Flying lessons and building at same time

[Blain]

I'm doing the build while taking lessons. The thought of having an $80,000 paper weight in the shop is quite a motivator.

Assess your dough, family support and time. Be honest with yourself about these. The lack of just one will doom the project.

[Waterobert]

Next month I will start my flying lessons and hope to start building RV-3 at the same time. After reading all your responses I might wait until summer with ordering first part of the kit. It all depends on how difficult learning to fly will be for me. I am thinking off saving some money by getting only sport pilot license. Is that a good idea? Any thoughts on that?

[Raymo]

The Sport Pilot license might not cover your RV-3; it is intended for light sport aircraft.

That said, the key to getting your license without spending too much is to do it in as short a time as possible. The longer you take between flights, the more you have to brush up on what you learned over the past few flights.

I took over a year and around 65 hours to complete my PPL last Dec. I initially considered the sport pilot license but was talked out of it by other pilots who said I would be too limited in what I wanted to fly and the mission I had in mind - which was for long XC flights from GA to PA to visit family. Getting there quickly was also mission requirement and thus my RV7A was born

[David Paule]

The good news is that the RV-3B is a time-consuming aircraft to build, so you might get your license before finishing it.

The bad news is that it's a single-seater and you'll certainly want to take someone flying when you've got your pilot's license.

Dave
RV-3B, still building wings

[Waterobert]

RV-3 plane is around 750 lbs, I don't know the rules for sport license , however I thought that 750 lbs counts as light plane, right? ��

[David Paule]

The RV-3 is way, way, too fast for LSA. It will never be an LSA aircraft.

The LSA rules provide a gross weight limitation and speed limitations. There are other limitations as well.

Dave
RV-3B still on.....

[Jetguy]

LSA
Max Gross weight: 1320 lbs
Max IAS 120 kits
Fixed pitch prop
2 seats or less

David made another good point. You might want to consider an RV12 for a light sport license. Much easier to build and fly. RV3 being a single seat plane means you are not going to be able to get dual transition flight instruction when you are done building. Furthermore unless you take all your training in a tail wheel. You will need more training to get a tail wheel sign off in your logbook. Not only that but going from a cub or champ type plane which would meet the criteria for a sport pilots license to an RV3 is like going from a Ford Taurus to a NAS car.
Don't mean to come on to negative but just trying to help the planning process.

[f1rocket]

Originally Posted by Raymo

. I initially considered the sport pilot license but was talked out of it by other pilots who said I would be too limited in what I wanted to fly and the mission I had in mind - which was for long XC flights from GA to PA to visit family. Getting there quickly was also mission requirement and thus my RV7A was born

Not to rain on your mission to build a 7A, but to correct a mis-conception about flying light sport. Most people under-estimate the cross country capability of the -12. I've been from coast to coast in mine. GA to PA would be a piece of cake for the -12. Generally the other limitations don't affect me that much. I don't fly at night and I'm not IFR rated or want to be. Can't argue the speed and range of the 7A, but to offset that, my operating expenses are pretty low. You sure won't go wrong with the 7A but LSA/Sport Pilot is not just for $100 hamburgers.

Sorry for the thread steal. Now back to your regular programming.

[Waterobert]

One can only dream about cheap flying. I guess I will start building around the Christmas.

[highflight42x]

I built my -3 prior to getting a PPL. Took 15 hours dual in a 7AC Champ, then four hours dual in a couple different RV4's (bless my gang for putting me in the front seat). Got my PPL and my -3 signed off in the same week. Then had a test pilot take the -3 up. Then I took it up - had 80 hours total at the time. Let me tell you, the -3 flies waaaaaay easier than a 7AC Champ! All that fuel overhead in the wing I think, as well as all that wing overhead + instructor in back makes it ground-loopy. Never gotten anywhere near a GL in my -3, and that's after 2800 landings.

Just be absolutely certain you don't want or need to take your wife or gf or kids or anyone else up in your homebuilt plane (you'll rent a 172 for that sort of thing ). Know what I told my now ex-wife?: "Airplane here long before you came, ... long after you go".

Yahoo!

- Steven
(800+ RV3 hours - another one last weekend!)