flyboywbl
I'm New Here
Hi everyone,
My name is Matt and I've been flying for about 5 years now. Three of which were spent as a flight instructor and the last one spent flying the CRJ200 out of New York's JFK airport.
I used to own a Citabria back when I lived in MT but I had to sell it when I moved to New York City. I'm starting to get the itch own my own aircraft again but I did not like spending over $80,000 on a used fabric covered 100 mph airplane that was a mediocre aerobatic performer. I think the homebuilt route is the way to go.
My wife and I are looking at buying a house in Long Island next spring and I really want to build some sort of aircraft once I have a garage again. I'd like it to be a good VFR xcountry machine that will be safe, economical, and comfortable for my wife and I (i'm 6' 2").
I have never built an airplane before so needless to say I'm a little overwhelmed with all the info out there. After doing some research for the past few weeks, here is what I came up with so far,
I think the RV-7 would be a good fit. I wanted to do an RV-8 but my wife said she would not want to ride in the back again like the Citabria. I instructed in Diamond DA20s, 40's, and 42's and my wife liked the visibility in these aircraft. I also like aerobatics so I think the 7 would be a good choice.
I think I would go with an IO-360 180 HP with a CS prop. I'm not sure if i'll be able to afford new or will have to go the used route yet.
As far as avionics, I'll have to see what I can afford. I would like to do a dual screen setup Garmin G3x with a 430W but that might be overkill for a VFR aircraft. I also don't plan on flying this aircraft IFR but I love the situational awareness for VFR cross country flight especially in New York's busy airspace.
Budget, $50,000-$70,000
Time Frame 3-5 years
Is this reasonable or am I dreaming? Thanks in advance for all the help i'm sure i'll need!
-Matt
My name is Matt and I've been flying for about 5 years now. Three of which were spent as a flight instructor and the last one spent flying the CRJ200 out of New York's JFK airport.
I used to own a Citabria back when I lived in MT but I had to sell it when I moved to New York City. I'm starting to get the itch own my own aircraft again but I did not like spending over $80,000 on a used fabric covered 100 mph airplane that was a mediocre aerobatic performer. I think the homebuilt route is the way to go.
My wife and I are looking at buying a house in Long Island next spring and I really want to build some sort of aircraft once I have a garage again. I'd like it to be a good VFR xcountry machine that will be safe, economical, and comfortable for my wife and I (i'm 6' 2").
I have never built an airplane before so needless to say I'm a little overwhelmed with all the info out there. After doing some research for the past few weeks, here is what I came up with so far,
I think the RV-7 would be a good fit. I wanted to do an RV-8 but my wife said she would not want to ride in the back again like the Citabria. I instructed in Diamond DA20s, 40's, and 42's and my wife liked the visibility in these aircraft. I also like aerobatics so I think the 7 would be a good choice.
I think I would go with an IO-360 180 HP with a CS prop. I'm not sure if i'll be able to afford new or will have to go the used route yet.
As far as avionics, I'll have to see what I can afford. I would like to do a dual screen setup Garmin G3x with a 430W but that might be overkill for a VFR aircraft. I also don't plan on flying this aircraft IFR but I love the situational awareness for VFR cross country flight especially in New York's busy airspace.
Budget, $50,000-$70,000
Time Frame 3-5 years
Is this reasonable or am I dreaming? Thanks in advance for all the help i'm sure i'll need!
-Matt