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psm(at)ATT.NET
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 Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject: Building as a way for a non-pilot to get into aviation? |
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Hi William,
Thanks for the comments.
I agree with you about building addiction. I am nearing 2 1/2 years now on my XL and believe I might have it flying in another 6 months or so. My biggest fear is what will I do with my time when I don't have the plane to work on.
Perhaps I will use the time flying around. However, the weather here is nearly solid IMC for 6 months of the year. That doesn't allow for the nice challenging project to spend an hour on every day.
I am happy to encourage anyone to build a plane. I just hate to see someone start a plane project for all the wrong reasons. I really believe the only good reason to build a plane is the joy of building along with a personal need for a large project.
Paul
XL fuselage
do not archive
At 12:48 PM 9/27/2007, you wrote:
[quote]You got it Paul, Thanks.
I agree that renting will always be cheaper. I guess that I have taken this thread out of its original topic into something different.
You are right, I'm not considering the labor I'm putting in my project because I enjoy doing it and I'm not paying for it with money. For me, labor is anything that people do for money but don't necessarily enjoy it. I'm enjoying this project more now after a year of work than when I started. I'm afraid that if the enjoyment keeps growing it might become an addiction. I'm keeping an eye on myself, don't want to end up in a 12 step recovery program from airplane builders anonymous.
You are right that those details you have mentioned (seats, paints) can add up and they are easy to underestimate.
However, Scott Laughlin plane came under 20K if I remember correctly.
William Dominguez
Zodiac 601XL Plans
Miami, Florida
Paul Mulwitz <psm(at)att.net> wrote:
--> Zenith-List message posted by: Paul Mulwitz
Hi William,
One thing you are obviously missing is labor. You are probably
planning on spending 5 or 10 years of your life building your
plane. You may not want to count that as monetary value, but even if
it doesn't cost you cash it does cost you years you could be doing
something else.
You may also be missing little things like wheels and tires which are
around $2000. If you plan to use paint on your plane that is
probably another thousand or so. And then there are seats. Lets not
forget all the tools you will need. Do you have welding
equipment? How about paint gun and compressor? Do you need to pay
taxes to your state and/or local government? Also, the original
poster was in Canada so the money exchange rates might come into play.
I am not suggesting scratch building is a bad idea. I chose standard
kit approach myself, but either choice has merit.
The one thing I think nobody has mentioned in this incredibly long
discussion is the simple truth that renting airplanes is A LOT LESS
EXPENSIVE than owning them. Once you are flying you probably want to
have insurance and hangar or tie-down expenses. You also face fuel,
maintenance, and countless other expenses while flying your plane.
Years ago it took over 200 hours of flying per year to justify, from
a financial perspective, owning your own plane instead of renting
one. This is way beyond the typical recreational pilot's flying per year.
Like other posters, I think it is WAY LESS EXPENSIVE to take the
conventional route to flight training and rent your plane from an
existing source rather than building your own airplane. If you must
have your own airplane it would be a lot less expensive to buy an old
Champ, Cub, C-150, Cherokee 140, or similar 60 year old plane than to
build your own new plane. That would also give you a plane to fly
now instead of a chance of having one to fly some ten years in the future.
I believe the only reasonable justification for building a plane is
that you want to enjoy building a plane. Nothing else will give
enough motivation to get you to complete such a tremendous task.
Paul
XL fuselage
Camas, WA
[b]
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Gig Giacona
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:21 am Post subject: Re: Building as a way for a non-pilot to get into aviati |
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If I were you I'd spend some of the time after completion to look for another place to live.
DO NOT ARCHIVE
| psm(at)ATT.NET wrote: | Hi William,
However, the weather here is nearly solid IMC for 6 months of the year. |
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_________________
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR |
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