!!
As pointed out by skydriller… since you are in Romania, it might be an idea to check with the Romanian authorities as to how difficult a foreign homebuilt (what you call experimental) can be imported/re-registered, if there is an association in Romania, and could you base a foreign registered homebuilt in Romania.
The above questions need clarification before checking the other, foreign, side. Some countries require annual inspections performed in the country of registration, some others only permit their homebuilt to be stationed abroad for a given time, or others require the operator or owner to be the same nationality as the issuing authority is.
Good luck 
I can confirm that Slovenian registered experimental aircraft can be owned by non Slovenian nationals, even those living outside of the country, however they do require that you need to take the aircraft back to Slovenia for the extension of the permit to fly each year or pay for the inspector to come to you. Having said this – yes, the Slovenians don’t mind where they are based, however that doesn’t mean that Rumania will allow foreign experimental aircraft to be permanently based in that country – for example, France don’t allow foreign registered experimentals to be based there for more than 28 days at a time without permission. So knowing this, I would recommend that you talk to the Rumanian CAA and ask their position on foreign aircraft.
On the plus side, what I am hearing are rumours that the Slovenian CAA are proposing to extend the period of validity of the Permit to Fly to cover a period of 24 months – apparently they have already done this for Slovenian ULs….
Concerning 4 Seater experimentals, there aren’t many that spring to mind for the price you are looking for: MCR 4 or Jabiru J450; obviously there are others – Alpi Pioneer 400, Gogetair G750 or Vans RV10 – but I doubt you will find any of those in your price range – however happy hunting – in my eyes, searchng for your dream aircraft is part of the experience of ownership – both in a negative and positive aspect…..
freehugs wrote:
The thing is I would prefer to burn mogas as avgas seems too pricy for me. So the logical conclusion would be to go experimental.
That logic escapes me. There are plenty certified GA planes which have MOGAS STC’s and are flown perfectly normally with MOGAS all over the place. And some of those may well be in your price range. Starting with the AA5 or AA5A’s, many C172’s and PA28’s can pretty easily get a MOGAS STC or may well have one. One of the STC lists can be found here, (to see it click the View all approved engines and airframes link). Some MOGAS airplanes may even be for sale in Romania, such as this one here
Looking at some of the adds, it appears that there are plenty of EASA airplanes flying in Romania with EASA regs other than Romanian.
Not sure about experimental, but I bought my certified aircraft in Romania (I live in NL) and have had no issues keeping it on YR. The Romanian CAA seems quite flexible in my experience.
Thank you all for your detailed experiences. I have many things to learn so I will go easy as you suggested. (first get licensed and fly around – than buy plane)
Another reason for picking experimental over certified would be the costs of operating . Is this true in your experience?
If you compare a given type, two of them, one is Annex 1 (which loosely speaking is the European equivalent of the US Experimental Category) and the other is certified, they will both need similar maintenance actions, and thus the maintenance cost savings will come from
The savings are thus not great.
The real savings come from the two types being a different aircraft. The former tend to be smaller, simpler, less well equipped, etc, and a smaller cockpit will need less fuel for a given speed.
A search – example – turns up previous threads on this topic.
Homebuilt aircraft have a less rigorous maintenance regime and don’t require certified parts, so they are usually less expensive. However you would need to inspect a used homebuilt very carefully, because they have a wide range of build quality and don’t have the same inspection standards. I would echo the advice of others and say you should wait until after you have your license and have some more experience flying. Then you can think more about what’s important to you and how you would use the airplane.
Many people brand new to flying find even a basic trainer like a Cessna 150/172 exciting and novel, only to discover after a couple hundred hours that they want to do something those planes don’t do well. Maybe they get frustrated with cancelled trips and pursue an instrument rating, or perhaps they become interested in aerobatics, for example. It’s hard to know those things now, and owning an airplane carries its own learning curve that might be distracting while you’re learning to fly.
Just my two cents.
I was a member of a syndicate of 6 operating a certified Jodel DR1050 from 1990 until it became Annex1 in 2007(?). We were struggling to stay solvent while certified. With the same charges we built up funds of £18,000 in 10 years. Always flown on filling-station petrol .
I now fly a Bolkow Junior, with the same engine type, Continental O200, and also on a Permit. (Most Juniors are EASA.) Legally I could use car petrol. I’m using Avgas due to the ethanol content at present.
The Jodel was a 2+2 seater, the Bolkow is a 2 seater restricted by weight. Look at the useable load wth full fuel before buying. And get your mechanic to check it before finalizing purchase.
