WTF!? insurance???

[dieziege]

Very close.

It's quite a feeling when clecos start turning into rivets... even better when parts go up on the wall as finished...

I'm not going to come even close to 13 or 20 months build time though... that's amazingly good. Of course, I'm aiming for a "ready to fly" date of 1/1/2010... that's also my "house paid off", "debt free and money in the bank", and "35 and ready to semi-retire" point.... which means I'm trying to fit engines, avionics, and everything else into my "petty cash" budget.

Hey, ya gotta dream of something.

BTW... kits or scratch-built, they are all "Experminental"... all require inspection... all require test flying (20-40 hours test flying minimum) before they can carry passengers or go into congested airspaces/over densely populated areas...

[fiveoboy01]

My dad has been building a Sonex for what seems like the last 5 years. He hasn't touched it in a while, I haven't asked him about it. He is part owner of a 172 with 4 other guys, I think he's too busy flying to work on it.

[shane-o]

Naw, we're just looking forward to your next 3 month absence. Feel free to take it any time.

Im wondering if VX is an accurate representation of what it is to be a motorcyclist in the USA.

A part of me doesnt think so, but then again, with the enthusiasm shown by some of you ( that includes you Sev )for his leadership in just how to be possibly the most ignorant soul trying to ride a bike, it does give pause to reflect


Skills, girls like skills !!



Vote for Pedro

[fireguzzi]

I had no idea one could legally make thier own plane!
I mean, I really like making stuff, and depending on what it is, i'm pretty good at it, but I would never try to fly something I put together

+1

[dieziege]

You drive a car... probably even take family with you... you ride a bike... perhaps with a passenger.... In each case, you trust your self, your knowledge, training, skills, and judgement to see you safely through a process that takes constant attention, refinement, and skill. Every minute that you are driving you are making a lot of safety-critical decisions that all add up, after days or years of driving, to a history of accidents or safety.

Building an airplane is different in only one respect: if you make a mistake... be it the equivalent to "misjudged a corner", "thought the light had changed", or "fell asleep at the wheel doing 85 on the interstate"... you can "undo" it in your garage. Other than that, it is a bunch of repetative tasks that require basic skill and attention to detail but aren't when taken individually difficult.

It can take some willpower to say "yeah, I mekrobed this... buy new parts and start over..." but there is a reward in that too, the knowledge that there really aren't hidden cut corners.....

In the end it is sort of like motorcycling... if you want to do it, it's great... if you don't, it can be a scary prospect indeed.

[King Frog]

Yeah, that number is low, sorry.

Should be more like 30-50%...

in no market over even a 5 year span are homes averaging a 30-50% increase in market value PER YEAR.

INbought my house in LAS VEgas Dec 2001 1200SF for 127k Sold in in MAy 2005 2005 for $295k in 6 hours to teo bidders crazy.. OVer a double. Need less to say we cashed out amd move to Myrtle BEach built a 1700 SF custome home on some 1/2 acre proper we bought on the water 100 feet of shorline (not ocesn) for 195 total. Much better home, Tile Mouldimg, 24" completely finished and heated garage. Houes alone cost 161k OTD. DId the same moving fromSan Diego. To las vegas. NOw Myrtlr BEach
is on the up swing. Arkansas is next lol



'

[flynrider]

BTW... kits or scratch-built, they are all "Experminental"... all require inspection... all require test flying (20-40 hours test flying minimum) before they can carry passengers or go into congested airspaces/over densely populated areas...

These days, the term "experimental" really applies. The only inspection now is the final one, before the first flight. It's limited to the what can be seen through the various inspection ports. You have to be pretty confident that your work is good before taking that first flight

BTW - Here's the site we created for the RV-10 build :

http://members.cox.net/rvator/index.html

[-Holiday]

BTW... kits or scratch-built, they are all "Experminental"... all require inspection... all require test flying (20-40 hours test flying minimum) before they can carry passengers or go into congested airspaces/over densely populated areas...

These days, the term "experimental" really applies. The only inspection now is the final one, before the first flight. It's limited to the what can be seen through the various inspection ports. You have to be pretty confident that your work is good before taking that first flight

BTW - Here's the site we created for the RV-10 build :

http://members.cox.net/rvator/index.html

wow, that was neat.
any idea how much a kit like your friend made costs?

[flynrider]

wow, that was neat.
any idea how much a kit like your friend made costs?

The kit, engine and instruments came out to about $85K. The previous kit, engine and panel for the 2 seat RV-6 was more reasonable at around $35K.

[dieziege]

An RV-10 like that could cost anywhere from about $70K on up... 140K is probably more common.

I'm budgeting about $70K for my RV-8...

That isn't counting the labor of course... figure a few thousand hours honest work.

The thing that sucks about building is...well, found out last night that a guy around here who built a Bearhawk (there is a picture of the same model plane back a bit in this thread) and had taken me flying in it... beautiful plane that was winning prizes for build quality and was even on the cover of a "how to paint your aircraft" book... had flown to Arizona for a vacation, was staying at a hotel, and had a very strong wind come up at night and lift the plane off its tie-downs and flip it over. Apparently the steel s-hook on the end of the chain bent or broke. Makes me sick just thinking about it, and he probably had 6000+ hours of labor in building that plane. Unlike RVs, bearhawks are built from plans (I have a set actually)... you make every part of it yourself, welding the fuselage, forming the ribs for the wings... just about every part is hand built.

Sigh.

Yep... single inspection is right. That's why most builders find someone who has already built to be a "tech councilor" and offer advice and approval before the assemblies are sealed up.