Build or continue flight training....or both?

[cattflight]

Folks,
First let me say, as a newbie to the forums, new to the idea of building and the EXP-AB category - with a LOT of questions - I am strongly encouraged by the warmth of the VANSAirForce community! You have offered some sound advice, opened your hangars to me (literally and figuratively) and I believe I WILL begin building my RV-9A during the upcoming summer.....pending the following decision:

I am a middle-aged A-SEL PP with roughly 150 hours TT (just celebrated my 3rd anniversary of passing my checkride!) and I am slowly building hours towards my PIC cross-country time in the interest of obtaining my IR. No hurry. Purely recreational.

Like many of you, I live on a budget, with a wife and a hungry Shih-Tzu to support () and I need to have some foresight as to where I will spend my aviation $$. I sense from everyone that has either successfully built an airplane or completed their instrument training that each deserves momentum and focus...and each is vastly different but equally challenging!

So here's my personal quandary...Do I:
a) Invest in building an IFR-equipped RV and defer my instrument training until I can train in my own personal RV?
b) go for the IR and defer the start of my build to ease the (internal) pressure of obtaining my IR?
c) do both very slowly (and lose the economies of doing each succinctly)?
d) forget the IR & build a VFR RV because RV flying should be a CAVU experience anyway?!?!

Your personal experiences welcomed.
Cheers!

**********************
Paul Catterson
RV-9/9A Preview Plans in hand
Van's Factory Tour complete
Demo and WAF Flight complete!!
Denver, CO

[WingsOnWheels]

I temporarily gave up flying so I could build. If you can't afford to do both at the same time, I say put a hold on getting the IR and build your plane. If you get the rating now and then take a 3+ year break, that is just more you will forget. I would rather wait to get the rating and have it fresh when I am ready to fly.

[tinman]

Catflight,
I was in the same boat that you are in...
I started building my -8 with around 100 pic. I all but ceased flying during the build due to the limited number of avbucks and my desire to remain married.
My choice was to push every free avbuck towards the project with the understanding that as I neared the big day, I would have to sink a small fortune into getting sharp enough to fly her. I wasn't flying enough to be safe, so this plan worked for me. By the time that I was ready to fly her for the first time, I had reached a training plateau and felt ready. (And SAFE!) The truth is, I spent more getting tuned up to fly my-8 than I did to earn my ppl years ago
As far as how to go about building your panel, good luck! There are going to be many opinions...
I built mine day/night vfr with enough goodies to bring me through a cloud layer in case I did something dumb...it is not a full ifr bird, and I am not an ifr pilot.

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by cattflight

So here's my personal quandary...Do I:
a) Invest in building an IFR-equipped RV and defer my instrument training until I can train in my own personal RV?

You're going to get many opinions on this. The only one that matters is yours. This is a workable option. It really depends on your priorities. If you want to quit renting and get the RV-9 quicker, this is the option I would choose. Also, keeping your IFR currency will be tough while you build.

I don't know what the insurance hurdles are for the RV-9. On the RV-10 you need 300 hours and an instrument rating to get decent insurance. I don't think the two place aircraft have similiar requirements.

Originally Posted by cattflight

So here's my personal quandary...Do I:
b) go for the IR and defer the start of my build to ease the (internal) pressure of obtaining my IR?

If the instrument rating is important for your current rental flying then this option is workable. But you are going to delay the enjoyment of flying the RV-9 that you built.

Originally Posted by cattflight

So here's my personal quandary...Do I:
c) do both very slowly (and lose the economies of doing each succinctly)?

I wouldn't recommend this approach. It's the worse of the options. Like you stated, no economies. I would recommend compressing your instrument training into a small time window as you can afford. It will minimize the total hours you'll need. You will find as you start your training, you'll become very frustrated during the first ten hours or so. Then the light bulb clicks on and everything starts happening as anticipated. If your aren't flying 2 or 3 times a week, you'll be increasing the hours you'll be flying.

Originally Posted by cattflight

So here's my personal quandary...Do I:
d) forget the IR & build a VFR RV because RV flying should be a CAVU experience anyway?

It's an option and many people will recommed this option. I'm a little biased since I had my instrument rating before I started to build. I think having the rating and an IFR rated aircraft has the potential to make you a safer pilot.

[esjacoby77]

Originally Posted by rleffler

You're going to get many opinions on this. The only one that matters is yours.

I couldn't agree more.

I'm also a low-time pilot and, after months of contemplation, I decided to place flying on hold in order to build a RV-7A. Yes, I would rather be flying than in the garage building, but, in the end, I know having my own RV will make up for it. In the meantime, I'm having a blast building!

Only you can decide what will make you happiest in the long run.

Good luck with your choice...

[msturgis]

Why not build an IFR -9 and then get your IR in it?

[gbrasch]

I am a high time pilot with 2 instrument ratings, but I have learned over the years that I am now in no rush to get anywhere, except when I am flying for work. In my opinion, the IR ticket will be the best you ever get, in terms of making you a more skilled and proficient pilot. So if it were me, I would get the ticket, and build your airplane, if you can afford to do both. When you get towards the end of your build, you can decide to go VFR or IFR. My airplane will strictly be a VFR ship, but others will probably disagree with me....

[dhall_polo]

I think (c) is a great choice. Once you're building, it will dominate your aviation time. But if you are still forcing yourself to schedule lessons for IR, it will help you to keep your flying hours going. Most of my flying hourse during the build were for instruction. I earned my taildragger and my multi-engine during the build.

how 'bout choice (e) - go buy a used RV with IR and do your training in it? You can probably get a great deal now, and you'd save cash on the IR training and probably come out cheaper than building your own.

[aarvig]

Just my two cents...the learning curve for building and the learning curve for IFR are pretty steep. Lots of new skills to learn. Commit to one, then do the other. You will enjoy it more. If you are trying to do to much at once it may do nothing but create stress.
By the way, a medical study published awhile ago indicated that people who focus on learning and doing new things have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease occurrence. So maybe learning two things at once could be a good thing.

[hydroguy2]

I chose "D".

Here's my reason. Recreational flying in Montana is a VFR event..for me. The number of IFR days vs VFR days heavily favors VFR. Mountains Obs and Icing are not my cup of tea. With 300+VFR days/yr, I'll go sking on the IFR days.

I'm a 250TT ASEL. I chose to keep flying while building in order to keep my skills up and log some TW time for insurance reasons. Lately with a limited budget, I found I was spending most of my money in the shop and only flying once in a while....my skills were deteriorating. With a big wad of cash(engine/prop) going out the door this month, I quit the flying club.no more Citabria time. But freed up some money and time for the big push this winter and finish MY flying carpet. I'll bum seat time for now and spend some extra $$ at Mike Seagar's to get tuned up.

Also NO IR for me. I'll take the $5000 and spend it overnighting waiting out the weather at obscure locations around the country.

YMMV