buying an RV
Andy:
I did not build my RV-6A. I bought it in May of 2005. Before that I went two years without owning my own plane. During that time I belonged to a flying club and, while it was a good thing at the time for me, it didn't allow me the freedom that I needed & wanted. For example, the club wouldn't allow me to fly the club's airplanes on business trips. I have clients around the country and I prefer to fly myself to meet with them.
At the beginning of those two years I wasn't flying much because I was needed at the office to help with the ownership transition of the company. However, as I lived through those two years I encountered more and more occasions that made me want to have my own plane again. I had been forced to sell my previous plane at the sale of the company because I could not afford to maintain it myself. It was a 1992 Commander 114B, a complex, high-performance airplane that I really loved flying. But, operating costs were too rich for my blood so I did without. After two years I began to get the itch very badly and began talking to my A&P.
Like your desires, I wanted to regain as much of what I had enjoyed as I could. Well, my A&P was not a fan of experimental airplanes unless they were well built, no corners cut, etc. He offered to build me one himself but I didn't want to wait the years it would take to accomplish so we agreed to visit and inspect any that I was interested in. Like Louise states, I spent a lot of time on the internet, especially on Barnstormers. I didn't know about VAF at the time. I became as familiar as I could with the models from a distance and eventually settled on the 6 as my preference. I even wanted a 6, not a 6A. Then I learned what my insurance would be and decided on the 6A. I can do a lot of flying on the difference every year. After about a year of searching I discovered a 6A in Tea, SD, about 2 1/2 hours from KC via Skyhawk. I flew my A&P up there with me and he did a pre-buy inspection. It took the entire day to accomplish. My costs were about 5 hours of cost on the club Skyhawk and about 12 hours of A&P time (He worked for another man or he wouldn't have charged me for the overtime). No matter how much it cost to do that, it was worth every penny. My A&P was impressed with the quality of the airplane and I fell in love with a beautiful airplane that gives me better performance than the 114B but with the operating and maintenance costs of a Skyhawk. And, if I want to fly slow, I can.
My RV-6A has an O-360 (carbureted) Lycoming engine and a Sensenich fixed pitch prop. It is a quick climber and very responsive to the controls. I have been pleased to see 160kts cruise speed at 2450 RPM. Because I searched so diligently I was able to find one that was built very well, not the "creative" you ask about. And, because I kept my A&P in the loop all the way through the process, including introducing him to the builder, he is willing to work on this plane with me. Because of these things my airplane is not a nightmare to maintain and it is very dependable. I understand that anyone can work on this experimental but I think an A&P must sign off on the work. Therefore, I employ him to do a lot of the work while I assist. I'm learning a lot more than I did with my certified plane.
My builder was Gayle Wilts of Tea, SD. Gayle is very knowledgable and has built close to 25 RV's over the years and mine was apparently about the 15th or 16th one he had built. Being very new, at the time, to this idea of flying experimental airplanes, this was a great comfort to me. He built all the RVs used by the Vanguard Squadron of South Dakota. As much as I liked the 114B I would NOW never choose it over an RV (unless I was rich enough to afford both but then I would be like Mark Trimble of Branson and own many different airplanes). It's a great cross country airplane, too. I've been from Kansas City to Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Sedona, etc., and never been stranded or let down by the airplane.
Since owning this airplane I have joined the local EAA chapter and have come to know many local experimental pilots, including several RV pilots. One, Bill Gill, has just flown off his 40 hours on his RV-7, which is a beautiful plane. Three years ago, I wouldn't have known how good it is. You will learn a lot by diving in, but don't dive in the shallows.
Meeting other local RV pilots is good advice, even if they are not based at your own airport.
I did the search for my airplane basically the same as Louise did. Follow her lead.
Also, Louise is right: Fly your RV a lot in the beginning or you may not get comfortable. It responds much different than the certified airplanes. Once comfortable it is so much fun!
