So I've been looking at this aircraft and I've been gathering more informations on it for the past week
https://www.controller.com/listing/for- ... t-aircraft
It's a Rans S7-LS registered 5H-CED currently located in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
It has had a hard landing and both landing gears, the rudder, and tail wheel, and the right wingtip plastic has been changed. The bottom of the tail section fabric also took a hard scape during the hard landing and probably needs to be redone. Along with fabric work in other parts of the plane.
When changing the right landing gear the fuselage has been deformed where the right door doesn't align with the fuselage correctly anymore apparently they had to use a lot of force to remove the bent gear and also to install the new one.
It doesn't have a transponder or a radio nor ads-b.
Finally the engine has been swapped at around 40hours,the Zanzibar dealer used the original engine as a donor for a Rans S6.
So the plane has 127hours but the engine has 91.
I contacted Randy at Rans (an absolute great guy) and asked him what should be done on it. he said that if the door doesn't align it's probably because it had been opened during flight and slammed back deforming it.
But the Zanzibar mechanic assured me that the fuselage was indeed deformed, not the door itself.

I was wondering if the fuselage has been stretched/deformed where the landing gear assembly is, how would it affect the structural integrity and the ability to take hundreds of future backcountry landings?, what do people do in these case? Do they cut the tube and reweld new ones ? push them back into shape ? what other concerns should there be ? I was thinking the wings and their struts must have taken a lot more force that they're designed for as well.

You're in the US looking at buying an airplane (your first airplane) in Zanzibar, which has a bent fuselage, needs fabric, radio, transponder, ADS-B?

I'd say buy it and never look back.

A hard landing is one that elicits comments from passengers or outside observers.

A really hard landing may involve a blown tire.

The aircraft in question was involved in an accident.

asa wrote:You're in the US looking at buying an airplane (your first airplane) in Zanzibar, which has a bent fuselage, needs fabric, radio, transponder, ADS-B?

I'd say buy it and never look back.

G44 wrote:

asa wrote:You're in the US looking at buying an airplane (your first airplane) in Zanzibar, which has a bent fuselage, needs fabric, radio, transponder, ADS-B?

I'd say buy it and never look back.

Send Bitcoin to me and I will deliver soonest.

LOL! Hmmm, I would definitely be a little skeptical. The pictures don't show any damage and the ad doesn't mention it either. Proceed with caution.

ha I see, my offer has already been refused,

for the right price +10K shipping it could have been worth it.

anyway readers I'm still in the market for an S7 ! and I would still love to know what is usually done to fix a crooked fuselage.

If your on Facebook look up Steve’s Aircraft. Brian recently posted a series of pictures from repairing a Highlander that got bent during a hard landing.

Well nuts- I just tried to link Dogpilot’s epic thread about buying a 206 out of India and all his posts in it have been gutted. Got a hunch why that might be. Anyway, that thread was one for the ages.

To the OP- ever read West with the Night? For the right price I might just keep the S7 in Tanzania and build a grand adventure around it.

Cheers,

-DP

That was more than a "hard landing." That was a crash, just feel like I have to stick up for the S-7S least some think that a simple and common hard landing bends them.

I agree with CG on this one... Bent the fuselage where the gear leg attaches? That's chromoly steel, just like any other tube-and-fabric airplane. The forces to do so would be pretty intense!

Just as well that your offer was declined. For me, that would be a fuselage rebuild, at the very minimum.

(On the plus side, RANS offers excellent parts support for the S-7...)

Don't just "walk away" from this one – RUN!

Amorph let me make a suggestion. You should befriend someone who has bought and sold many planes is their time and preferably someone who knows S7s well if that is what you want. You could easily make a huge mistake that could leave a really bad taste in your mouth at least and even jeopardize any future in flying as well. The fact that you even considered this plane demonstrates your lack of knowledge. Sorry don't mean to be a dick just want you to succeed. For me that plane would have to be free and even then I probably would not take it. When I got started flying I approached a very knowledgeable pilot and told him I wanted to buy a plane and learn to fly. A week later I was the proud owner of a nice 170. I didn't even know what a 170 was at the time. I knew I did not know squat about what I was getting into. Thanks to his guidance I now have my second plane and about 2000 hours of flying. I got my second plane after about 1000 hours of flying. I got a cub. I still asked for guidance when I bought that one because I didn't know a thing about cubs. Don't rush. Press on but be careful. There have been a few threads here that describe airplane purchase disasters.

Exactly what Coyote says. When you start out you don't know what you don't know.

Find the right person to help you, and LISTEN to what they say.

Funnily enough the guy I asked told me to buy a 170 as well. 8 years on and he has gone but I still have the plane and thank him every time I fly it.

Now I kind of want a cub, but I could not let the 170 go.

daedaluscan wrote:Exactly what Coyote says. When you start out you don't know what you don't know.

Find the right person to help you, and LISTEN to what they say.

Funnily enough the guy I asked told me to buy a 170 as well. 8 years on and he has gone but I still have the plane and thank him every time I fly it.

Now I kind of want a cub, but I could not let the 170 go.

Your 170 has a float kit if I recall correctly doesn't it ?

No, luckily it doesn't. Its already spendy enough. Wish I had started to fly forty years ago - when my dad told me I should.

Thanks for the feedback.
I would get a 170/180 if I could afford the maintenance.
I think an experimental S7 is more in my budget and skill level.

anorphirith wrote:Thanks for the feedback.
I would get a 170/180 if I could afford the maintenance.
I think an experimental S7 is more in my budget and skill level.

I’m not sure what is so expensive in maintenance on a 170 or 180 that people can’t afford. Unless you build the s7, and get your repairman certificate, you still have to pay someone else. I own a 180, other than the upgrades I choose to make, the maintenance is pretty minimal. If you lose a cylinder on a 470, or you lose a cylinder on a 360, is the cost really any different? Other than a couple more cylinders and a cs prop, what really is the difference?

Just the hourly fuel burn, sub 4 GPH V. ? Mogas or avgas?
Oops, I just now saw that was strictly maintenance related, agreed.

Hey Anorph just a hint here. If I was in the market for an S7 I would ask courier guy for help and if he said buy a particular S7 I would not question his advice.

asa wrote:You're in the US looking at buying an airplane (your first airplane) in Zanzibar, which has a bent fuselage, needs fabric, radio, transponder, ADS-B?

I'd say buy it and never look back.

!!!