Kit Build/Experimental For Less Than $50K

A partially completed kit from a disillusioned builder will save you some bucks, as well.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
A partially completed kit from a disillusioned builder will save you some bucks, as well.
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Not just disillusioned. Just like with finished E-AB or factory built planes, people quit building and sell for a variety of reasons. Medical, death, divorce, moving, kids, lack of time to complete, decided on a different airplane, bought into a partnership, all kinds of things. I bought a partially completed project from a guy who realized that he just had too many projects and wouldn't have the time to finish it. When I sold it (about half done) it was because I needed an LSA.

But yes, if the workmanship is good it's a good way to save quite a bit.
 
DaleB said:
Not just disillusioned. Just like with finished E-AB or factory built planes, people quit building and sell for a variety of reasons. Medical, death, divorce, moving, kids, lack of time to complete, decided on a different airplane, bought into a partnership, all kinds of things. I bought a partially completed project from a guy who realized that he just had too many projects and wouldn't have the time to finish it. When I sold it (about half done) it was because I needed an LSA.

But yes, if the workmanship is good it's a good way to save quite a bit.
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It can also be a good way to get your starter (specialized) tool kit at a slight discount.
 
kyleb said:
There are a number of mid-time O-320's on Barnstormers for <$10k. Get one of those, buy a second hand RV-6 kit for $15k, add an inexpensive wood prop, a couple of thousand bucks of firewall forward stuff, and you're at $30k. Spend $3k for tools, $10k for your panel, and either paint it yourself or have a local auto body shop paint it for you in pieces. Done. $50K.
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Hey hey hey... You're talking like someone that has actual experience doing this kind of thing. Ain't nobody got time for that 'round here!
 
Kenny Phillips said:
A partially completed kit from a disillusioned builder will save you some bucks, as well.
Click to expand...

That's how I managed to build my RV-7A. Previous owner had health issues and gave up after 10 years. It was basically in quick build state. Picked it up for about 1/3 the cost of quick build kits and quality was excellent. Two more years of building and have been flying for about 18 months. Total in with mid-time engine was around 60-65k.
 
Grum.Man said:
I thought an awful lot about buying a new SLSA Bushcat and getting my LSA instructors rating to write it off on my taxes. It’s about the cheapest SLSA to buy and own at under 80k new.
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The BushCat US distributor is just under an hour from my house. I've flown in 709BC (tricycle version) 3x and enjoyed it.

Why didn't you buy one?

I would have rented it and been checked out except for the distance from my home (2 hour time commitment without even starting the engine which doesn't work with my job and 3 little kids) and they've sold that plane to a new dealer and no longer have one on rental.

It had a 100hp rotax ULS good range and space in the cabin and avionics. Real xpdr and comm radio and an iPad mount for nav (I had charts on my few flights).

Any shortcomings? I didn't like the center stick. Looks a little boxy. But it was new and reasonable at $75-80k.
 
You need to be careful when buying someone elses project. About a year ago a guy on youtube started posting videos of the RV-12 he acquired for free from a friend in Texas. Apparently the plane had been flooded in a hurricane and he felt it was too much for him to deal with so he gave it away. The guy who got it for free posted 5 or 6 youtube videos of him going through the process of cleaning out the mud from the fuselage and other parts. I asked him if he would be interested in selling but he didn't respond. Forward to about a week ago I noticed this same guy selling an RV-12 project on Barnstormers for $20k. No mention in the ad of it being flooded. I notice the guy has removed all of his videos related to this RV-12 from youtube so it seems like he is trying to hide the fact it was under water/mud. But now the plane is off of Barnstormers so maybe he sold it. You just may not know what you are getting.
 
There's a RV in a local shop that a guy bought used because it needs some serious reworking. If you buy used, get someone good to look at it.
 
Ray Eaker said:
That's how I managed to build my RV-7A. Previous owner had health issues and gave up after 10 years. It was basically in quick build state. Picked it up for about 1/3 the cost of quick build kits and quality was excellent. Two more years of building and have been flying for about 18 months. Total in with mid-time engine was around 60-65k.
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I just bought an RV9A project from a friend. It's quite a bit farther along than quick build, brand new Lycon IO320, Garmin auto pilot servos, and a whole host of other goodies. He sold it to me for about 1/3 of what he had in it.

This brings me to the other point made by Dale. I need to sell the Rans S19 kit that have.
 
I paid 40k$ usd for my 1999 DA20-C1 with a mid-time engine in it. Over the following year I replaced the propeller for a cruise prop, the RPM, DG and transponder for newer/better but used ones, so that added another 10k$ to the price. I now own a two seater VFR plane that cruises at 130 knots at 6gph. Not bad.

As others have said, there are hundreds of older, perfectly fine VFR airplanes for sale at under 40k$ and even under 30k$ that would make its owner happy. The question is would you rather be on the ground dreaming of owning a better airplane, or would you accept a "lesser" airplane in order to be up there in the sky flying?

I rented airplanes for several years before finally purchasing my airplane. I once dreamed of plunking 50k$ in avionics in it, but that wouldn't make any sense considering the value of the aircraft. So I found out that I can get a poor man's glass cockpit just using ForeFlight on a mini ipad so that's what I use.
 
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