jahoosafat
Active Member
Hi RVers - I'm the beneficiary of a shiny new PPL (~100 hrs in 172s, a Cherokee, and a Tobago), and I'm considering purchasing a used RV10. I currently belong to a flying club and have the good fortune of having more money than time on my hands. So I'm looking to take the plunge into full plane ownership. The RV10 fits my mission well, and I like the combination of fast cruise speed, low stall speed, and gentle stall/spin characteristics. I'm not IFR-rated yet, but plan to do that training within the next 1-2 years. There are not many used RV10s for sale on the standard sale sites. I'd strongly prefer to buy one that was built by a semi-professional builder (e.g., Jesse Saint, Robin Cross in South Africa, etc.). I'd be interested in folks' critical perspectives on a particular plane <SNIP> . This one was built by a professional build shop in SA (not sure which one yet). I would need to find an experienced RV builder/mechanic to fly out to Colorado for a thorough pre-buy (specific suggestions for people I might contact?). My concerns/questions are:
1) 100hrs SNEW ... This is one of the biggest concerns that I have. Apparently, the current owner had this built back in 2010 and then did a lot of business in Europe, meaning that he didn't fly it. Having a plane sit in a hangar for 5-7 years is not good for the engine or airframe. The broker says he's flying it weekly now to address such concerns, but it's just one of those things that could be bad for me as the second owner.
2) Minor issue ... black leather interior seems like it'll be a sweatbox on the ground on a hot summer day.
3) Avionics ... If I was to build an RV10 myself with a professional builder, I'd probably install top of the line current avionics (e.g., G3X or Dynon). This snobby attitude is coming from someone who has only as yet flown with steam gauges and a Garmin 530, but I think integrated weather, traffic, etc in a single screen is the safer approach. How should I think about this 5-7 year old EFIS from Advanced Flight Systems? Since it's an experimental, should I not worry too much about it since, if needed/desired, I can swap in a more advanced touch screen later? Or maybe this setup will be entirely fine for my current VFR and later IFR needs?
4) Is there anything missing in the panel that you can think of that would be ... Good for safe flying (besides ADS-B, which I know I'll def need to add)? Good for fun flying? Good for IFR?
5) Is there anything particularly terrific about this panel in your view? Again, I'm a low hours new pilot, and readily acknowledge that there's a lot I don't know (and a lot that I don't know I don't know).
6) Ugly planes = better value. So while the paint job makes me salivate, I'm wary of overpaying. It seems very difficult to generate reliable comparative pricing for RVs since there don't seem to be too many sold on the used market. How should I think about the $215k asking price?
Thanks for any wisdom you can bring to bear on this decision.
Cheers,
Jeff
1) 100hrs SNEW ... This is one of the biggest concerns that I have. Apparently, the current owner had this built back in 2010 and then did a lot of business in Europe, meaning that he didn't fly it. Having a plane sit in a hangar for 5-7 years is not good for the engine or airframe. The broker says he's flying it weekly now to address such concerns, but it's just one of those things that could be bad for me as the second owner.
2) Minor issue ... black leather interior seems like it'll be a sweatbox on the ground on a hot summer day.
3) Avionics ... If I was to build an RV10 myself with a professional builder, I'd probably install top of the line current avionics (e.g., G3X or Dynon). This snobby attitude is coming from someone who has only as yet flown with steam gauges and a Garmin 530, but I think integrated weather, traffic, etc in a single screen is the safer approach. How should I think about this 5-7 year old EFIS from Advanced Flight Systems? Since it's an experimental, should I not worry too much about it since, if needed/desired, I can swap in a more advanced touch screen later? Or maybe this setup will be entirely fine for my current VFR and later IFR needs?
4) Is there anything missing in the panel that you can think of that would be ... Good for safe flying (besides ADS-B, which I know I'll def need to add)? Good for fun flying? Good for IFR?
5) Is there anything particularly terrific about this panel in your view? Again, I'm a low hours new pilot, and readily acknowledge that there's a lot I don't know (and a lot that I don't know I don't know).
6) Ugly planes = better value. So while the paint job makes me salivate, I'm wary of overpaying. It seems very difficult to generate reliable comparative pricing for RVs since there don't seem to be too many sold on the used market. How should I think about the $215k asking price?
Thanks for any wisdom you can bring to bear on this decision.
Cheers,
Jeff
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