This is my 4th build project. After 20 years, I got interested in flying again and I started by building a powered parachute. Took me 40 hours to complete and I flew it for 150 hours over a 2 year period. An absolute blast to fly! A powered parachute is the closest thing there is to being a bird. Low and really slow and maneuverable- pure fun. But you are limited to an area of a few miles and are always worried about wind whipping up.
Then, I got tired of having to haul it to where I wanted to fly and constantly worrying about the winds, so I sold it for half of what I had in it and built a Kolb Firestar. Took me about 500 hours. Still cheap, low and slow and simple. Learned all about fabric. Still the thrill of flight and I could make a hundred mile trip without too much planning. I flew that for 150 hours over a year and a half. The more I flew, the more my mission changed and the more I learned about what I really wanted in an airplane. My skills increased considerably, too.
So, I decided that I needed to be able to go places as well as flying low and slow and just ?playing.? So, I sold the Kolb for half of what I had in it and decided to build a Titan Tornado. I searched around and that model best filled all my mission requirements. I put in a thousand hours of build time over an intense year and got it in the air. As I was building, I kept saying that the Titan will be my last airplane and after being driven to finish like I was, I would never build again. It is a beautiful airplane, I did a really nice job on it- I won Oshkosh Light Plane Grand Champion with it in 2005- I?ve flown all over the country in it and today I have 578.8 hours on it in just under 3 years.
It?s still a great airplane if you want to just fly around a region, take a long trip now and then and it cruises 100 knots on 5 gph. BUT, my mission has changed again and I am ready to build again. Never thought I would think about building again. Never thought I?d even consider selling something that I had so much time and money and effort and emotions in- but, there will soon be an ad on Barnstormers for a Titan Tornado! This time, I hope I can get more than half of what I put in to it ?cause I "spared no expense? since it was to be my last airplane?
I am 300 hours into an RV 7 and I keep thinking how nice my next RV will be after I learn all about building this one?
The point of all this is to say that as you grow, your wants and needs and desires change with you. Some of us grow into other airplanes, others grow out of the hobby.
So, bottom line, don?t be too surprised with the actions of others ?cause you may be doing something in 2 years that you?d never dream of today.
Been there, done that?got the ?T? shirt to prove it.
