RV-Mission Question

thonati · #1 01-21-2021, 11:12 AM

Hi guys,

First time post here but have been reading the forums for about 2 years now. I have a question that has been asked many times in previous threads but none of these questions were specific enough for my mission. I am nearing retirement and also a new pilot. I plan to continue flying after work from that flight school (172) to build hours and the occasional XC on weekends with wife.

My mission:
1) Primarily XC (greater than 2 hours)
2) No need for flying upside down (I hate roller coasters & I'm afraid of heights as it is)
3) Primarily the wife, dog and me with the occasional flight with 2 grandkids.

Here is the real kicker. After reading the forums, the trade off between the -10 and -14 leads me to the -14 (or maybe -12). However, for the occasional trip with the grandkids, I do NOT have a flight school close to my house to rent a 4 place. So if I go with the -14 that will eliminate any convenient possibility of taking the grandkids to Disney World, camping etc. I will need to take a commercial flight for this mission. The grandkids live an hour away (by car) and there is a nice little airport that I could land and pick them up.

We are a close family and we have the grandkids every other weekend to give my daughter and SIL alone time and to do their house projects. So if I go with the -14 that will eliminate 50% of my weekends for flying, in addition no joy flying with them.

The question is: is it worth the extra cost of operations (plane & insurance) for the likely monthly trip with the grandkids? I gather the extra insurance is $500-$1000 more per year. This (-14) is a real easy question if I had a flight school near my house to rent the 172. I am stressing out over this decision because if I stay with the -14, I do not want to regret not building the -10 later.

Wifey does not want to offer any suggestions as she has the same internal conflict. She would probably tell me the -10 if I pushed her. She would like to have the "just in case" option. But I am not sure the extra cost is worth the "just in case"

Any all all comments are welcome. I need a variety of ideas and maybe some ideas that I have not considered yet.

Mike S · #2 01-21-2021, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thonati

Hi guys,

First time post here but have been reading the forums for about 2 years now.

Chuck, welcome aboard the good ship VAF

Couple items to consider is total cost to build, and time to build.

Pretty sure the 14 would win the above categories.

I loved our 10, but it very rarely had all 4 seats full.

Not flown a 14 so no valid input there.

If you had a 14, you could fly to the nearest airport that would rent you a 4 place for the few times you needed it---------just a thought.

Carl Froehlich · #3 01-21-2021, 11:34 AM

This is a no-brainer. Build the RV-10. You will be a hero with your wife, have the premier cross country IFR airplane in the sky, and you get all this for just ~$28K more than an RV-14. I also note my RV-10 annual insurance bill was perhaps $300 more than my RV-8 (similar hull and liability coverage).

I have a lot of time in RV-8s, RV-10s and an RV-14A. I’m now flying an RV-8 but have just started building another RV-10 as I should have never sold my first one.

Side note - once you fly the RV-10 you will wonder why you spent so much time flying a 172 spam can.

Carl

Auburntsts · #4 01-21-2021, 11:35 AM

For my money, based upon your mission I'd go with the 10 if cost isn't an issue. The extra seats are worth their weight in gold when you need them and when you don't the extra cargo space made available by the open seats is just as valuable. YMMV......

BobTurner · #5 01-21-2021, 01:04 PM

The -10 is what you want. Once you own an airplane you’ll cringe at the thought of renting one while yours sits on the ground. You mentioned the dog. We regularly took our 80 lb Aussie Shepherd (since passed) with us in the -10. That’d be a tough fit in a -14. The grandkids will love it, too. (Make sure your daughter is okay with this, though). TimO sometimes posts here, he has one of each. He’s said he loves the -14, but if he could only have one, it would be the -10.

MacCool · #6 01-21-2021, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thonati

Any all all comments are welcome. I need a variety of ideas and maybe some ideas that I have not considered yet.

Are you going to invest the 2-5 years in building the airplane, or are you looking to buy an already-flying RV10 or RV14? The availability and cost involved in one route or the other may influence the decision between 10 or 14.

rvanstory · #7 01-21-2021, 04:23 PM

Here's my take...

It's better to have it (4-seats) and not need it, than it is to need it, and not have it.

I'd encourage you to build the 10!

BobTurner · #8 01-21-2021, 04:40 PM

A couple of other thoughts.
1. Picking up the grandkids by air would just be for fun. By the time you factor in two car drives, one at each end, plus pre-flight, etc., you’ll spend at least an hour.
2. Keep flying! Currently insurance on a -10 is pretty hard to find without at least 250 (300 is better) hours total time. An instrument rating helps, too. First year premium will be expensive no matter what.

catmandu · #9 01-21-2021, 05:01 PM

Buy a four seater while you build a -10. When finished, assess your need for four seats again, based on 2-5 years of history. Then keep the 10 you built, or trade down to a 14.

Boy, it sure is fun brainstorming with other people's money!

aturner · #10 01-21-2021, 05:50 PM

Sharing flying experiences with kids, and especially airplane camping, is something you can’t really put a price on. We have one or two trips a year that I say to myself that the experience was so awesome that the airplane investment paid for itself with that one fantastic experience. Building an airplane that makes you happy is good, building an airplane that makes your family happy is even better.