Hey everyone! I could use a sanity check on buying the 12iS SLSA.
Mission Profile: My dream is cross country flying from coast-to-coast no matter the condition, but reality tells me that I'll mostly be doing local fair weather flying. Occasionally a cross country no more than 3-4 hours one way for a weekend getaway. Very rarely anything longer. My girlfriend usually comes along and it would be even better if we could fit our 40lb cattle dog in the back!
The SLSA is very tempting since I'm not sure how much time I could consistently dedicate to building. Not to mention there's the very real possibility of us moving in 3-5 years from Arizona to the East Coast to take care of my folks. Considering a former coworker took 10 years to build his RV-6, I'm hesitant to make the commitment (and possibly lose something in the move). Gotta say though, it was boat loads of fun to fly!
My assumption with the process: pay the funds, wait and keep proficient, then eventually end up with a brand new factory-made airplane. I'd have a modern plane that I could enjoy right off the bat and explore how it's built! I'm also considering, if I can get a breather from work, taking the time to get the LSA Repairmen Certification during the waiting period. I already do work on my motorcycles and sometimes the truck, so why not!
With it being SLSA, my assumption is it would retain its resale value a little better. But who am I kidding, my track record with vehicles says I'll probably keep this plane for at least a decade. The possibility of doing a leaseback is pretty neat, but maybe after I'm done flying the **** out of it
So, my actual questions:
1. Any interesting problems that have cropped up with the fuel-injected version?
2. How's the performance at higher altitudes? We have Flagstaff, AZ and the Grand Canyon a short hop away.
3. Has anyone built it out with the IFR package? I'm thinking about doing my instrument rating in it. Not for actual IMC of course! Mainly for insurance, backup incase I put myself in a REALLY bad situation, and maybe resale.
4. Anyone get the SLSA and find that for some reason, they just had to convert to experimental?
5. Any questions I'm missing that I should ask myself???
I realize at the end of the day, the only person who can make the final decision is myself. But I'm hoping that you guys could help push me along in the right direction! There's a place nearby that has one, so I'm going to schedule a demo flight and see if it reminds me of my coworkers plane years ago
Mission Profile: My dream is cross country flying from coast-to-coast no matter the condition, but reality tells me that I'll mostly be doing local fair weather flying. Occasionally a cross country no more than 3-4 hours one way for a weekend getaway. Very rarely anything longer. My girlfriend usually comes along and it would be even better if we could fit our 40lb cattle dog in the back!
The SLSA is very tempting since I'm not sure how much time I could consistently dedicate to building. Not to mention there's the very real possibility of us moving in 3-5 years from Arizona to the East Coast to take care of my folks. Considering a former coworker took 10 years to build his RV-6, I'm hesitant to make the commitment (and possibly lose something in the move). Gotta say though, it was boat loads of fun to fly!
My assumption with the process: pay the funds, wait and keep proficient, then eventually end up with a brand new factory-made airplane. I'd have a modern plane that I could enjoy right off the bat and explore how it's built! I'm also considering, if I can get a breather from work, taking the time to get the LSA Repairmen Certification during the waiting period. I already do work on my motorcycles and sometimes the truck, so why not!
With it being SLSA, my assumption is it would retain its resale value a little better. But who am I kidding, my track record with vehicles says I'll probably keep this plane for at least a decade. The possibility of doing a leaseback is pretty neat, but maybe after I'm done flying the **** out of it
So, my actual questions:
1. Any interesting problems that have cropped up with the fuel-injected version?
2. How's the performance at higher altitudes? We have Flagstaff, AZ and the Grand Canyon a short hop away.
3. Has anyone built it out with the IFR package? I'm thinking about doing my instrument rating in it. Not for actual IMC of course! Mainly for insurance, backup incase I put myself in a REALLY bad situation, and maybe resale.
4. Anyone get the SLSA and find that for some reason, they just had to convert to experimental?
5. Any questions I'm missing that I should ask myself???
I realize at the end of the day, the only person who can make the final decision is myself. But I'm hoping that you guys could help push me along in the right direction! There's a place nearby that has one, so I'm going to schedule a demo flight and see if it reminds me of my coworkers plane years ago