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Prospective Builder/How to Convince Your Wife??

Welcome to VAF!

Phillip, welcome to VAF.

Good to have you aboard.

As others have stated, get her a ride in an RV should be high on the priority list.

If Google is correct, you are in the same state as Dan Horton----------he has one of the nicest RVs you will fine, and would be a good person to talk to.

If you can fine someone who has a wife/girlfriend who flies a lot, that would be good---------better still would be a female pilot of an RV, lots of them out there, but not sure of any in your area.

Keep checking back here, hopefully someone will jump in and offer up the ride you and your wife need.
 
Advise

Welcome Philip
You've already started the communication and that's the most important step.
Lots of excellent advise has been posted. My Sweetie loves Oshkosh! She also is totally on board and helps me in the shop often.
I suggest setting a budget.
Neither Certificated nor Experimental are immune from issues. Either can be a nightmare or a dream. Your prebuy inspection will hopefully detect any issues.
If your dream is to build one yourself, then find a local builder, join EAA and the local chapter and dive in. It won't take long to find out if it's something you will enjoy.
Many of us are from similar backgrounds. We (I also) grew up with the dream and achieved the license later, built and flew RC then finally dove in and started a Vans RV. One thing is certain, it will change your life.
 
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Explain the inspection process, both EAA technical and the final airworthiness inspection, and make her understand that your homebuilt will have to stand up to the same airworthiness standard as the factory-built spamcans.

I started my project before I met my wife, and she was hesitant about the idea until she was present for one of the EAA tech inspector visits and a few of my building sessions. After that her only concern was the raw primered interior, saying "I'm not riding with you in an ugly airplane, so you better do something about that."
 
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spouses and invetments

Flew certified 41 years. My wife has been rated as PPL for 25 years. Now into our second year of RV ownership. The workmanship on our 9A is top notch. I did the pre buy inspection myself and the builder took his time to do it correctly. The engine is the same as I would find on many Cessna and Piper aircraft.
With over 8000 RV's built... the history is impressive, as well as the performance. You will know your plane better, have more lasting investment and pleasure than any rental. It is a buyers market... and has been for some time. If you purchase a good condition certified light plane, you will still be ahead in the long run. Good luck in the process and remember, she is more important than any flying machine. :)
 
Buy

An RV-10 ... plenty of space for the wife & her family. Reasonable cost & performance compared to a Cirrus. And, you'll have $$ left-over to do something that she wants.
 
All,

Thanks for the advice..... other than getting another wife. She was the one who inspired me to actually take the next step, so I don't want to trade her in just yet.

We did have Sun n Fun planned last year but had to cancel last minute. We would like to go this year and start talking to guys (and gals) that are enthusiasts to the RV aircraft.

I do like the idea of truly getting her to talk to the FAA inspector to see what the process is and see it's a pretty thorough process. I'm certainly open to any fellow pilots out there I can visit and let her take a look at the plane locally, but I don't know of anyone yet.

I'll join the local EAA here in my area and hopefully get to meet a few guys.

Again, thanks for all the input guys.
 
Tech Inspector

Philip
Every Chapter has a Tech Inspector. The TI is a volunteer EAA person who checks out the build process. It's voluntary, but many of us use them. I invite mine out before closing any main component. They inspect and provide a copy of the form for the builder log. Find yours and invite them out for dinner. They often come out with a spouse which really helps your spouse feel more comfortable.
 
Sounds to me like your wife is seeing value in the certification process the main manufacturers go through.

As with any value proposition, it's a cost/reward thing.

So you can go about it a number of different ways:

- Dispute the uncertified = unsafe myth. Overall stats will show that home builts tend to have higher incident/accident rates, though you have to dig in to get the root of the problems. I was recently talking to a former (Canadian) TSB inspector that stated that the spike in the numbers occurs with second owners on first flights, for instance.

- Do the cost/benefit = Even if possibly, maybe slightly less safe in terms of pure stats, how much is that extra safety worth to you? We're talking about a good chunk of money sometimes ...

- Make it person: What, you don't trust me do build a good solid plane?? :p

- Vans' aircraft are around in very large numbers, and overall there's not too many systemic problems (Nose gear issues come to mind, but not much else) ... general flying characteristics and performance are well demonstrated, extensive support.

- The "freedom" factor: You can do what you want, when you want. You are not stuck with a 70's design that is barely allowed to change, and that even when it is allowed to change, it's quite process (STC's, 337's, A&P's, IA's, etc.).

- You don't have to be super "Experimental" either. If it comforts her, you can put a certified engine, certified avionics, etc. in there, and use an actual A&P to check your work on critical systems, should you (or her!) so chose. Or you can start there, and as she gets comfortable with the plane and your expertise in it, you slowly move away from that ...

- It's a great project that we can BOTH work on together, it will bring us closer together, be good for the family, etc. (Apparently it's usually the opposite, but hey you never know ...)

- If you ever intend to fly in wilder more desolate places where an A&P may not be found nearby, having the ability to work on your plane could save the day!

That's all I've got for now ... see if you can't find something in there you think might work for you guys :)
 
Philip A said:
We did have Sun n Fun planned last year but had to cancel last minute. We would like to go this year and start talking to guys (and gals) that are enthusiasts to the RV aircraft.
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Take her to SERFI, weekend after next, 95 miles straight up I-65.

http://www.serfi.org/

I do like the idea of truly getting her to talk to the FAA inspector to see what the process is and see it's a pretty thorough process.
Click to expand...

Might not want to introduce her to just any FAA person. Ask around at SERFI for John Burgin, DAR.

I'm certainly open to any fellow pilots out there I can visit and let her take a look at the plane locally, but I don't know of anyone yet.
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Too bad ya'll can't make to out to Petit Jean the same weekend. Probably be fifty wives there, all very, very ready to talk ;)
 
Experimental

What are you waiting for. Get her a ride in an L39 or Citation Mustang...quickly! Most guys would be happy for a wife that wants to ride in a certified rig that you don't need to spend years building and late nights maintaining.

Time is your friend. Oshkosh and /or a ride together in a well built 10 might open her mind to the experimental side.
There are plenty of current and retired airline pilots flying their own RV 10's.
That might help her consider a flight if you can find one such owner to take the two of you.

You are still a lucky dog that she opened the door as far as she has.
 
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Philip A said:
As I've told my wife individuals who put that much time and energy into an aircraft don't take short cuts on safety because it's what they love.

My wife on the other hand want's a Piper, Cessna, or even a Cirrus just because it's "certified". I try to tell her the guy building the plane get's paid an hourly rate to do it because he has to.. it's a job. The guy who built one on his own, 99% of the time does it out of love for his passion of flying. Even though the company is certified, doesn't necessarily make him any more of a skilled worker than the guy building one in his garage.

I want to be able to fly at a reasonable price and it still be FUN. Not some burden where I'm afraid to fly because of maintenance cost, annuals, etc.
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First, you two should decide what you want to do with the airplane, then pick a design that fits the mission. There are plenty of well-kept vintage certified airplanes that are half the price of an RV. But, if you want to tinker with it, make improvements, enjoy experimental avionics, do aerobatics, etc then an RV will fit your needs better.

It doesn't help either one of you to make blanket assumptions about experimental vs certified quality and condition. There are plenty of poorly-built experimental airplanes out there flying, just like there are plenty of worn-out and corroded old certified airplanes. But, there are also many experimentals that were built by true craftsman with quality that far exceeds a factory-built airplane. And there are older certified planes that have been babied, taken care of, or fully restored. No matter what kind of airplane you choose, be sure to have a reputable mechanic who is familiar with the type do a good thorough pre-buy inspection on it.

Like it's been said here before, don't build a plane to have one to fly. Build one because you want to build. I'm in that situation now-- I really want to fly now, but I am a year or more away from finishing my RV. It hit me hard when I *drove* to a local fly-in a few months ago-- a lot of these people in old Tri-Pacers and Cessna 150s and other Spam Cans are FLYING and having FUN on $25,000 or less! Sure they have maintenance costs, fly slower, burn more fuel, have less power-- but you can't touch a 2-place RV for twice that!
 
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DanH said:
Might not want to introduce her to just any FAA person. Ask around at SERFI for John Burgin, DAR.
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Dan, is John still active? We can't get him for inspections anymore. We miss seeing him, he inspected many of our RVs and was always a joy to work with.
 
To be honest, if I could find a certified aircraft that flies as well as the 8, and also have the same missions......I would probably have one.
 
If you can afford it... two steps. First, buy a suitable certified plane and then you'll have something you can both fly in. Once she's comfortable with that and you're both using it routinely, introduce her to the higher speed and community associated with the RVs.

Then, just for the fun of building, start building one.

I'll bet she'll be comfortable with that approach.

Dave
 
All,

Very good advice I'm seeing. I do have a few questions/comments...

@ Katie - I understand where you are coming from, espeically with the mission statement. Since we are both relatively young, we are looking at a plane we can hope from place to place across the US. We LOVE to travel, but HATE to drive! I would love to have an airplane I could do simple aerobatics in which is why the RV-7 interests me so. We have kicked around the possiblity of needing an airplane with more than 2 seats, but ask would we really use the extra seats? I don't think it will be any more than just us two at the moment as my son is just about to head off to college in the next 3 years so it will be just us two.

Also, I'm not saying I've made blanket assumptions about any aircraft either. I completely understand individuals have different ideas of "acceptable" craftmanship. I certainly saw it while building R/C. I found this out first hand when I went to look at a local Glasair RGII an individual was selling at our local airport. She looked great in pictures. Up close, not so much. So the guys looked at me and asked if I wanted to take her up for a spin, and quite honestly even though the books checked out, I wasn't about to step foot in it, much less leave the ground.

I see your comment about the building a plane to fly portion. While I'd love to build and would take GREAT pride in completing that task (it was a great feeling with R/C), I don't know if I have the time which is why I'm looking at the forums. I have gone and looked at a cheaper Piper Cherokee 160 for $32K, which is a steal needless to say. It's recently been refurbished and is beautiful. However, it's a 1973 with 5,500 TTAF and 300 SMOH. So I don't know. It's just something about the RV that I like that would be more fun and appealing to me.

@Tracy - Why would you go with certified instead of the RV? Do you own one? Have you had issues?

@Dan - I may actually make it to the SERFI... I meet my ex-wife at Evergreen every other weekend so my son can go visit her. Are there typically any RV's there? I've done a few T&G there playing around one day, but not before I got to sit down and play in one of the new T-6 Texan ii's the guys were playing in from Pensacola!

Thanks for the input everyone!

Philip
 
I like Dave's idea-- Buy a cheapie certified plane and fly now, and slowly build your dream RV. Then your wife will really appreciate the speed increase! :D
 
Two points to add to the discussion...

1) You are a relatively fresh pilot. Your wife hasn't yet seen your track record of making sound risk assessments which led to safe outcomes. You are asking her to take a big leap of faith, so as a result you would do well to gently show her how safety (hers, yours and that of others) is your Number One priority. When you have something of a track record it is easier to provide guidance on her very real concerns around the safety of the craft in which you and she will fly. For this reason it might be easier to start with a certificated aircraft at low cost as Dave has suggested. Every time a maintenance decision has to be made, include her in the decision-making process so she is aware of the trade-offs and aware that you will not compromise safety in order to save a few bucks. Slowly her confidence will build, and with that will build an understanding of how an airplane, crafted by the individual who has the most to lose should that aircraft fail, is likely the safest kind of airplane to own.

2) Again, from a safety perspective... The process around certification of aircraft components leads to a very static industry - nobody wants to change because either they can't afford to do the certification of the new device or they are blocked from certification by regulations which prevent progress. This is where our world of amateur-built aircraft gets a huge safety boost over "certificated" aircraft. We are now the tail that is wagging the certified dog. We are what is driving such things as the FAA's new rules around Angle of Attack equipment. The avionics and other equipment available to us in the homebuilding world today far surpass on a dollar-for-feature basis anything available in the certified world.

A few years ago I had a long series of discussions with my wife about buying an amateur-built aircraft. She eventually agreed to the purchase with a long list of safety-related caveats. I also agreed to the purchase with one huge caveat... the aircraft I had in mind had a very basic VFR panel, and prepared her for a seemingly-large outlay of cash to update the panel such that it would be night VFR capable. Then when it came time to do the panel upgrade I allowed her insistence on mission safety to drive some very welcome scope creep. The addition of an attitude indicator morphed into the installation of a full EFIS. Then a transponder was added once she saw on our local navigation chart the areas denied to us without a transponder. Good lighting solutions were likewise justified on the basis of safety - gotta have good strobes to improve "see and avoid". By the time we were done we ended up with a very capable panel, with every purchase decision vetted by and approved by my wife with her full understanding of their implications on flight safety. When it came time for the engine to be overhauled she told me to talk to at least two shops, get their advice, then make the best decisions based on that advice. We got a good overhaul and changed several accessories which have resulted in both improved dispatch reliability as well as an improved overall mission safety profile.

My wife used to be a very fearful flyer. Now she is the one who has called me up on her way home from work and said, "Meet me at the airport - it's a nice evening to go flying." She even falls asleep in the airplane at the end of a sunset flight. Even better, she is fully on board as we build what we refer to as our "retirement airliner", a much more capable travelling machine. The process to get her to this point has taken a decade; it has been worth every minute of that time to see her relaxed and confident that we will travel in safety.
 
web site to check out

Lots of good advice given already, and a lot of it is how I got my wife on board (pun intended). But something that hasn't been mentioned is Rosie's web page (http://www.paulrosales.com/). During my 3 year build, I must have read Rosie's stories 50 times each. And once I sent my wife the link, she started reading them and asking when we were going to join him on one of his trips. I don't know how many times she visited that page, but I can tell you it was a lot. Reading those stories and the up's (beach, sand, water, views, friends, etc) and down's (weather delays, mechanical breakdowns, etc) allowed my wfie and I to engage in great conversations about the risks that go along with our hobby and how I planned to manage those risks. It allowed her to slowly learn about small airplanes, become knowledgeable herself on the decision making process and the risks, and overall gain comfort with the whole idea of it all. We've now been on 2 trips with Rosie and counting... We're helping write the same stories that inspired us to get to this point!

Spend some time poking around his page, and I recommend reading the stories IN CHRONOLOGICAL order, so you can follow along as to how they grew to trust his flying ability, the airplane, etc. If I can sum it up for you, in 2000 when his RV first flew, he was nervous about flying from southern California to Oshkosh. 13 years later, he and Tuppergal (his wife) spent a month island hoping around the Caribbean.

The other thing we did was to buy a big map and start putting pins in all the places we wanted to visit. That and Rosie's page really helped in getting her head in the clouds where mine was already!

I hope that helps!

Dave
 
My wife and I rented a number of craft. She became weary of the airworthy but ratty birds. She asked what was needed to own. I told her we could own one like the rentals or build one brand new that was better than any rental.

My task was easy. Earlier in this thread there was the suggestion to get your spouse in touch with other spouses of builders that are flying. I heartily agree with that. We were outside the "family" until then. It makes a difference.
 
The idea of owning a flying plane while you build is nice, HOWEVER, if you do the math, you will probably find that you won't be flying enough each year to justify the expense. So even at $150/hr or more, it may make more sense to rent while you build (should you decide to build). The upfront cost is one thing, and probably mostly recoverable when you sell, but you still have to pay hangar, insurance, taxes, maintenance, on top of gas and oil. My choice was to put that money towards my build, and rent enough to stay current and get my instrument license.

Regarding your wife, ease her into flying with you. Remember that just because you have a new private license, doesn't mean she will be (or even should be) comfortable hopping in with you. Start out with short flights, and if she isn't comfortable, land and talk it over.

No matter what you do, show her that safety comes first. A few months after getting my license, I flew my girlfriend to Key West for the weekend. On the way back, the clouds kept dropping. We both needed to be at work the next day. I could have maybe scud-run back to Tampa, but instead I landed immediately, rented a car, and drove the last 60 miles home. When we got there, it was pouring rain with 200' overcast. Ever since then, she has understood that keeping her safe is my #1 job, and loves to fly with me. And after I told her the RV will get her to NC to see her family in 2.5 hours, she can't wait for me to finish it, either.

Good luck!

Chris
 
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Wifey

OK - There are lots of A/P's or AI's out there building really nice aircraft. Just look for one that was built by an A/P and you can tell her it was built by a professional. Deal Done

You really don't want anything other than an RV at the end of the day - the experience is so much different from the typical spam cans so stay the course.:cool:
 
I flew a twin Cessna for 12 years. When we bought it my wife and I were both thinking 2 engines, 6 passenger (we have 3 boys), fairly fast, not pressurized and experiemental surely was not even in the discussion.... well we were young and foolish. Fast forward 12 years and not only was our mission not what we expected, my wallet was empty because the older certified Cessna was eating me alive. I took meticulous care of it and it was probably the in the top 10 nicest 310s in the country. But every year during annual time I would get hit with 5, 7, 10 and yes even $22 thousand dollar cost for an annual. If money is no object then sure, go buy a brand new Cirrus for $700K so the wife can sleep better knowing it's certified. But if you are looking for the best performance and best bang for your$$$, you can't find a better plane, I know I searched for a year and marked off almost 20 planes off of my list and when I got my first ride in an RV-7 the only thing I could say was , "Wow, where the heck do I get me one of these?".
Take your wife up for a ride in an RV10. They look similar to a Cirrus so maybe she won't know it's an experimental. After the ride, tell her it was experimental.... just like EVERY single type of airplane is before it gets certified.

Before you go out and buy a 20, 30, 40, 50 year old certified Piper, Cessna or whatever flavor you prefer, consider how the airframe has been maintained. Just keeping up and searching for corrosion on the cessna 310 was more work than most of us do on our RVs. Buy, Build, Partner, whatever, but make it an RV if it fits your life style... you won't regret it.
 
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I live in Foley!

Hi Phillip,

I live in Foley. I built an RV 7A and know of a guy building an 8 who's a long long time A&I. Best I've EVER known. He words to me were that these RV's are "overbuilt" when compared to any certified aircraft. I owned a Cessna 152 for ten years and loved the heck out of flying it. After building and flying the RV, all I can say is I have 100% faith in the quality of these kits and from a structural standpoint, I'll go with an RV any day! Take a walk around the ramp and show your wife the spacing/quality of a "certified" aircraft's rivets and the general way parts fit together..... then let her look at an RV!!! My 7 was built strictly as the factory plans called for and everything and I mean everything in the kit fit perfectly! I'll be happy to fly to Fairhope sometime when you and yours "happen" to be there! :)
 
I think it's a bad idea to promote an experimental aircraft by denigrating a production model. I don't see that winning the day, nor do I think it will go a long way toward allaying her fear about the safety of an experimental, which I presume is the primary objection.

One avenue that might work for you, however, is to focus on the cost of renting vs. the cost of building and the declining nature of the rental fleet (and maintenance) vs. the advantage of an experimental in this regard.

It might well be that her fear isn't alleviated to any degree until you -- and she -- start building.
 
Foley...

Paul,

THANK YOU for the response! I would love to take a look at your RV-7A! I'm even available to take a ride over to Foley if needed. No need to fly over unless you just want to get out and about, which is always an good option...
One of the things that got my wife on the home built was when we drove to Foley to take a look at a Glasair RGII based there at Foley. When we arrived, you could really tell it was not really cared for and I was scared to go up in it honestly. That is what got her nervous about the experimental aircraft.

Little unknown fact about my wife is that her mother and grandmother both had their pilots license and she grew up around whirly wing'd aircraft. She has some stick time in a Bell Jet Ranger but that's been quite some time ago. So, she's familiar with the aviation industry, just not the "experimental" version and is also getting her pilots license with me. We hope to become a dual pilot family just to have redundancy in the cockpit, especially when we travel.

I'd love to take a look one day when you have some free time!

Thanks,
Philip
 
your wife

Phillip,
Hey, I see your message. I sent you an email with my number but was notified it didn't get thru. I'll give it to you here. Feel free to call. If I don't answer, do leave a msg and I'll call you back. We'll get her to come around! BTW, I think I'm aware of the bird you're referring to and I was offered a ride as well... I politely declined for the same reason. I've seen it fly though and it is fast!
Paul Gray
251-609-0835
 
To Bob

Hey Bob,
I'm not doing as you implied regarding a production airplane as they are fine machines as well. Like I said, I owned a Cessna for 10 years and trusted in it enough to take my kids up.... however, I am stating a fact. ANYONE can see the spacing of rivets and the general fitting together of parts on one airplane over another. It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it! (I do respect yours as well).
 
@ BCP - you guys were right on the same thinking as my wife and her brother. She wanted a twin, just for engine redundancy. Her brother purchased an off shore fishing boat with twin engines and refuses to go fishing with anyone who has a single engine. So, I don't quite understand this fear because they flew the single engine helicopters in their childhood. Of course after I informed her of the rebuild cost X2 she was having second thoughts. We want to have an airplane that is fun to fly and not super expensive to maintain.

** Good news** is that she is warming up to the possibility of me building an airplane. We just have different ideas of which one now! She loves the RV10.. I want something that is fun and aerobatic to some degree, just to play. I've always been a sports car nut, so it fits to some degree.

Don't shoot me on this forum, but she also likes the Arion Lightning EXP version... mainly because they offer a build class in TN.

@ Letters - I understood BCP's point regarding the about comparing the "experimental" category with "certified" airplanes. I've explained to my wife that the Cessna 400's were actually Lancairs until Cessna purchased the rights. I don't think he meant it as a denigrating comment, only the facts. I may be wrong, but that's the way I took it.

I truly do appreciate all the comments and advice everyone is giving me. I think there's hope!
 
I'll share with you my decision process, in case it provides you with any useful information.

I had already decided that ownership was something I wanted to work toward. Renting was out of the question - the locally available rental fleet is old, slow and expensive. While the flying club I joined was a better deal for better airplanes, if I were going to fly more than a few hours a month I may as well own one.

I had decided early on against experimentals, mainly out of ignorance. Sounds bad, but I believe this put me in the same boat as the vast majority of pilots. Mention buying or flying in a home built to most non-EAA pilots if you don't believe this. You mention "experimental" and they think of ultralights, single-seat VW powered plywood planes and John Denver.

So I went airplane shopping. Bear in mind that we're not exactly destitute, but flying is not the focus of our lives (certainly not my wife's). There's a limit to what I'm willing to spend, and I generally don't finance "toys", so there were limits to what I would spend. Shelling out six figured for a nice 10 year old Cirrus or something was just not in the cards. In my price range were the usual assortment of older Cherokees, Warriors, and 172s and a few 182s. There were more I could afford to buy, like maybe a low-end older Bo or Mooney or a Comanche 250, but I didn't think I'd be able to afford to feed and maintain the bloody things. You want to put avgas in and pay for annuals on a 1960s vintage complex airplane with an IO-540? Not me. But some flight panning for trips to places we wanted to go, then a long X/C in my club's 172 convinced me that something substantially faster was going to be needed.

I heard about RVs and did my homework. With nearly (at that time) 8000 flying, I could find a relatively low number NTSB reports involving RV crashes and most seemed to be the usual pilot error. I didn't see, anywhere, any evidence that RVs seemed to have inherent design issues or (like some designs) were particularly unforgiving of inexperienced pilots.

So it was not going to cost me much (if any) more than buying, say, a Comanche, and I could spend that money over a period of "as long as necessary". I could keep my flying club membership to stay current in the mean time, and I'd end up with a plane I could actually afford to fly. Then there was the avionics issue. Any factory built airplane I was looking at had, at best, 1970s era technology in the panel. Many had no autopilot and the ones that did were generally just wing levelers. GPS was typically a portable unit cobbled onto the yoke or panel. And upgrading the panel? Dream on. Unless you want to mortgage the house... but an RV could be built exactly the way I wanted and changed at will, plus I never had to worry about what an annual was going to turn up. Yes, granted, only two seats (an RV-10 just was not in the budget) but that's generally all we need.

So... that's how I went from "No way I'd fly in a homebuilt" to pounding dimples in fuselage skins and taking my wife to Oshkosh to look at interiors, paint and panels.
 
Dale,

You're summed up my life exactly! I'm going through the same things you're taking about. I liked your response and it really hit home as to my situation.

Thanks,
Philip
 
Builder classes

Philip A said:
Don't shoot me on this forum, but she also likes the Arion Lightning EXP version... mainly because they offer a build class in TN.
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You may find that there are as many or more classes on building Vans aircraft than any other. Plus, you have an unlimited resource of experts here on VAF.
Not me of course, I'm still in training.:D
 
offer help

Have her bang some rivets or whatever. It really isn't that hard. Once she knows how easy any one task is......
Like anything, you don't need to know what you are going to do, only know how to do what you are right at the moment. Airplanes are a well understood technology. Almost anyone can master it. No one wants to hurt themselves. So many are flying tells me that they can't all be risk crazy.
 
Good luck

First, let her see an RV. When my wife first saw and sat in one her response was "OMG this is a real airplane". Also, in my experience and opinion, the certified Piper or Cessna you'll get for what it would cost you to build a Vans will not be nearly as reliable (or safe). The argument that won my wife over was me telling her that the $50-60K I'll spend on a kit, will get us a safer more reliable airplane than you could buy for that much money.

Then register the airplane with her initials or anniversary date - that always helps :D
 
Philip A;926557 [B said:
** Good news**[/B] is that she is warming up to the possibility of me building an airplane. We just have different ideas of which one now! She loves the RV10.. I want something that is fun and aerobatic to some degree, just to play. I've always been a sports car nut, so it fits to some degree.
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It looks like the RV-14 would be a good match! The room of the from cabin of the 10, aerobatic, improved canopy build and lots of really nice new features. It takes the best of everything before it (except for the RV-3 of course).

Bob
 
Av8torTom said:
Then register the airplane with her initials or anniversary date - that always helps :D
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430WB (reserved) ... Better 90%'s b-day and my initials. The whiskey doesn't hurt, either!

Happy wife, happy life. Mine is super supportive, esp after I tell the tales of the MX issues I run up against at the flying club. My bird will always pass muster, and she knows it!

In all seriousness, a demo flight will do a lot to alleviate any concern. These are nice, solid aircraft.
 
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