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Flying lessons and building at same time

joe1968

Well Known Member
Hi, was wondering how people have get their Pilots License and build at the same time. I want to build a Rv7. Any suggestions on proceeding

Thanks
Joe
 
Back in the 80s I was building RC aircraft while working on the ticket......little did I know what that would lead to....:eek:
 
Just an opinion. Get enough flying under your belt to:
1. Find out whether you'll finish your PPL and really like flying and its costs as much as you think. LOTS of people never finish.
2. Get enough flying under your belt to know what type of panel and prop you want to fly behind. This can also have huge $$$ ramifications.
Good luck and have fun!
 
Get going!

Hi, was wondering how people have get their Pilots License and build at the same time. I want to build a Rv7. Any suggestions on proceeding

Thanks
Joe

Joe,
Just don't put off getting started. Do something every day toward your goals.
Fly some or build some. You can do both in one day ;)

Before you know it you'll have hundreds of hours in an airplane you built!

Good luck and enjoy,
Mark
 
It's gonna take a lot of both time and money to do both, plus a considerable amount of your attention. That can lead to conflicts at home and at work.

As you learn to fly, you might find that your airplane needs change. It might be as simple as wanting an airplane that you can fly now or it might be that you want a wholly different sort of aircraft. Or even none at all.

You'll probably find that your new acquaintances will offer you rides, and that's a great way to get a look at different airplane types.

Dave
 
Just an opinion. Get enough flying under your belt to:
1. Find out whether you'll finish your PPL and really like flying and its costs as much as you think. LOTS of people never finish.
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.;)
 
Hi, was wondering how people have get their Pilots License and build at the same time. I want to build a Rv7. Any suggestions on proceeding

Thanks
Joe

The short answer is sure. If you have a love of aviation, get involved one way or another.

Yes, they both take time and money. Yes, they both require a commitment. Yes, it is more conventional to get your license first. However, it's not absolutely necessary and one doesn't directly relate to the other.

Short story, I nearly completed a Long-EZ before I ever had a lesson. I loved airplanes and had been to Oshkosh numerous times, and I loved to build things with my hands. Yes, my family thought I was crazy. When it came time for an engine for my Long-EZ, I bought a used Tomahawk, took my lessons in it, then took it apart for the panel, switches, and the engine. In the end, I made money on the Tomahawk parts, sold the Long-EZ eventually for much more than I had in it, and used the money to finance a RV-6. Moral of the story, it all worked out much better than anyone thought (except me).

I can't judge your commitment or your sticktoitness. You'll have to make that call. Life has a way of getting in the way of long term plans. But if the fire burns hot enough, it can be done and be enjoyable too. Just don't expect many of your family or friends to understand it.
 
As a couple of others have said, my suggestion also would be to get the license first, then start building. Both activities take time, money and effort, and learning to fly will give you more time to confirm whether and what you really want to build. I did it that way and am glad I did, however it's one of those questions that doesn't have a one size fits all answer.
 
License first, then build!

You need to concentrate on getting your license you'll need to study at night and take at least 3 lessons a week. You should be able to be done in three or four months. The longer you take the more money it will cost you, and the more chance of never completing it.
 
I know I have not followed the conventional wisdom, but I decided to put my pilot training on hold while I build my RV-7A. I thought about it long and hard, and here are my reasons.

It's a big commitment for each one. I do not have the time, the money, or the focus to try and do both at once. I realized that even if money wasn't an issue, if I try to do both at the same time, I won't do either one very well. Either that or it would take me forever to get both tasks finished. You've heard the old saying "Divide and Conquer". If you divide yourself, you'll get conquered. As someone else mentioned, if you have a home, family, and marriage that you value, you will run into serious conflicts. Plus, I'm still working and trying to run a business. It's hard enough doing just one of the two tasks and keeping everything else in balance.

Next, building an RV is a process that will take most people 4, maybe 5 years to complete. Many go longer, or much longer. Life gets in the way, as they say. I'm in my 8th year as I near the finish line on my RV. I saw other builders' piloting skills get rusty as they put flying on hold while they build their RV. I didn't want to go out and spend all that money and do all that work and training to get my license, just to put it on hold while I spend 5 years building my RV. So I decided to just wait and get my PPL started as I near the finish line with my RV. It's a decision I'm glad I made.

Course, I've always known that I love flying and there is no doubt I will enjoy my RV. I've wanted my own airplane since I was a child. A few close friends have taken me for a ride now and then, and it really keeps my dream alive and keeps me motivated.

Now, if money isn't an issue, or if you already have a plane you can fly while you build, or if you're retired and have lots of time on your hands, that's a whole different scenario. But I did not have those options. It will take you longer to build an RV if you are flying at the same time. There have been many, many beautiful sunny Saturdays and Sundays when I was looking up at the sky, wishing I was up there flying, but instead, I was deburring metal parts, dimpling sheets of aluminum, or hammering rivets. Flying would have been more fun, and if I had been able to, I would have been up there. So my RV would have taken a back seat and it would take me even longer to get it finished. I have several friends in that situation right now. I did get a lot of work done on those days, and it was motivation for me to keep at it and get this thing finished, so I don't spend all my sunny days on the ground, looking up.

So that's my input. I hope it's helpful. Consider all your options and your real life situation, and do what's best for YOU. Either way, if you end up with a PPL and an RV to fly, you win! The order you do it in won't matter much at that point. :)
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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.:D
 
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.
 
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?
 
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 :)
 
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
 
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? ��
 
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.....
 
More food for thought!

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.:p
Don't mean to come on to negative but just trying to help the planning process.:)
 
. 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.:D

Sorry for the thread steal. Now back to your regular programming.
 
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RV3 flight prep

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!)
 
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