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  #71  
Old 08-16-2007, 06:49 AM
Stogie 6's Avatar
Stogie 6 Stogie 6 is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 101
Thumbs up Demographic Survey...

Long story short...

I maintain two professions - licensed architect and US Army Reserve Officer(LTC, EN, 19 years and counting). Household maintains a rough pre-tax income of around $85K. Raising two kids (14 and 10). No car debt, no credit card debt, just the house. If anybody listens to Dave Ramsey (daveramsey.com), you know the drill. I am paying as I go for my RV6-A. Always looking for a fire sale on a kit that somebody has just run out of steam on. Bought my tail for $500 way back in 1999. I work on it when I can as it is in a hanger in Lockhart, TX and I am in Germantown, TN. My lovely wife has recently begun her "Global Warming" and is melting to the idea of flying with me. I shared Scott Schmidt's travel story with her last night...She liked the idea. Thanks Scott . Had a dream last night on how to purchase the remainder of my kit. I dreamt that I was re-deployed back to Iraq (did my time for OIF 2) for the tax-free cash. Would be worth it but there is a catch...

Thank you Doug Reeves for keeping my dream alive - Love the site.
__________________
David F. Jones, AIA
LTC, USA (RET)
Memphis, Tennessee
RV6-A - (tail sold)
Kolb Firestar KXP (sold)
Sonex Onex (N153TD) Flying

Last edited by Stogie 6 : 08-16-2007 at 08:01 AM.
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  #72  
Old 08-16-2007, 08:51 AM
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logansc logansc is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 571
Default RV Demographics

This is a great thread! After all these great stories, I won?t bore anyone with the mundane details of mine, but did want to say this all reads like an American novel. So many variations on the same dream?and so many different ways to get there. Is this a great country or what?? Thanks to all for one of the more entertaining hours I?ve ever spent at my computer!

Regards,

Lee?
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Lee Logan
Ridgeland, SC (3J1)
F1 Rocket #160 flying
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  #73  
Old 08-16-2007, 09:19 AM
Tom Martin Tom Martin is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,544
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I am a 52 year old, married for 30 years, old farmer. I have three sons who will all be well educated from the funds generated by agriculture but none of whom will be returning to the farm. I live on the same farm my great grandfather lived on. My life started with dairy cattle and hogs but progressed through the seed industry and back to the my farming roots and cash crops. This leaves my winters open. Fifteen years ago, while in the seed business, I needed a stress reliever, so I built a RV4. That was good for a year but I needed more speed, more room, so I built a HRII. Then I built another HRII. Then I built a F1 and helped another gentleman build one at the same time. Then another builder need help with his F1, and last year I first flew my own EVO F1. That makes seven planes in 14 years while farming during the summer months. Next winter I am going to finish another F1 and a RV7 that the owners have worked hard on, but just want to get flying. Agricuture and aviation are a great mix and I have my own grass runway from which I can check out the neighbours crops on a daily basis!
__________________
Tom Martin RV1 pilot 4.6hours!
CPL & IFR rated
EVO F1 Rocket 1000 hours,
2010 SARL Rocket 100 race, average speed of 238.6 knots/274.6mph
RV4, RV7, RV10, two HRIIs and five F1 Rockets
RV14 Tail dragger

Fairlea Field
St.Thomas, Ontario Canada, CYQS
fairleafield@gmail.com
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  #74  
Old 08-16-2007, 10:11 AM
phelan phelan is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Keller, TX
Posts: 18
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I'm a 30 year old software engineer, inching towards a six figure income, with a wife of 6 years and two sons ages 2 and 9. My wife is a former teacher's aid turned homemaker (we wanted her to be home with the baby instead of putting him in day care). The 9 year old lives with his mother and step-father in Benbrook (South Fort Worth) and because of that my finances are instantly attacked each month by the AG's office. I can sympathize with you guys that are finding it difficult to account for the substantial budget discrepencies that occur every month. Once the government is paid, the "necessary" bills are satisfied, groceries are bought, and doctors have been fed, there's not much left is there? Sometimes I can almost hear the poof sound when I check my balance.

I have an uncle who has been flying all my life, and although I didn't see him much when I was younger, it was always a treat to see his plane at reunions and sometimes get a quick ride. This year we all went to Osh for the first time, and of course I loved it. My uncle rode in the factory 7, something he had wanted to do for years, and came back grinning from ear to ear with the infamous RV Grin.

I'm not a pilot, but am gathering the courage and willpower to embark on the adventure, and every story I read on here pushes me that much closer. My wife is very supportive of my dreams, and is even willing to take lessons herself so that when we fly as a family, I have a true backup in the right seat. Being able to take my family anywhere in the country on a whim is the ultimate freedom in my mind. To me we are made up of memories and experiences, and I can't wait to stop living vicariously through you guys.

Currently I am riding a 6 month plan to get the credit card down and start my training. When that's over, it's all about the 10. I just hope Jay is still willing to help an overeducated mechanical neophite by then. Keep this thread going. It's very inspiring.
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David Hollabaugh
Keller, TX
RV-10 Non-Pilot Dreamer

Last edited by phelan : 08-16-2007 at 03:03 PM.
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  #75  
Old 08-16-2007, 10:17 AM
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Steve A Steve A is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 207
Default What I do for a living

I am a geologist/geophysicist working in Lafayette, La. I grew up in Colorado and received a geop. engineering degree from Colorado Mines. I grew up skiing and racing 10 speed bikes in the mountains so flying her in Louisiana was a natural transition. Geologists/geophysicists make money when the price of oil goes up and all get laid off when it falls as it has after each boom. Since I am independent and own my own consulting business, I do well in good times and have NO income when times aren't as robust. I am a risk taker as I and a partner put the leases together, acquire the seismic data and promote the well. If it is a dry hole, I get nothing, of course .

My RV 7A is a lot like what I do in my day job. It is very risky if you don't take care to look at all the angles. I too am a cash-only type person, I paid off my modest house (the house across the river and next door are mansions) but my house has a fraction of the square footage. I have paid off my cars and drive them until either the wheels fall off or one of my teenagers have a fender bender. I owned a Cherokee 180 and Arrow and sold them when we started having kids. Two of my three kids graduate in May from college, and the deal is they pay for grad school/med school themselves. So I am free to spend a little(more than I thought) on the plane.

I am almost finished, trying to paint the plane myself. This weekend I took some transition training with Dave Austin in Denton Tx. My favorite part, now that I am back on the ground, is "have you every been inverted in an RV". Good instructor and a good person, I learned a ton.

Steve Anderson
Lafayette, La.
RV 7A
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  #76  
Old 08-16-2007, 01:19 PM
allbee allbee is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: spokane, wa
Posts: 805
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I turn 50 on the 21st, eek, where has time gone. I went most of my life wanting to fly but couldn't. No money. Now with the kids grown up I can do for myself. At age 45 I learned to fly, bought a kitfox, now have 1000 hrs. Way cool. I've been maried 30 years as of January 9. The wife loves to fly so I'm blessed with this as well. I have a transmission shop that does rather well. I put the whole flying thing on business expenses. I did hear that last month our fuel bill was something like $1200, but that includes gas for all vehicles. I fly every day, sometimes twice. I started on my RV last year around August and now am putting the finishing kit to her, it's a slow build. I will say that in my younger years I got into remote airplanes and that helped when it came time to build and learn to fly the real thing.

Why the RV? one real reason why, the company is very stable. At one point I was going to build an Europa, but found the company to wishy washy, so I bailed, glad I did, the RV is a much better choice.
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  #77  
Old 08-16-2007, 02:14 PM
Yukon Yukon is offline
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Phoenix, Az
Posts: 920
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Question......If you have 1000 hrs in a Kitfox, why a 7(A)?
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  #78  
Old 08-16-2007, 02:20 PM
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mandm1516 mandm1516 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 147
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I'm a 36 years old, been with my wife for almost 10 years. We have 3 kids (5, 3 and 2 aye carumba!).

I got my private licence while stationed in Las Vegas flying C-152s trying to make myself more competitive for a pilot slot in the Air Force. It worked, I got picked up and then medically DQ'd 3 weeks before my class date. I got the slot in May with a class start date for the following April--during that time I was allowed to fly in whatever had an open seat (at Nellis, there were a lot of open seats). I was grouchy after being DQ'd so I separated from active duty and started a career in real estate. My wife is a registered nurse who treats cancer patients.

C-152s just weren't that exciting to me anymore, plus the pressure and stress of a new career and young family have kept me out of the sky (almost 10 years now). I've been waiting for the right time to justify buying something a little more sporty.

My wife doesn't really like to fly and hasn't been very enthusiastic about my desires to buy an airplane but a few months ago in a moment of weakness she broke down (or gave up) and gave me the green light--I had an offer on a partially completed RV-8 about 3 minutes later. Something I never saw coming happened about 2 weeks ago--having the -8 in the garage,talking about it, working on it, etc has made it more real to her. She told me she wanted to get her private license so she would know more about the plane and be able to fly it when finished. Awesome.

One thing that really excites & motivates me is the opportunity to share this with my kids. My favorite pictures on this site are of people taking their kids flying--in the -8 it will be special 1 on 1 time with me and them whether it's a trip to LOE or just a few laps around the pattern.

Mike
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  #79  
Old 08-16-2007, 03:38 PM
jmbaute jmbaute is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 149
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I?m 35, married, and child free. I used to be a mechanical engineer. Now, I mostly do software for the manufacturing sector. I gave up my passion of skydiving about 4 years ago for flying lessons, with the intention of building an RV someday - Dan C?s website changed my life.

After completing my private ticket, I placed a priority on flying ?something?. So, most of my aviation dollars get sucked down the black hole of a 1968 Mooney, of which I am 1/3 owner. I recently completed my instrument rating, and now my flying goals are to take trips and build.

Last fall, after lurking on VAF for years, and slowly acquiring tools, I got a ride in Kahuna?s Super-8. I bought my empennage the next week.

I?ve been approaching it frugally. I am lucky to have a supportive wife, but I have funded most of the project so far by doing consulting work (anyone need a database hired gun?). Both the empennage and wing kits have been purchased used, but untouched. At some point we?ll sell the Mooney, and my proceeds will probably buy me a transponder or something.

My goal is to have the RV completed by the time I am 40. I would like to beat that estimate?but building is going slowly. I have to build my elevators still, and the wing parts are stashed in the guest bedroom. I hope to start them in earnest within a few months. Hopefully the pace will pick up now that I am finished with my instrument rating.

So far the RV community is everything it is advertised to be- I?ve gotten great help from local Rv?ers Kahuna and Jamie Painter. I can?t wait to fly with them someday!
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John B
Mooney M20C (KPSK)
RV7 Wings

www.pdfplates.com
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  #80  
Old 08-16-2007, 05:04 PM
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N941WR N941WR is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SC
Posts: 12,887
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I just realized I had never responded to this thread.

I'm the CTO for a high end and successful furniture company located in North Carolina. My beautiful wife Nora is a Vet, the DVM kind, not the military kind. No kids, just a house full of cats and our English Bull Dog named Torque, which she brought home from work one day. I'm 46 and Nora is 34 and we will have our third wedding anniversary next month. (I ordered the fuselage kit the week before the wedding and I have pictures of her working on the plane three days before, and in the week following our return from the honeymoon.)

As president of the Charlotte EAA chapter 309 I had to write a brief summery of my flying background. So, rather than reinventing the wheel, I?ll just copy it into this thread.

Quote:
Growing up, my father was always talking about airplanes and even had a subscription to Flying magazine. With seven kids and a dog to feed, there was never enough disposable income for him to learn how to fly. Luckily one of his friends, Dale Johnson, was heavily involved with EAA 1093. At the impressionable age of 11 or 12, I remember sitting around the kitchen table listening to him talk about his latest project.

After high school I found myself at Western Michigan University with a bunch of roommates who were getting degrees in aviation. My first ride in a light aircraft occurred during my senior year. One of my roommates was working on his CFI and he asked me to go flying with him so he could practice getting out of spins from the right seat. After two hours of learning how to spin a 152 and him recovering I was hooked. To this day I don?t remember getting even a little queasy during that inaugural flight.

After graduation, I pursued my PPL while living in metro Detroit and upon passing the check ride joined a local flying club. In the year and half it took me to scrape together enough cash to get my license, I never mentioned to my parents I was taking flying lessons. After passing the check ride and getting checked out in the club?s 172, I flew up to my hometown and called my parents from the airport. The look on their faces when they realized it was I who flew the plane in was worth every dime I saved to get my PPL. My father was buckling himself in the right seat and was ready for a ride before I finished telling them that I was a licensed pilot.

In the ensuing 20 years since the FAA said they could trust me, I have had the opportunity to fly over 50 different makes and models of airplanes. Everything from the C-152 I learned in, to J-3?s and Champs, to Great Lakes and Stearman's, to a T-6. Not to mention all the different exquisite homebuilts that our chapter members have been kind enough to let me ride in. At one point I discovered that I really enjoyed flying antiques much more than the go fast types of airplanes. These experiences lead me to purchase a 1941 BC-12/65, also known as a Taylorcraft, in 1996.

When I joined EAA 309 in 1998, the T-Craft had just been sold, and I set my sights on some of the various high wing rag and tube kits available at the time. However, when Van?s came out with the RV-9, I found the plane I really wanted. An economical, fast cruiser with a low landing speed. Thus, the past four years has found me hiding in my basement trying to finish the dream of building and flying an airplane assembled with my own hands.

None of this would have been possible without the help of my very supportive wife, Nora. She has been right there alongside of me throughout this journey and is encouraging me to complete it so we can start ?adventuring?.
__________________
Bill R.
RV-9 (Yes, it's a dragon tail)
O-360 w/ dual P-mags
Build the plane you want, not the plane others want you to build!
SC86 - Easley, SC
www.repucci.com/bill/baf.html
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