AMD Alarus

[Ralgha]

Does anyone have any experience or know anything about the AMD Alarus airplane? From what I hear it was designed from the start to be an IFR trainer, and as a result it is very cheap to buy and operate. The panel pictures I've seen look pretty good, but the only things I've heard about it are from people promoting it, so obviously they aren't going to say anything bad. Can anyone here give any thoughts on it?

Thanks.

Oh, it has a website too.

 

[Cosmo1999]

Hey I have spent about 800 hours or so in the CH2000 doing private and instrument training for the flight school I worked at. We use the alarus as the primary trainer then the arrow for commercial. We have an electronic HSI coupled with a garmin 430 gps. Makes for a really good IFR trainer. The plane is a little slow but its about the same speed as a 152. We have had a few problems with it like cracked exhaust, airbox, etc but we have been able to work the kinks out as time goes by. The only time the plane goes down now is usually if a student does something to it or it has to have its 50 or 100 hour inspection. I believe the factory works out the kinks as we let them know the problems we have had. The students sure beat the crap out of those airplanes and they are still holding up after two years. The avionics package with the EHSI and Garmin GPS is excellent though. Its a funny lookin plane but it gets the job done. It kind of looks like a delorean when you open the doors.

 

[WestIndian425]

Ha!! I did a search and found this thread. I'll let some of my colleagues answer this question, now that it's been a few years since this thread started. I will say that plane does appear to have lots of problems.

Neil

 

[Foxcow]

The place that I work for has a few. I was going to get checked out but they decided not to because they are selling them. From what the other instructors tell me, it glides as well as a brick and is about as fast as a 152. I thought it was interesting that it has a split flap.

 

[flyguy]

I've got about 40 hours in the Alarus now. When the airplane is brand new they are pretty neat little planes, but they used to be a kit plane and it shows. They are pretty much helt together with scotch tape and rubber bands (literally) and they only last about 100-200 hours before they start to fall apart. After a while they become a major POS. They are really difficult to start sometimes. The magnetos are weak and the 12 vold electrical system is not powrfull enough to run the starter motor fast enough. As a result you get a very short battery life.

As for how they fly, they are kind of heavy in the nose and a little unstable, but once you get used to them they are actaully kind of fun to fly. They are very loud so make sure you have a good headset, and you feel stong vibrations in the floor so make sure you have good shoes. The seats are comfortable as long as you fly for less than 2 hours. After that they feel like concrete. There's not much for ventilation. There are two little holes in the doors with covers that allow you to direct a small amount of fresh air into the cabin, but on a hot day they are miserable. Especially since the lense-shapped windows are like magnifying glasses.