Ready to pursue dream

[Huggyu2]

RV-7?? Nahhh... he wants a tandem airplane, I'll bet.

 

[jbDC9]

I'm down to the RV7 or RV8. Basically tandem vs side/side seating. I'm trying to talk my wife into tandem, and so be able to enjoy that awesome panoramic view, although not so awesome in the back seat!

Tandem seats rule! Seriously, if you want tandem seats, build what you want, go with an RV-8. How often will your wife be flying with you anyway? Most likely, not much. My wife actually prefers riding in the back on the rare occasion she flies with me in a rental Citabria... seems a bit roomier than a 172 or Cherokee. She hates riding right seat in a spam can, it's just too crowded.

I'm working on a Quick Build RV-8 myself; been at it for a year and a half or so, maybe done next spring? I hope... If you have or can get the extra $8,000 for the QB, I highly recommend it, it was money well spent to have the wings and fuselage structure basically complete. And even with a QB kit, there's still plenty of work to do.

From what I can see, the RV series has the best bang for the buck when compared to a Lancair or Glasair... those glass birds are just waaay too expensive; plus, they're tri-gear with itty bitty wheels, wouldn't do well on grass; side-by-side seats... no thanks. For me, the RV-8 is as perfect as it gets - tandem seat taildragger, goes both fast and slow, aerobatic... my own little fighter plane. Now I just gotta finish it...

 

[MAJIC9]

something that isnt' exactly emphasized as much as it should -- the people (builders). For me, one of the joys of building was meeting all the great folks who are also building or already flying. Everyone I've met so far has been very helpful and great to hang out.

 

[DustMaker]

From what I can see, the RV series has the best bang for the buck when compared to a Lancair or Glasair... those glass birds are just waaay too expensive; plus, they're tri-gear with itty bitty wheels, wouldn't do well on grass;

well - the cozy airframe is 16,000 and 2+2 seating and for my money - way more bang for the buck than any RV - heh heh heh

 

[Swede]

Moved in...

I have worked harder the last few days than I have in a decade. Probably 20 to 30 pickup + flatbed trailer loads. The new owners of our old house were breathing down our necks, so it ended in a 18 hour manual labor marathon. Middle age sucks, my back and legs are killing me!

The new hangar is utterly full of junk right now, and I need a serious industrial-sized air mover (TX heat) but other than that, the worst is over.

Tandem vs. side/side - jbDC9 is right on, just need to convince the wife that even when dual, the view out both sides (and the fact that we won't be bonking elbows) overrules the benefits of side/side. RV8 Quick-build it's probably going to be. There are some very active RV8 builders in the N TX area, and the networking will be fun.

Engine - I'm thinking one of the Lyc or clones, IO-360 or maybe even the IO-390, and one of the new composite CS props, will work well. Van's does have a lead time on some of their kits, so I need to time delivery to allow the kit to arrive when the hangar is cleared out and work is ready to commence.

I really appreciate the input from everyone here. It'll be a few months before things settle down a bit, but I'm looking forward to actually creating things rather than just thinking about it.

 

[jbDC9]

Van's does have a lead time on some of their kits, so I need to time delivery to allow the kit to arrive when the hangar is cleared out and work is ready to commence.

Yep, the lead time on the QB kits can be rather lengthy... so here's a thought: get started on the tail kit. You'll need a roughly $1000 tool kit to get started, and the empennage kit itself costs $1425, but you can build it on a simple work bench in a corner of your hangar; take your time with it while waiting for the QB wings and fuse to show up. No jigs are needed; took me 14 hrs to build the vertical stab. You can have a finished part in one weekend... pretty cool stuff.

 

[DustMaker]

three weeks ago i helped carry quite a bit of an RV from a hangar to the trailer of a new Plane builder. this was the third transfer of this particular kit.

80 or so percent of these birds are not finished - i would search an unfinished kit out to really get a jump start.

 

[Swede]

three weeks ago i helped carry quite a bit of an RV from a hangar to the trailer of a new Plane builder. this was the third transfer of this particular kit.

80 or so percent of these birds are not finished - i would search an unfinished kit out to really get a jump start.

Aren't there 51% - rule issues with kits like these? In other words, will the feds NOT issue a "repairman certificate" for the airframe if I grab a kit that has changed hands (and been worked on) once or twice? To me, half the allure is being able to do my own maintenance and annual inspections.

 

[MAJIC9]

Aren't there 51% - rule issues with kits like these? In other words, will the feds NOT issue a "repairman certificate" for the airframe if I grab a kit that has changed hands (and been worked on) once or twice?

No issues, and yes you can get a repairman's cert. in a situation like that. It's one of more common misunderstandings of the 51% rule.

 

[DustMaker]

I really like the build - but - can understand those that do not or the project appears too intimidating. Also, do not like waste. there is no problem with finishing a plane that others have started and the internet has made the process of finding these uncompleted projects much easier.

one note - it is often polite to take the finished bird back to whom you purchased it and are benefiting from their labor of love and give them a ride in it. often they just had to stop because of medical reasons

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm leaning towards aluminum construction

Swede, while it might not meet everything you need, you own it to yourself to look at all your options.

With that being said....


<http://www.zenithair.com/>

 

[Swede]

Thanks Ultrarunner. I like the Zenith aircraft. My hangar is still full of household crap, and will be for many long weeks, while we work on the house. It hurts to watch the homebuilt cash supply go towards stuff like "stainmaster" carpeting, expensive appliances, etc. Unbelievable how many trips to Home Depot I've made, at least one a day, each racking up big $$.

I'm going to spend the weeks looking at all options. RV's seem to be a mid-range (price-wise) aircraft. I may end up looking to economize a bit.

Avionics would be a good place to start saving money. One could always do a basic VFR panel, then add as needed over time.

 

[psysicx]

Is the Cozy safe to fly on cross countries?

 

[DustMaker]

heh heh heh - the cozy is a cross country bullet. it is designed as a cross country bird.

passengers = 2+2
fuel = 60 +- gallons
cruise = 200+ mph
climb = 1800 fpm solo
climb = 1200 fpm gross

fuel burn 10 gph +-

these are flying numbers - not designer BS

Loaded in CG range - stall resistant to the point of proof

Quieter as it is a pusher
Quieter as it is foam/fiberglass construction

Unbelievable robust airframe

EZ to build

 

[psysicx]

How much does it cost from start to finish? I know the kit is $14,000 put how much is the engine and instruments? It looks like a space ship. Does it fit 4 people comfortably?

 

[PaulThomas]

How much does it cost from start to finish? I know the kit is $14,000 put how much is the engine and instruments? It looks like a space ship. Does it fit 4 people comfortably?

It's plan built, no kit.
You may have been able to do the airframe to 14k back in the days, but I think today it will be more arround 20k. I think you can have a nice finished bird for 40k if you do the work yourself.

 

[DustMaker]

Well, the airframe is about 17,000 4 people - it is a 2+2, the back seats are rather small and are GREAT for baggage. They are fine for 1 or 2 hour flights, but i would not put full size adults in them for a new york to LA flight

Total cost - 40 to 150 thousand - you pick

Plans vrs kit - not a fair comparison, many "kits" take far longer than a cozy to build.