My brother, sister, and brother-in-law all fly very nice, very expensive, airplanes. When I told them I wanted to build or finish an experimental light sport they told me to budget $45+k for the aircraft and $10k-$30k for avionics. While my family flys long distances in a straight line (boring), I personally want the excitement of low, slow flying locally and landing in a field close to my lake house. $60,000 to play around with toy that flys is a non-starter for me. If I take a Lean approach to flying can I build and enjoy an inexpensive EA while getting tons of value - fun, reward of construction, cool plane, etc.? Here are the goals and constraints I am working with...
- Have taken lessons in the past. Sport Pilot license seems easy, but open to getting a full ticket.
- I am BIG - 6', 300lbs, 4X jacket, big shoulders, 37" arms, 34' pants inseam
- Would like to take a passenger occasional but not an absolute requirement
- open to side by side or front and back seating
- open cockpits sound like fun, open to feedback
- folding or removable wings will enable me to work in my home shop and trailer to field.
- would like advantage of STOL bush capability (I live in rural area south of Branson MO)
- I also like the feeling of motion, of performance. Screaming around corners in a loud vintage motorcycle or sports car is tremendous fun. (but carefully)
- I have experience restoring many different vintage sports cars and motorcycles. Willing to take EAA classes to acquire any new skills I need.
- retired so I have time
- retired so I have money... but have been downsizing in all aspects. Can't spend stupid money like my family who are all still working. Or perhaps I am just Scotch-Irish. For example, we bought a $35k luxury sport boat. However, it was a perfecting maintained 16 year old 27 ft COBALT boat that now costs over $90k. IT IS FULLY DEPRECIATED AND COLLECTABLE. Will always be worth what I paid for it.
- My family thinks I am crazy to look for a way to add value to a LSA and at least break even if I ever have to sell. Their comment is that you spend ridiculous money on flying "because you love it". I love a lot of things that cost money. I don't want to become airplane poor.

So what's my budget? Depends. I am pulling money out of my investments to make another investment. What's my positive or negative ROI? I know I will never recoup my time, but I would like to feel like I have a reasonable asset. SO... $10K for an ultralight? $20k for an unfinished single-seater ELSA? $30k for an unfinished 2-seater Bush plane? $70k for a factory build LSA is not going to happen.

Is there a viable Lean strategy to owning and flying a fun LSA... or am I crazy? Wide open to suggestion?

I apologize for the length of this post. Thank you for listening.

Brock