Would you do it again?

Greetings All--

I'm getting very close to ordering a RV-9A empennage kit. My question to those who have been here before is this: Would you do the RV-9 again? Is it a project that you gained personal satisfaction from? Is it a project that has its challenges, but does not make you cry every time you step into your garage?

I'm pretty sure I know what the answers are going to be, but I need "ammo" while I am convincing my wife that it really is OK to park her car in the driveway for a couple of years.

FlyQXCRJ said:

Would you do the RV-9 again?

Click to expand...

Of course the answer is YES. Once you have flown RV it's hard to imagine not having one around! Yes it takes some work to build one, yes it's hard at times, yes you will be challenged, but finally yes you will love it and look back on the expierence with a smile. At least after your short term memory wears thin!

Do it again?

No.
I'm getting close to flying, (I've been on this for 16 months), and I'll be in the air by the end of the year. Have I enjoyed building this plane? You bet ya! Will it be worth it? Even though I have never flown an RV....I'm sure. But would I do it again?
No.......well, maybe a quick build kit. I could save a year of build time.

But then.... 6 months before I started building I said I would NEVER build an airplane.
Go figure.

You Bet!

The answer your question is YES! I enjoyed the building process very much. Yes you do have a few problem areas but everyone does. If I looked at the whole project as 100%, the problem areas would mount to 2% at the very most. Van knows how to make a kit! I currently fly a RV-9A and love this plane. As one of the previous replyies says" you can't imagine being without one". I certainly will not be leaving home without it. Good Luck!

Peter
90491

Im not building a -9 but a -7 and they are very similar and equal in skill level. At first I was thinking I can do this. I ordered empennage, built it, then QB fuselage, QB wings and finish kit. When it all came in it kinda scared me. I suddenly couldn't see light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone told me just focus on what working on at the time and dont look at the entire picture. This reduced the stress a lot. Nice thing is as you make progress, there are less and less part to sift through. I'm been at it for a year and a half and am working on my panel and amazed at the progress I've made. Its truely rewarding even if I never get to fly it.

GO FOR IT! You wont regret it!

-Jeff

I'm building a 7QB. When the parts all came in it was overwhelming. I learned pretty quick to only look at the sub assemblies one at a time. There are many challenges-they can all be overcome. Will you screw something up-YOU BETTCHA. When I started, I had to build it. At this time, I GET to build it! I got my "Fix" this A.M.. -an hour in the back seat of a 4 N360WS.
WOW!

http://img88.echo.cx/img88/4085/n360ws3sb.jpg

Wow

Thanks a bunch, folks - one of the things that has attracted me to the RV's (aside from the fact that I live a few miles from the factory) is the welcoming attitude and pride displayed by all who have experience with one.

Great!

Matt

Go for it!

I'm about 1/2 into the kit, almost to the QB stage.

Building is a great experience and I will miss building when I finish the -9. (Thinking about building either an Acrosport II or Hatz next.)

Don't let the kit scare you. When I finished inventorying the wing kit I almost started crying. "I spent over $5,000 on all these parts, I'll never finish it, etc." That feeling went away as I got into the kit. When I finished inventorying the fuselage kit I was excited because I KNEW I would finish this ship!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that if you change your mind down the line you will be able to sell it all and get some (most?) of your money back. Chances are the finished plane will be worth more than it'll cost to build, and along the way partially completed planes sell for about kit costs. Avionics and instruments lose very little to depreciation. I'm certainly not suggesting you won't finish it, but knowing that you can get the cash back if you do change your mind might make it an easier sell to the wife. I've been working on a SLOW build 4 since 98 and am just now buying instruments and avionics. The prices are kinda high, but I keep telling myself that I could sell them all tomorrow for close to what I paid. This twisted logic allows me to view my panel as a really cool looking savings account.

I say go ahead and build ... what else have you got to do?

Steve Zicree

FlyQXCRJ said:

Thanks a bunch, folks - one of the things that has attracted me to the RV's (aside from the fact that I live a few miles from the factory) is the welcoming attitude and pride displayed by all who have experience with one.

Great!

Matt

Click to expand...

Matt,

From experience (I live in Canby and am getting ready to move my 9A to the Airport for final Assy), living near Van's will be a lifesaver! I cannot count how many times I have driven over there to look at the factory planes to see what my parts are supposed to look like. It also makes it very easy (and cheaper) to buy kits, and replacement parts.
Would I do it again...yeah, I think I would. And once I get the plane up in the air, I have a feeling that the answer would be Definately!

If you ever want to take a look at a 9A Kit in progress, let me know....just do it soon, because hopefully it won't be 'in progress' for much longer

Ron
RV-9A

Do it again? Yep!

I have just flown my RV-9A for the first TWO times only. The first flight on June 9th was just 25 minutes, but gave me the confirmation I wanted about the trim and handling of this airplane. I flew it just seven days after completing flight training with Mike Seager using the factory-owned RV-6A in Scappoose, Oregon. The second flight on June 11th was 1.5 hours dodging rain showers to stay VFR to test the single-axis autopilot, radar transponder, and the VOR/ILS receiver-to-antenna connections.

I was told by a builder who was ahead of me all the way through the project to just think of this as a lot of little simple jobs that add up to an airplane. Don't think of it as a big job that will never be done. I started in October 2002 on the empennage kit. The wings arrived in early January 2003, the fuselage in the summer of 2003, and the engine and prop in the summer of 2004. My airworthiness inspection took place after 1,999.5 hours of building time.

Since I had to LEARN all the processes, I was unsure of some of my skills as I tackled a new one. Now that I have completed "most" of the project, I think a second one would go much quicker. I would only have to build the whole airplane TWO times instead of three. If you read the stuff on my web site, you know why I say that. This has certainly been educational. Before this airplane, all my others were radio-controlled models which is more common than I thought. Even Mike Seager has a few RC models.

Yesterday when I was flying around the weather in circles, I knew I would not be happy flying in a SPAM CAN anymore. The interior ships at the end of this week when I will be returning from a business trip to Texas the old-fashioned way. When that arrives, I will have real seats instead of some old cushions. I won't install any of the interior walls and carpets until the painting is completed. When you look at my web site, you will see why I could not paint the airplane myself.

As for the investment, yeah, this is much better than an IRA account. The value does not GO DOWN. I do have an IRA, but the airplane will be around $75K when painted. It is set up for ILS and has a constant speed prop. It will do what I want to do with it, and very fast for a fixed-gear airplane. I will be putting on the gear leg and wheel fairings soon to get up to full speed.

Jerry K. Thorne
East Ridge, TN
RV-9A N2PZ -- Flying
www.n2prise.org
(The car went back into the Garage on April 27th for the first time since January 2003.)

I, too, have completed just two flights in my 9A and can safely say I would choose the 9A again if I had the need...no doubt about it. Its a great, great flying machine. Very fast and agile, with AMAZING stall characteristics. This sounds trite, but the fact is during my two flights I haven't been able to get it to stall by gently pulling back on the stick. I'm going to have to get aggressive.

And the build process is tough, but rewarding and best of all DOABLE. Some have said building is mostly about dreaming...well I think it's mostly about AIRCRAFT OWNERSHIP as a reality.

Thinking of it as many small projects that get you to ownership of a GREAT airplane is outstanding advise. There's no rushing it...no wishing it to the end. Just steady work that equals steady progress, and then one day it flies and you get to take a break from building and fly during your leisure time as much and whenever you want.

Some think the 9A is a trainer aircraft, or a step-child aircraft because its not aerobatic and not as fast on the high end, or can't take a 200 HP engine. I absolutly disagree. Its agile, quick as lightening, fast, and best of all for me safer than the rest of the fleet because of its low speed characteristics. Vans did it right with this one. I think its the best. This plane fits the bill of EVERYTHING I wanted in a plane that I want to own and fly everyday.

No

onetwosierra: I'm with you. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Now to answer the original question: NO. I would not do it again. Why? I'm having too much fun flying. Why anyone would sell an airplane like the 9A after working so hard on it is way beyond me. Then build another one?? I know people do it all the time, but I really can't imagine giving up this plane to anyone else. Call it a trainer all you want......9A all the way.

More room for the dog

Wow- thanks, folks.

Your responses have been so effective, now my wife seems to think we should build a RV-10!!!!! After all, it makes sense - you need room for the dog.

Do it again

I swear I'll never build an airplane again...

I enjoy building my '9A a lot, but it consumes all of my free time and money. I find it physically challenging at times (I'm 6'1", 230 lbs, and crawling around under the panel sucks!)

If I were to do it again, I'd buy a QB all the way (just a QB fuse now). Then I could concentrate on the fun stuff and not just pounding rivets. I enjoy the electrical stuff and panel a lot... and I will continue to help people out when they get to that stage on their airplane.

When I do it again, I'd build an RV-8A. Just for something different, not because it's better than the -9A, which is Van's best airplane.

My '9A is almost done, I guess I should order the '8A so I have something to do...

Oh damn, I guess I have to build another one. My wife will kill me!

Vern Little RV-9A

Planning to build a 9A

I've been good friends with fellow forum member Andy Karmy for over 30 years. The airplane bug got us 25 years ago and we did RC and other models all through the years and now he's built a 9A and I'm getting ready to start. We've flown together many times over the past 2 years in his 9 and I must say, having learned in a Cessna 172 20 years ago and comparing the 9A to that is like the difference between a delivery truck and a Porsche. I can't wait to get started, I'm hoping to begin this summer.