The mission: Fly from the Midwest to Alaska and back in an airplane you built yourself.
The first considerations: What airplane, RV7 vs RV9, nose wheel vs tailwheel, c/s vs fixed, carbureted vs injected? If it weren't for Vlad, everyone would say 7 for fuel capacity, c/s for takeoff performance, injected for LOP, and tailwheel for gravel runways. But Vlad is inspiring!
Assume 180hp RV7 or 160hp RV9, no interest in aerobatics, and no interest in aftermarket fuel mods.
The first considerations: What airplane, RV7 vs RV9, nose wheel vs tailwheel, c/s vs fixed, carbureted vs injected? If it weren't for Vlad, everyone would say 7 for fuel capacity, c/s for takeoff performance, injected for LOP, and tailwheel for gravel runways. But Vlad is inspiring!
Assume 180hp RV7 or 160hp RV9, no interest in aerobatics, and no interest in aftermarket fuel mods.