Honestly curious…

RyanShort1

RyanShort1

Final Approach
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RyanShort1
What is the cheapest / fastest combination experimental build currently out there?
 
Cheapest to operate or cheapest to build?
 
Don’t know about absolutes, but I’d venture to guess that the RV-8 and Long EZ would both be in the running.


Pretty Fast and kinda cheap, a KR2 or a Sonex onex.

Really fast and not cheap by any means Lancair IV-P
 
fastest flying or fastest to build?

cheap / fast to build is probably the bushcat
 
aterry1067 said:
I’d venture to guess that the RV-8 and Long EZ would both be in the running.
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Yeah I’d guess the Long EZ is probably one of the quickest. I was just thinking earlier today actually that I’d really like to build an RV one day, the problem is, I don’t feel like I’d have the time and energy to put into it. Maybe later down the road…
 
Cheapest build that isn’t gonna take 5 years. Something simple to get in the air for the challenge of it.
And I’ve already got a Luscombe so not worried about flying in the interim. Thinking it would be fun to do a project with a kid.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Cheapest build that isn’t gonna take 5 years. Something simple to get in the air for the challenge of it.
And I’ve already got a Luscombe so not worried about flying in the interim. Thinking it would be fun to do a project with a kid.
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Bushcat, but I don't like the way they fly.

Zenith would be next, and they fly nice. Sonex, but I think they are ugly as sin.
 
Zenith 601 with a Viking engine? Or one of Sonex. Get the cheapest, fastest jet!

One of the low wing Rans.

RVs are expensive.
 
Bushcat, 200-300 hours, I think.

@Salty what didn’t you like about flying it? I haven’t flown one yet.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Bushcat, 200-300 hours, I think.

@Salty what didn’t you like about flying it? I haven’t flown one yet.
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Controls were very heavy. Didn’t feel connected at all. Considering it’s a fabric aircraft it was really odd to me.
 
Salty said:
Sonex, but I think they are ugly as sin.
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Speaking the truth don't hurt my feelings. I tried to make it a bit prettier with a better cowling and a bunch more power ... ;)

upload_2022-10-15_0-4-13.png
 
I owned a Sonex and regularly got it up to 150mph (at altitude) with a Jabiru 3300. My fastest ground speed was 208mph.
 

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I remember reading one of the manufacturer's statement about the hours required to build. They said it is the hours you are actually working on building the plane or parts. This doesn't include getting set-up, reading the manuals or looking at the drawings, or thinking about what to do next.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Cheapest build that isn’t gonna take 5 years. Something simple to get in the air for the challenge of it.
And I’ve already got a Luscombe so not worried about flying in the interim. Thinking it would be fun to do a project with a kid.
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In increasing order of price: Sonex, Zenith, and RANS S-21.
 
lsaway said:
I remember reading one of the manufacturer's statement about the hours required to build. They said it is the hours you are actually working on building the plane or parts. This doesn't include getting set-up, reading the manuals or looking at the drawings, or thinking about what to do next.
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Of course, that’s why most take far longer than estimated.
 
lsaway said:
I remember reading one of the manufacturer's statement about the hours required to build. They said it is the hours you are actually working on building the plane or parts. This doesn't include getting set-up, reading the manuals or looking at the drawings, or thinking about what to do next.
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And oopsies.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Is there something comparable to the Air Bike that is more modern?

http://www.jordanlakeaero.com/ultralight.html
I’m talking bare bones, for real.
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Jim Croke has a good YouTube series over the last couple of years while building an Affordaplane from scratch. It’s a great series for anyone considering scratch built air vehicles, as he goes from raw materials to a flying Affordaplane. He recently did the first high-speed (that’s relative) taxi test and did get the aircraft in the air a few times; standard flight-test protocol. I’m sure the first full pattern flight will be on his channel in a few days. I’ve never personally flown an Affordaplane, not ever even seen one for that matter. There are mixed reviews about the design and flight qualities, but the cost and ease of build can’t hardly be argued.


I’m a little confused on what exactly you’re looking for, other than a good father/son project aircraft. Are you looking for a 150kt cross-country kit built? Or is a scratch built ultralight something that interest you? Or something in between?

That said, there are tons of aircraft designs and blueprints available. Picking up someone else’s stalled project is also an option. Have you looked at the Kitplanes catalog of aircraft?
 
More like the cheapest relatively safe build that a monkey could build. Lol.
 
It sounds like you are describing an Affordaplane. That would be by far the cheapest, but you have to buy your own raw materials. That isn’t really hard, depending on your location, and the plans are reported to be very detailed and easy to follow. But that will require a lot of cutting and drilling.

Something similar, but offered as a kit would be like a Kolb Firestar, an Aerolite 103, or a Quicksilver. All of those would have factory support for any questions or help, and there are a lot more of them flying.

Check out Kitplanes directory. It’s filterable and also gives type, expected build time, basic performance stats, expected price, etc.

https://www.kitplanes.com/buyers-gu...0+10000&_sfm_kit_and_plans_kit_cost=0+2950000
 
RyanShort1 said:
Is there something comparable to the Air Bike that is more modern?

http://www.jordanlakeaero.com/ultralight.html
I’m talking bare bones, for real.
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There was the ZJ Viera:
zj-viera-2.jpg

https://www.pilotmix.com/images/ac_images/zj-viera-2.jpg
Or the Kolb Firefly:
kolb-firefly-96ef8518-4722-42ff-9968-683ee490709-resize-750.jpeg
 
Lancair IV kits are no longer available from the factory.
 
Salty said:
Controls were very heavy. Didn’t feel connected at all. Considering it’s a fabric aircraft it was really odd to me.
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That’s a shame. I’ll have to demo fly one sometime. That’s one of the kits I would consider building, for the type of flying I can see my doing recreationally.
 
RussR said:
That’s a shame. I’ll have to demo fly one sometime. That’s one of the kits I would consider building, for the type of flying I can see my doing recreationally.
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Give it a shot. You might be ok with it.
 
The AR-5 would probably do pretty well in this comparison but I'm not sure Mike Arnold ever made plans available. ~175 KTAS on 65 hp. Probably not a very fast build, though.

Nauga,
kind of a drag
 
Dear lord are people actually trying to answer such an open ended question that is based off opinion?
 
pfarber said:
Dear lord are people actually trying to answer such an open ended question that is based off opinion?
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And they are answering the wrong question. Speed of flight vs speed of build.
 
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Hey, all of this stuff has been interesting so far. And this morning I get a call from someone trying to get me to buy a second Luscombe...
 
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