[Brantel]

There are those in General Aviation that want this hobby to only belong to the elite with lots of money and no family/job commitments or time constraints.

There are those among us right on this forum that want the world to believe that owning & flying an RV is out of the reach of common folk with bills, family and any debt whatsoever.

Well it just aint so! RV's are designed to be affordable by normal people. Over 10 years many people with family, mortgages, bills, and no money spend more on golf, fishing or some kind of motorsport than what someone with the right attitude might spend on building an RV.

It is up to you to decide if you can swing it or not. My only advice is to decide for yourself and understand fully what your getting into and don't try to keep the wife in the blind.

You will have to balance the build with time, family, money etc. So what if it takes 20+ years to complete if that is your dream, you will finish it someday!

It can be done as many, many on this forum have proved that it can be done. I am close to joining their ranks, it has taken me about 11 years thus far and counting.

 

[Neal@F14]

Sorry nope, you can't afford it now for two reasons: 1) money and 2) family time.

-snip-

Go buy a Piper Cherokee for $25,000 now and fly the heck out of it. Teach your kids to fly it. Take them on vactions in it.

If you really want to fly a practical airplane on a shoestring budget, this is some of the best advice I can agree with.

I want an RV-7 so bad I can taste it, but the cold harsh reality is that I can barely afford my Cherokee right now. But I am somehow able to manage it. I drive a ten year old pickup so that I can afford a 40+ year old airplane. I paid $27.5K purchase price, my annuals run about $1K per year plus maybe a few hundred per year for minor odds and ends, and miscellaneous upgrades. Insurance runs me less than $700 per year. My Cherokee has taken me and a couple friends back and forth from Texas to Oshkosh the past three years in a row plus countless hamburger runs and pleasure flights. I sure wish it was faster though.... but it sure beats driving a car on 700-800 mile trips

The used plane market is full of decent mid-20K's Cherokee 140s right now.

 

[Danny7]

I then went on to fly professionally for another 3000 hours as a missionary pilot in the rain forests of South America. AOPA did a story based on my flying experience. Here is a link to that story: http://www.aopa.org/careerpilot/cs-mission_pilot.html

Blessings,

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

Nice to have you on VAF. Do you know Tom Fulghum, he did a lot of work with HCJB and asoma tv ( not sure if i spelled that right)? I dated his daughter for a while and visited Quito, drove out to shell for an afternoon, etc. It would be great to hear some of your flying stories if you have a moment here or there.

danny

 

[Junglepilot]

Hey Danny,

I know Tom & Lois quite well. Stayed with them at the HCJB guest house numerous times after late PM med-evac flights from Shell to Quito. Wonderful people. They retired from HCJB several years back and I believe they are in Colorado Springs (near HCJB headquarters).

Sandy

 

[Junglepilot]

KISS is the key

"Keep it simple stupid" (an old acronym I was given many years ago) is the key I believe. Don't go hog-wild. Since I started my project (albeit two months-after purchasing a kit third hand & 80% finished) I have had any number of upgrades suggested that total nearly $15-20k above my budget and actual needs.

Are they worth it? Objectively, compared the GA/Certified AC market, they are very cheap. Subjectively, most I can live without. Plus, the beauty of an RV (or any homebuilt in this class) is that I can always ADD them later, after I am flying and have the extra change and/or I feel comfortable with adding into the mix.

I'm a "git-r-done" practical/safe pilot/mechanic who worked in a production oriented flight job many years and did a lot of my own A&P work as part of my flying. I flew in some of the most challenging flight environments daily with basic stuff and never had a problem.

Bottom line is it's all stick & rudder after all, no matter how much fluff your A/C has on it.

KISS and I believe it's very do-able.

Sandy