Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By cockney steve
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1532548
Robbie 123 said
They see the asset as their aircraft not the hangar.

And too short-sighted to work out that the hangar is their primary line of defence against thieving scum.
I'd guess a ballpark value of 15K per aircraft.....that would give you £1500 per aircraft, were you to consider 10% to be a reasonable security spend......let's also consider that insurers may well start loading premiums for vulnerable targets Effectively, a security spend is pre-empting that, so you could look on it as an insurance discount , spent up -front..
There is at least one UK manufacturer of sophisticated, bespoke, cutting-edge security systems. Power can be supplied by photocells and battery-storage.

Now, hows about ... the alarm rings your (and other dedicated numbers) phone, gives you a live video AND 2-way Audio feed, simultaneously uploading to remote storage . You watch progress as the intruder enters the field, meanwhile making your own arrangements for interception (I'm told a 12-bore has a powerful deterrence-value.) Plod will invariably announce their progress with "blues and twos" thus scaring -off the crooks and avoiding confrontation....sneaking up and actually catching them appears to be low on the agenda.

As the crooks reach the hangar, you trigger a spray-mist of Ultra-violet smart-water which identifies them and their tools. You tell them to quit and go, but despite being able to accurately describe their dress and what they're doing, they persist. you could trigger the hidden floodlights....instead, you switch on the internal fogging. The burglars open the door and can't see a thing, just a solid wall of fog! Meanwhile, you've been giving a real-time commentary to Mr Plod, who has a detailed description of the opposition, has decided they fancy the odds and are on your case....they turn up and catch the indelibly marked crooks. :D

All this, and more, are achievable right now. It's down to cost and cost-effectiveness.
Some people attach little value to their possessions and shrug their shoulders on the basis "it's insured".......seldom do you come out clean, but, I'm not one of those sort anyway. I'd prefer to go to bed content to know I'd taken every reasonable practical step to secure my possessions that i'd worked so hard for. YMMMV.
#1532550
ChrisRowland wrote:

What's puzzling to me is where the engines are going, they don't have paperwork with them so consist of a collection of unlicensed/unapproved parts. Does that have any value? Is there a way to cause an engine that's fell off the back of a lorry to gain a new life? Or do these unlicensed parts have a value?


ever heard of Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia? take your pick!
#1532558
Trackers don't stop motorcycle thefts so I don't see how they would stop rotax engine thefts. Some could be recovered but the thieves will change how they process the stolen item if they think there is a risk something has a tracker fitted.

A while back I was channel hopping on tv and came across a program about stolen Land Rovers that were thought to be going abroad. As an example they demonstrated a whole vehicle including engine could be stripped down to parts in an hour. (The particular vehicles were designed to be very easy to maintain). For the thieves it was worth them doing that for ease of export and rebuilding it elsewhere, perhaps where there are cheaper labour rates. It is also harder for the authorities to check a serial number of a stolen engine against a subset of its parts.

It is the age old problem of buyers (worldwide) wanting to buy from different sources (own country or abroad or online) to save some money, making it harder to know if what they are buying is stolen or not, or genuine or a cheaper copy. Some rotax buyers abroad might not know they are buying a stolen UK engine. Not everyone can spot fake paperwork.

In my earlier post I gave a link to one method of marking items to make it easier for the police and border authorities to identify the legal owner. Given that many pilots moan about the scale of landing fees, this has to be one of the more economical deterrents.
At the other end of the price scale, park the aircraft at a major airport with proper security.

If someone asks about your aircraft, it is very difficult to tell the difference between a genuine aircraft enthusiast/photographer/wannabe pilot etc or someone scouting for an engine theft, so perhaps think carefully what you tell someone. Perhaps fib about the engine condition if asked directly and say it is high time (less desirable to a thief) rather low time or recently overhauled or nearly new.
#1532587
Sooty25 wrote:
ChrisRowland wrote:

What's puzzling to me is where the engines are going, .. do these unlicensed parts have a value?


ever heard of Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia? take your pick!


and (if any Forumite knows or can knowledgeably guess) for what purposes/applications ? Un(der)regulated homebuilt/certified aircraft ? Is a Rotax too big for, eg, a paramotor ? Foreign (possibly sanctioned) governments' military aircraft or drones ? Other (non-aviation) uses eg hovercraft/airboats ?