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  #11  
Old 04-26-2015, 03:25 AM
enielsen enielsen is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 146
Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by BSwayze View Post
I know I have not followed the conventional wisdom
That brings up an interesting point I haven't even searched here or brought up with flying(pilot) friends until just now.

What if someone, with proper skills and background , just built aircraft and never had any interest to actually fly one. Never had a desire to actually fly or had a phobia but were still interested in the technology aspect. I'm sure someone will pop up with an example. It kills me to see builds go up for sale because someone lost their medical. Well, last I checked, you don't need a medical to keep building... perhaps that is your calling after all.

Once again, don't mean to hijack a thread but things get stir'd up from the least obvious sources sometimes.
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  #12  
Old 04-26-2015, 03:52 AM
joe1968 joe1968 is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Niagara falls, ny
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Thanks Guys a lot to think about.
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  #13  
Old 04-26-2015, 07:18 AM
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aarvig aarvig is offline
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: KANE, Hugo, Minnesota
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Default Its all about time and money...

If you have enough of both, have at it. My recommendation is to get your pilots license first to make sure you can actually fly. Otherwise you will have an 80K paper weight. As soon as I got my ticket, I ordered my first kit. Yep the flying has waned as project has gotten more expensive, but all I need to do now is get some occasional recurrent training and keep my license active. I currently fly about 25-30 hours per year while building my RV.
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  #14  
Old 04-27-2015, 01:04 PM
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Tumper Tumper is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Aubrey, TX
Posts: 358
Default Yes

Joe,

It can be done?I did it.

With that said there has been a lot of wisdom given here so far. Your life outside of airplanes (family, job) your money situation and age and may other things have a lot to do with it. For example if you have limited time and money you may end up not doing a good job training or building.

Have fun however you chose to proceed.
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  #15  
Old 04-27-2015, 08:51 PM
Bartman Bartman is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: NW San Antonio Boerne Stage Airfield 5C1
Posts: 160
Default building with no pilot license

When I started building I had no pilot license (or lessons) no airplane and no money. I still don't have any money ! Now with that said I like building more than flying, if you like flying more than building buy something that is flying, most people have no idea what it takes to build a plane. Pilots that have not built or should I say Finished a plane are the worst people to ask for advice, because they Think they know what it takes.
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  #16  
Old 04-28-2015, 07:40 AM
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Palamedes Palamedes is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Blairsville, GA
Posts: 202
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetguy View Post
Ditto with this statement. Get your pilot license first then think about the plane you want to build! A lot of people underestimate the level of dedication required to get a pilot license.
I'm building my RV10 while getting my license and it is a lot to do at the same time.

I very much enjoy the build process and it's encouraging me to keep training..

While I think there is good advice here, each individual is different.

You know you. Will you stick with it? If there is even a tiny question, then you should do one then they other.
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  #17  
Old 04-28-2015, 07:53 AM
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Auburntsts Auburntsts is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 2,861
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Quote:
Originally Posted by enielsen View Post
That brings up an interesting point I haven't even searched here or brought up with flying(pilot) friends until just now.

What if someone, with proper skills and background , just built aircraft and never had any interest to actually fly one. Never had a desire to actually fly or had a phobia but were still interested in the technology aspect. I'm sure someone will pop up with an example. It kills me to see builds go up for sale because someone lost their medical. Well, last I checked, you don't need a medical to keep building... perhaps that is your calling after all.

Once again, don't mean to hijack a thread but things get stir'd up from the least obvious sources sometimes.
I don't have an example handy, but it's perfectly legal to build and not be a pilot or a pilot who has lost their medical, but I would hypothesize that it is somewhat rare. In any event, building and operating are two totally separate and unconnected activities. So there's no concern about ending up with an $80K paper weight assuming that the build quality is sufficient to earn airworthiness certification.
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  #18  
Old 04-28-2015, 10:29 AM
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bruceh bruceh is offline
 
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Location: Ramona, CA
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Getting a pilot's license is a project in and of itself. I would hate to have a finished airplane sitting there and be unable to get her in the air. I would put the pilot license part of the project just prior to moving the airplane project to the airport. At least get past your solo flights in something like a Cessna or Piper before you are tempted to become a test pilot for your RV. Now with the new Op Limitations for additional crew, this would be a good way to safely become familiar with your RV and really build the pilot skills.

I got my license back in 1989, then after only 130 hour of time put all flying on hold while I raised a family. I got my medical and started back flying about a month before the airplane project went to the airport. It took me about 3 flights in a C-172 to get signed off for a flight review. I then rented that airplane and did lots of pattern work for another 10 hours. I then moved on to transition training in an RV-7A, which took another 7 hours. At that point I felt up to doing my first flight in my RV-9A. All told, this took about 4 months of time at which point my airplane was undergoing the final assembly work at the airport. The time it took me originally to get my license was just over a year, so take that into consideration. I could have done it faster, but at the time it was governed a bit by my finances. My advice is save up the money and go after the license quickly.
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  #19  
Old 04-28-2015, 06:33 PM
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Jesse Jesse is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: X35 - Ocala, FL
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If you can fit, you could buy an old C-150 or Cherokee or C-172 to learn to fly while you build. You should have your license before your done with the Empenage kit if you stick with it. This way you won't have too much invested in the kit if you decide you don't want to build after all, and you can sell the trainer for what you paid for it (bought right is half sold). If you like both, you can build time in your trainer while you finish building. A basic older trainer can be had for $10-25k if you shop and don't need a fancy panel. If you fly it regularly, you could even tie it town on the ramp to save $. I don't recommend doing that with your RV, but a $10k trainer is fine on the ramp (again, if you don't let it just sit there, but fly it regularly).
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  #20  
Old 04-28-2015, 07:25 PM
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wirejock wirejock is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
Default License

The consensus seems to be to do some flying before building or even get the license first.
I tend to agree but you need not dive into building buy buying a full kit. Join EAA and the local chapter. Get some hands on with a mentor and see if building is an interest.
You'll no doubt get rides in various models, make tons of new friends, learn some sheet metal skills and be better informed to make the big decision. If building is a goal, build the practice kits with your mentor. You'll know pretty quick if building and training can be done at the same time.
FWIW, I got my PPL first, but not long after bought an unstarted 7 empennage and a set of used tools. Still loving the building and can't wait to fly my Lucy. A group of builders were in the hangar next to the flight school so guess where I was when not learning to fly.
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