mmeredith
Member
A little over a month ago I had posted in the classified section that my father and I were looking for an RV-A model to go on "RVentures" together. I guess Dad decided that after flying with me and listening to me talk about flying that he wanted to be a pilot too. In February of this year, he became a private pilot. Now with this father/son bond, we decided we wanted to buy an airplane together; One that was fast and efficient. We decided we wanted a Van's RV.
A little back story. Several years ago when I received my certificate, I came to know a gentleman on the field that had just finished building and experimental aircraft. It was sleek looking and fast to boot. At the time I had a partnership in a 172. I had to inquire about building one of these aircraft. He shared a wealth of knowledge with me about Van's aircraft, and the building process and told me to check out the website http://www.vansairforce.net. Wow, what a resource this site has become for me. Little did I know at the time, it would become the conduit to linking me with the seller of my new aircraft. Thank you Don "Squeak" Schnarr for turning me on to Van's Aircraft and vansairforce.net!
A couple of years past after getting the bug. I had even taken a builders class at Grov-air, near Indianapolis. I was getting serious to build and talked my Dad into going with me. I was ready, but with three active boys 8,7, and 4, time was going to be difficult to find. My wife shared the concern that she didn't know when I would have time to build. I put off the thought about building for a little while. I even entertained the idea of building a RV-12, just so I could reduce the build time. It probably wouldn't have mattered, but that was my thought process.
Fast forward, Dad is now a private pilot and he and Mom are now moving back to town. Now was the time to start looking for a flying RV that we can enjoy. I scoured all the trade classifieds and looked at the ads here on this site. I posted a WTB ad in the classifieds and received a personal message from an individual who had a 2011 flying RV-9A he would be willing to sell and gave me his number to call. I didn't hesitate and had a pleasant conversation with Mr. Jim Wright. I could tell in his voice that he wasn't totally convinced that he wanted to part with his plane, but we scheduled a time to visit. Jim is totally a class act.
I visited Jim and his plane and brought my mechanic with me to do a pre-purchase inspection while we were there. Jim was a generous host and I knew from inspecting the plane that he was meticulous and that his plane was well cared for. My mechanic is actually a DAR as well and has certified many experimental planes. He was impressed with the quality of the build as well, giving me a good feeling that this was the plane for Dad and I. After making sure that Jim was still okay with parting with his beautiful aircraft, the deal was made.
This past Sunday, Mr. Wright delivered the plane to me. Jim was great through the entire process. I couldn't have asked for a better transaction. Not only did he deliver to me a wonderful machine, I consider Jim now one of my newest friends. Dad didn't get a chance to meet Jim. Not to worry, we will visit him again soon, but this time just for a nice friendly visit!
Now Dad and I are planning our "RVentures!"
Blue Skies,
Matt Meredith