OK, with the airplane in the paint shop, I've got nothing better to do than start a thread.....
I doubt that very many folks wake up one morning, say to themselves "I think I'll build an airplane!", and call up Van's. I suspect that most had thought about building for years, but didn't take the big step until they reached some magic point - and pulled the trigger on the project!
In my case, it was a combination of factors...
1) I had started and stopped designs for my "perfect airplane" since I was a student, but never got far enough to cut any metal (or glass, wood, fabric....). I admired the RV designs, but didn't want to spend 10 years building from sheet metal!
2) A young engineer who I was mentoring mentioned that he had started an airplane project - an RV-7 - and that Van's now had Quickbuild Options! I went to the web sight, found the RV-8, and started to do the math...
3) My trusty AA1B-160 of 23 years was beginning to show primer through the paint, and half the avionics needed work. More math....paint for $7,000, Avionics for $15,000....it just wasn't worth it!
I called Van's and got out my credit card for the first of many times....
So what's your story? What finally tipped you over the edge?
I've got time.....
Paul
I doubt that very many folks wake up one morning, say to themselves "I think I'll build an airplane!", and call up Van's. I suspect that most had thought about building for years, but didn't take the big step until they reached some magic point - and pulled the trigger on the project!
In my case, it was a combination of factors...
1) I had started and stopped designs for my "perfect airplane" since I was a student, but never got far enough to cut any metal (or glass, wood, fabric....). I admired the RV designs, but didn't want to spend 10 years building from sheet metal!
2) A young engineer who I was mentoring mentioned that he had started an airplane project - an RV-7 - and that Van's now had Quickbuild Options! I went to the web sight, found the RV-8, and started to do the math...
3) My trusty AA1B-160 of 23 years was beginning to show primer through the paint, and half the avionics needed work. More math....paint for $7,000, Avionics for $15,000....it just wasn't worth it!
I called Van's and got out my credit card for the first of many times....
So what's your story? What finally tipped you over the edge?
I've got time.....
Paul