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Lovers of Flying and Lovers of those that fly...
I am thinking seriously of purchasing a homebuilt that has already been, well, home built... I am looking for comments on the wisdom (or insanity) of that action.
I am concerned about checking for worksmanship, short cuts, PDO (Previous D### Owner) bandaids and redesigns, and a myriad of other issues that I have yet to consider...
Any comments based upon experience or anecdotes?
There are many quality homebuilts, just as there are some owner built houses that are not just shacks.
BUT, there is also a lot of junk out there, some of it cheap and corner cutting and some of it actually dangerous. I an not an expert, but have bought one homebuilt and been a partner in building one.
First I'd look at what kind of plane you want. Buying the finest Super Cub type is not going to be satisfying if what you want it to go on long trips and fly ifr with passengers. Likewise the coolest Lancair with all the glass cockpit doddads is not much use if you want to fly into back country strips.So find out what you want or at least what type. If you want overall all around , there are a lot of good Vans R V s out there.
Next, do you have enough money to buy a top of the line plane, as far as quality? If you are buying a homebuilt mostly to save money , you may be giving up a lot if you get the bottom end of the scale.
And if you buy some half done project, thinking you will save money; then it is kind of like buying stock in a company that doesn't even have a product; only ideas and promotion. Maybe that company will be the next Starbucks or something, but maybe it is making the next Edsel and is a long ways from being a real useful, fun , safe , reliable , airplane.
And homebuilding leaves an opening for some real talkers like Jim Bede who can talk the skin off a rattlesnake, but the end product isn't always there.
I'd buy a flying, well built airplane, not a pipe dream, and from someone who has built some good ones and who has proven them by flying them. Go take a look at what is on display and even for sale at EAA Oskosh.
Bill,Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood
Thanks for the words of wisdom. You have expressed much of my concern in buying a homebuilt.
In all candor, I just do not have the time to devote to building my own. I have restored classic british sportscars to showroom condition, built homes, am an engineer, and have no qualms about my abilities to build one. I just know that, without a doubt, it will never be finished.
I am at an age where I just want to have more fun when I fly than just getting from A to B. If I want to go somewhere with more than 2 people, I will rent a Mooney, Bonanza, or Piper from a local FBO.
What do I want?? An AcroSport II or similar open cockpit two place bipe.
That being said... Any suggestions?
Well, I am not much of a biplane expert; although the used airplane I bought was a Rose Parakeet, real cute and agile, but a little too "open cockpit" for our weather here.
I love the look and history and arau of a Stearman. I also have seen that a Great Lakes is easy to fly. Some of the classic Waco biplanes are awfuly nice, too.
I had a very brief flight in a Eagle and did not connect with it.
The most impressive acro Bipe that I have ever been in was an old Bucker Jungmiester. Talk about a fantastic flying airplane, and neat looking also.
Good luck.
Go over to biplaneforum.com. There's a whole forum section on that type and many others. You can ask a whole bunch of builders and fliers of exactly that type what they think / what to look for.
A bit of advice, when you go to look at the homebuilt whatever it may be take a knowledgeable person (a/p,tech counselor ect.) with you and tell them to look for any excuse for you not to buy the plane, and if it has been built several years ago and is low hours.......well, find out why no one wanted to fly it much.
Racegunz,Quote:
Originally Posted by Racegunz
I went to a local EAA Chapter meeting last night for the first time. I found the group to be very knowledgeable about this issue and provided a wealth of information about IAs in the area that will perform a check on a homebuilt for a reasonable investment.
I am still in the process of getting my medical successfully completed and, once this is finished, will start getting my flight skills back up to speed after my 20 year hiatis from flying. I will then start looking for a viable homebuilt candidate.
Gentlemen, I thank you for all of your comments and suggestions.