Ripsnort! I was snooping around Boeing's Site...

[Dago]

As BD mentioned, the RV series by Vans are a great homebuilt plane, with quick build option available.  At the Oshkosh airshow, typically 25% of all homebuilts are RVs.

I have my eye on the RV8.  Have done some preliminary research and thinking about making the plunge.

Dago

[LePaul]

Dago,

Am I seeing right...minus engine and instruments (kit alone), you can have a RV8A for a tad over $20K?  Wow, Id be curious the full price tag

I have $4k in my BD5 now, and need to put about $21k (guessing...) to have it flying.



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Paul J. Busiere

Aces High Arena handle:  BD5Pilot
 http://bd5.checksix.net
BD-5 "T" (TurboProp) 90% complete, first flight in 2001 (We hope!)

[eagl]

LePaul,

The RVx aircraft just HAVE to lead the bang-for-the-buck category for aluminum kits.  My dad got about 30% through an RV-6A before his attention drifted elsewhere, but it would have been a very affordable project.  Figure under $50,000 completed for a plane that would do 200mph on 180 hp, seat 2 comfortably, stressed for full acro.  BIG FAT WING for good low speed handling too, none of those high speed lancair or glasair stall and landing speeds, and all the fuel capacity you feel like building into the wing.

I helped him bang out the tail and some of the wings (which he completed), but he never quite got to the fuselage kit.  If he'd started way back then with the new fast-build kits, he would have easily finished the plane.  As it was, he sold the completed parts and few remaining unbuilt kits at cost for the loss of his time and what he paid a helper for some work on the wings.

For the power mad, there's even an unofficial mod version of the RV called (I think) the harmon rocket that adds an additional 100 hp and some more structural strength to handle higher stresses.



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eagl <squealing Pigs> BYA
Oink Oink To War!!!

[Dago]

If memory regarding price is right, the basic kit is about 15k.  Finishing it will put you in the 40k - 85K range, all depending on how wild you want to get with options, avionics, engine and prop.

One thing I have noticed, used RVs normally sell for as much as they cost to make, sometimes more.  Pretty rare for a homebuilt.

LePaul, I am kinda curious about something on the BD,  have you check insurance prices for it?  A homebuilt turbo-prop would be fun, but I wonder what the insurance would be.  Probably more than I could afford.  Cool plane though.

Dago

[LePaul]

 

Originally posted by eagl:
LePaul,

The RVx aircraft just HAVE to lead the bang-for-the-buck category for aluminum kits.  My dad got about 30% through an RV-6A before his attention drifted elsewhere, but it would have been a very affordable project.  Figure under $50,000 completed for a plane that would do 200mph on 180 hp, seat 2 comfortably, stressed for full acro.  BIG FAT WING for good low speed handling too, none of those high speed lancair or glasair stall and landing speeds, and all the fuel capacity you feel like building into the wing.

I helped him bang out the tail and some of the wings (which he completed), but he never quite got to the fuselage kit.  If he'd started way back then with the new fast-build kits, he would have easily finished the plane.  As it was, he sold the completed parts and few remaining unbuilt kits at cost for the loss of his time and what he paid a helper for some work on the wings.

For the power mad, there's even an unofficial mod version of the RV called (I think) the harmon rocket that adds an additional 100 hp and some more structural strength to handle higher stresses.

Does he have it completed?  Have you puckered up and smooched him to have it left to you in his will? hehe....you are right, the Rocket is the tweaked version of the RV.  Still reading the website about them...geesh, and all I have here to satisfy my flying needs are C-152s and C-172s.  You have *no* idea how embarassing it is to have people walk in while Im sitting in my BD-5, making airplane noises! hehe



------------------
Paul J. Busiere

Aces High Arena handle:  BD5Pilot
 http://bd5.checksix.net
BD-5 "T" (TurboProp) 90% complete, first flight in 2001 (We hope!)

[LePaul]

 

Originally posted by Dago:
If memory regarding price is right, the basic kit is about 15k.  Finishing it will put you in the 40k - 85K range, all depending on how wild you want to get with options, avionics, engine and prop.

One thing I have noticed, used RVs normally sell for as much as they cost to make, sometimes more.  Pretty rare for a homebuilt.

LePaul, I am kinda curious about something on the BD,  have you check insurance prices for it?  A homebuilt turbo-prop would be fun, but I wonder what the insurance would be.  Probably more than I could afford.  Cool plane though.

Dago

Engine, avionics and all that other stuff does seem to take the longest.  Mine is going to have LCDs and be as much a glass cockpit as it can be, with the emphasis on looking like a F-16...a nice, clean layout, and *safe*.

As for insurance, that's the million dollar question.  I'm a low time pilot (just over 200 hours) and need to accumulate a lot of high performance time and training.  Until that happens, the major insurers say "Nope, bye bye".  So far, the only places I can find that will insure also insure odd tings like the Space Shuttle and other unique things.  I had a lead on a firm in Ireland a few weeks ago, still investigating that.



------------------
Paul J. Busiere

Aces High Arena handle:  BD5Pilot
 http://bd5.checksix.net
BD-5 "T" (TurboProp) 90% complete, first flight in 2001 (We hope!)

[Ozark]

Ok Reality check!

You want a REAL useful Boeing site? I give everyone one of my students this web site.
Thank you Boeing!! Your one of the FEW aviation related companies that takes the time to inform fire fighters. <S>