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Prices of 8s

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Very new to experimental aircraft and have been looking at some RV-8s online. I see a price range starting around 60 and well over 100. Im just wondering what an average RV8 sells for with basic vfr panel and io-360. I know there can be many varibles, just wanted a better understanding of price. Ive also thought about building one in the future and figured with a QB kit and a used engine it would be in the 50ish range. Any info/insigh is appreciated!!
 
Very new to experimental aircraft and have been looking at some RV-8s online. I see a price range starting around 60 and well over 100. Im just wondering what an average RV8 sells for with basic vfr panel and io-360. I know there can be many varibles, just wanted a better understanding of price. Ive also thought about building one in the future and figured with a QB kit and a used engine it would be in the 50ish range. Any info/insigh is appreciated!!

Add at least 50% to your quick build and used engine guesstimate and then start comparing. I started out wanting to build so I could do it cheaper, ended up getting a quality airplane for the money with a free education.
 
I always wanted an 8, looked into building one, not for me even with an engineering background it was beyond what I wanted to spend time wise so I bought a used 8 after searching for three years, best thing I ever did, got to fly straight away not years down the track! Building is not for everyone. An 8 I know is in its 11 year build, can't see it getting finished for years yet and the guy is switched on and the workmanship is top notch, he wishes he never started it now!
 
If you are in the market, a member here has one for sale at KSAV. It has an O-320, which seems to turn people away but it's a fine engine and HP can be improved with a cold air sump and higher compression pistons.
 
I've learned the hard way that unless you make low cost an overriding priority that will directly affect the quality of the finished aircraft, you will not "save money" by building. When I factor in ALL my costs - kits, engine, prop, avionics, paint, tools, supplies, training, travel and many hundreds of additional small purchases related to building, I'm well over three times my original budget guesstimate... and I'm still a long way from complete.
 
If you don't have the time or skill to build, then by all means BUY. The advantage to your own build is you have a zero time machine, built to your liking. My friend recently purchased an 1200 hr. O-360 CS RV8 for 79K. Well built, proven machine with VFR steam gauge setup.
He'll probably spend another 10K to get it to his liking.
Then he will have a nice mid time -8. I completed my -7 for about the same price with new everything. And then theirs the advantage of the repairman certificate and the satisfaction that YOU built it. Either way, an RV is a good choice and you usually get what you pay for!
 
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Building Intangibles

Building may not be for everyone but for those of us who started the journey with very little skill and experience, completion and first flight is one of the most proud and satisfying experiences you will ever have. Even now, nine years and 1200 -8A hours later, being able to say, "I built it - flaws and all." is a great source of pride.
 
building cost benchmark

I can help you with a cost estimate for building. It is more than you assumed.

I built a quick-build, with a VERY good deal on a 0 SMOH rebuilt IO-360 that I lucked into. I have a simple VFR panel with all very good deals on used equipment, with the one exception of a new Dynon EMS. Low-cost simple paint job, reasonable upholstery, and the one thing I splurged on was a composite c/s prop. All told, it was $72K, and that was 9.5 years ago.
 
Very new to experimental aircraft and have been looking at some RV-8s online. I see a price range starting around 60 and well over 100. Im just wondering what an average RV8 sells for with basic vfr panel and io-360. I know there can be many varibles, just wanted a better understanding of price. Ive also thought about building one in the future and figured with a QB kit and a used engine it would be in the 50ish range. Any info/insigh is appreciated!!

I think one needs to place some sort of value on time spend building. Thousands of hours. Hard to place a monetary value on that but it's a cost nevertheless.

That's thousands of hours you could be doing something else - including flying.
 
Building an airplane is not for the faint of heart. I raised four kids and owned a CPA firm so it took me ten years to build my RV-4 and I wanted to quit several times during the process. In those days we did not have the internet so I traveled about 100 miles to get help, take pictures and ask questions. Because of my work and family, the most of the work was done during the last 5 months of the year.

Should you buy or build. Today Vans kits are eons more user friendly and building resources are unlimited. First you have to look at your financial resources. When I built my kit, I spent about 3K per year. With a used motor, I finished the kit for about 30K. I wished that I had purchased a new motor but motors were expensive and since then, I installed a new motor and CS prop. Today it?s going to cost you somewhere around 100K to build an RV-8 if you have someone paint it for you and you purchase a new motor and a CS prop. You will have to get it registered, inspected and pay sales tax if you live in a sales tax state so that?s another 8-10K and that?s a lot of bread. There is some ways to avoid sales taxes but that can be a dicey situation. Buying a used airplane may be the best way to go depending on if you can get a good one with all the things you want. Unfortunately, avionics are expensive and sellers for good reason are not willing to take a discount in sales price for having a nice panel so the sales price is adjusted accordingly. If you can find a good used RV-8 for 60K that is finished and painted, buy it now!

Would I personally buy or build it today? In no way do I regret that I built an airplane. My wife tells me that I can fix anything. I am not sure if that is true but after building an airplane, I look at every project differently. I am the IA for my RV and I work on the certified planes that I have owned and just about no maintenance operation I will not attempt with the proper tools and maintenance guide. I have kept all my aircraft tools and I use them for repairing aircraft both experimental and certified. I have used my tools to repair and build stuff around the house also. Using my skills for all of my projects both aircraft and domestic has saved me thousands of dollars. Numerous times I do things today that I would not even attempt before I built an airplane. I always owned at least one airplane and when I had just finished my RV-4; I was also flying a 1969 V35A Bonanza. I flew to Stockton, CA for a business meeting and during the flight one of the magnetos broke apart and dumped the impulse coupling parts through the accessory case and into the oil pan. On run-up, my mag did not check so I taxied to a maintenance facility. The owner quoted me about 5k to remove, disassemble and replace the motor and that was a lot of money in 1998. You could have painted a Bonanza for less than 5K in 1998. He offered to let me use his facility if I had an A&P. After I told him that I just completed a homebuilt, he let me do the work myself. I showed up with my tools in a trailer and yanked that engine out, took off the accessory case, removed the oil pan, cleaned, inspected, reassembled and took the opportunity to replace a low compression cylinder in the process. He inspected the airplane and signed off the paperwork and charged me $500 for assistance with craning the removal and installation and use of his facility. I did everything else. I would never have attempted or given the opportunity to do this project without a guy named Richard VanGrunsven. A friend of mine owned a Baron. He had an elevator trim tab replaced during an annual inspection. They charged him 10K to replace the hinge. I did not have the heart to tell him that I could have done it for 25 bucks. When you build a RV-8, you?re not only getting an airplane, you are getting a degree in aircraft construction of some level depending on the completeness of the kit.

I am currently looking at STOL aircraft like a Kitfox. Everybody needs three airplanes, right. My RV cruises at 180 knots so I have the cross-country thing nailed. I also have a Cessna 170B. I use it for giving taildragger endorsements and my wife won?t let me sell it because it has four seats and we can take friends for $100 hamburgers. She told me, ?If you sell the Cessna, you better have one in the hanger to replace it? You have got to love that type of woman! Should I purchase an STOL or build? I have never covered an airplane with fabric, how difficult could that be???Hmmmm.
 
I bought my RV7A in 2014. It was a very low time airplane with a professionally built panel. But the aircraft had experienced a prop strike eight months before while landing at AirVenture. The PIC was 80 years old at the time.

The engine (Superior IO-360) was completely torn down and professionally inspected and rebuilt by G&N Aircraft of Indiana with a new Hartzell C/S prop installed. Well over $20K was expended during this process - mostly paid by insurance. I effectively had a new engine and prop on a 2008 170 hour RV7A. The panel was IFR with dual 430s, dual GRT EFIS, TruTrak Autopilot, Garmin 340 com setup and a Garmin 330 transponder. Interior and paint was also quite good. The builder was just too old (81) to continue flying by himself when he sold it to me.

After I purchased it I had to correct some build quality issues (always expect this with any RV you buy), replace the TruTrak A/P head due to internal failure, and upgrade the transponder to a Garmin 335 w gps for ads-b out. I also hardwired a FlightBox ads-b ?in? to my EFIS for traffic advisory and weather which allowed me to disconnect the XM weather receiver in the aircraft (too expensive and had to contact Siri?s every time I flew to re-ping the connection). I?m now in the process of upgrading my ELT to 406Mhz and further upgrading my interior.

I mention all this to say just because you?re not the original builder there are plenty of things/items you can and will spend your time and money on during your time of ownership. Building was not for me - I just didn?t want that time commitment (I was 67 when I purchased my RV). However, flying, maintaining and improving an aircraft is more my style of ownership.

As you own it, fly it and work on it you will become very familiar with the aircraft and all it?s quirks. It can be a very pleasurable experience. Besit of all you?ll save money if bought right. I?m approaching $90K+ invested and four years of enjoyable flying. The builder spent over $120K plus around six years building. He got too old to fly it regularly after finishing the build.

Much better deal to buy a quality built RV with a good engine, IFR panel and professional paint/interior than to build it yourself. Too many folks have started down the build path and then sold their kit to someone else to finish because the build commitment was greater than they envisioned. ?Life got in their way.? Something to think about.

I agree $50K is way to low of an estimate. Better double that number (plus) no matter which direction you go. Good luck!
 
Low cost 8...

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I finished my RV8A for about $40K. That's all my budget could manage at the time. That said, I definitely shopped for the best deals. I found the airframe on a popular auction site for $13K, and a 350 hour O320 (160hp) on a familiar aviation site for $8K. It was built by a professional engine builder for his RV6 and he was replacing it with an O360. That O320 was the smoothest engine I ever flew... Anyway, with the biggest two expenses out of the way, I just watched for deals on VAF and elsewhere, and usually picked up parts for about 50% of retail either unused or lightly used. At 975 lbs it had the same HP/Weight ratio as a typical O360 powered 8 and performed very well. Even had a EFIS and autopilot!
 
I also built my 8A for $40-45k. Didn't add everything up, doesn't count tools or the houses I bought to have garages to build in. Was spread over 20 years so my kit prices were quite a bit lower than now. Have an old engine that will probably need to be overhauled sooner rather than later, wood prop and a basic day VFR steam gauge panel. Just put out another $1500 for ADSB out (almost done with the install).

I suspect $40-50k is about as cheap as it would be possible to build.
 
Nobody wants to spend money they don't have to, but if trying for the very bottom end of the RV, would it make sense to reevaluate the mission and maybe go for something less expensive? I kinda had my heart set on a IO360 RV8 but at the cost for how I want it configured, may be I don't need it that bad.
 
Nobody wants to spend money they don't have to, but if trying for the very bottom end of the RV, would it make sense to reevaluate the mission and maybe go for something less expensive? I kinda had my heart set on a IO360 RV8 but at the cost for how I want it configured, maybe I don't need it that bad.

You would be amazed at what you don't need to have a very nice VFR RV. So much money is spent for motors, panels and props that never get used to their potential. Anything more than wings and a motor is just added weight and increased cost. Only install what you NEED for your mission. If your mission changes, then upgrade your plane. But don't waste your money to build an aircraft for things that you may never do.

My hat is off to those that build for under 60 grand.... they understand my above remarks.
 
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I think one needs to place some sort of value on time spend building. Thousands of hours. Hard to place a monetary value on that but it's a cost nevertheless.

That's thousands of hours you could be doing something else - including flying.

If this quote applies to you, you should be a buyer.
But if you replace ?cost? with ?joy? then you?re a builder.
 
If this quote applies to you, you should be a buyer.
But if you replace ?cost? with ?joy? then you?re a builder.


Agreed...to a point. "joy" means a lower cost. But there is still cost. Such as flight time, and time for other things.
 
Building an airplane is not for the faint of heart.

<large snip>

I have never covered an airplane with fabric, how difficult could that be?……Hmmmm.

Great post that addresses the enhancements to skills and confidence building an aircraft offers.

With your background...you will love working with fabric. :)
 
506DC

Iwent thru same scene, little different route, suby 2.5 with SDS For ignition, real rocket ship, had about $30k , got rid of , and now building Zenith 701,to me the
education and FRIENDS made along way are ireplacable ! Tom
 
Post 12, fabric work query

To answer your question about how hard can it be to apply fabric, it?s not.
Having built a number of RV?s, and tube/fabric aircraft, I am currently building a W10 Tailwind.
Quite honestly I can?t wait to get at the fabric portion of the build.
The almost instant transformation from bare frame to ?that?s a plane? is truly satisfying.
The hard part is slowing down to take the time do do the best possible work.
The water based finishes are the least toxic, both you and your pets will benefit from that.
Minimal tool requirements, maximum results.
Dale
 
Eight is enough?

Im just wondering what an average RV8 sells for with basic vfr panel and io-360?

Hey Jon,
Thread hijack notwithstanding, here's a long answer to your short question. I built my RV4 way back when when Dinosaurs roamed the taxiways and there were three relatively basic RV kits available (RV3,4,6). Years later when the Eight was introduced by Van, it was purportedly based on all the improvements us Jurassic RV4 builders had mentioned over the years. One of the major improvements was the RV8 kit which was much further refined in comparison with previous offerings. Compared with my 1989 RV4 kit it was downright advanced. CNC cut pre-punched skins, extruded spar, QB kit availability, bigger, better etc etc...
When the first ones started hitting the market the prices were much higher in comparison to the previous RV's, in fact nearly twice than a comparably equipped RV4. Having performed numerous RV8 pre-purchase inspections, deliveries and test flights my take was "it's twice the price but not twice the airplane."

So, back to your question. Fair market value of a decent basic RV8? F-16 Fighter Weapons School answer: It depends... Prices vary based on engine/prop, avionics, build quality and age.
$69K would be a good price for a 5-10 yr old (0-360/VFR, FP prop) example.

Some good questions...
1. Will you fly 100 hours per year?
2. What is your flight experience?
3. Why the RV-___?
4. What is your annual "airplane" budget?

Honestly, the RV4 is much more bang for your buck if you're buying.
If you are taller than 6', the Four gets "cozy" up front but I have RV4 customers over 6'4" we were able to accommodate.
If you just have to have an Eight, figure 25%-40% more cost, even with identical engine/prop. Yes, the Eight has more room, a forward baggage, advanced design (landing gear, canopy, fuselage) but doesn't fly one iota better than the RV4 IMHO.
Now, if you're building, the Eight is a great kit, improving every year and lots of corporate knowledge out there for assistance plus the QB option for the time challenged.

Your call, but I know what I would buy...
V/R
Smokey
 
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Hey Jon,
Thread hijack notwithstanding, here's a long answer to your short question. I built my RV4 way back when when Dinosaurs roamed the taxiways and there were three relatively basic RV kits available (RV3,4,6). Years later when the Eight was introduced by Van, it was purportedly based on all the improvements us Jurassic RV4 builders had mentioned over the years. One of the major improvements was the RV8 kit which was much further refined in comparison with previous offerings. Compared with my 1989 RV4 kit it was downright advanced. CNC cut pre-punched skins, extruded spar, QB kit availability, bigger, better etc etc...
When the first ones started hitting the market the prices were much higher in comparison to the previous RV's, in fact nearly twice than a comparably equipped RV4. Having performed numerous RV8 pre-purchase inspections, deliveries and test flights my take was "it's twice the price but not twice the airplane."

So, back to your question. Fair market value of a decent basic RV8? F-16 Fighter Weapons School answer: It depends... Prices vary based on engine/prop, avionics, build quality and age.
$69K would be a good price for a 5-10 yr old (0-360/VFR, FP prop) example.

Some good questions...
1. Will you fly 100 hours per year?
2. What is your flight experience?
3. Why the RV-___?
4. What is your annual "airplane" budget?

Honestly, the RV4 is much more bang for your buck if you're buying.
If you are taller than 6', the Four gets "cozy" up front but I have RV4 customers over 6'4" we were able to accommodate.
If you just have to have an Eight, figure 25%-40% more cost, even with identical engine/prop. Yes, the Eight has more room, a forward baggage, advanced design (landing gear, canopy, fuselage) but doesn't fly one iota better than the RV4 IMHO.
Now, if you're building, the Eight is a great kit, improving every year and lots of corporate knowledge out there for assistance plus the QB option for the time challenged.

Your call, but I know what I would buy...
V/R
Smokey


Maybe dumb question, but was is the 8 25-40% more? Airframe is not much more, given same prop and engine, what are the big factors?
 
Jon,
Dollar for dollar, you?re better off buying vs building if you want to fly. Building is a rewarding endeavor, but time is a consideration. My first RV (RV6) took me 5 years of concentrated building, with several changes along the way. My second RV (RV8) took 2 years, mostly slow build kit. My latest RV8 took me 13 months (QB). This last one is less than one year old and cost $125K - that?s for everything - trips to Home Depot for paint, everything - and that is my out of pocket cost. I have a beautiful RV8 with a state of the art G3X IFR panel, and awesome GLO paint job that is probably worth $135K, but it took me 13 months of 40+ hour work weeks (I?m retired, and I?m an experienced builder).

If you buy, you should be able to select the engine/prop combination you want, but when it comes to paint, interior, and instrument panel choices, you may have to either go with what is available, or upgrade those things to your liking. That is what your 1800 hours of labor gets you - a brand new airplane with avionics, interior, paint, and engine combination you want for yourself. Is that worth it??? Many of us, obviously, think it is, but it is definitely not for everyone, and you can get a fine airplane with almost what you want a little cheaper, and you dont have to build it.

If you are looking for a good flyer, I think you should expect to pay about $80K for a good VFR RV8 with low time, a nice paint job, and decent VFR EFIS panel, and $95 - $115 for a good IFR airplane with low time (500 - 1000 hrs), and a good paint job. If it?s new, with state of the art IFR avionics, cool paint job and interior, expect to pay $125K - $145K.

This is from research I have been doing for a friend, getting ready to sell his RV8, and trying to determine what it is worth. Ultimately, price is determined by demand and availability, and in this market, availability is the greatest restriction. Especially if the buyer is choosey.
 
Why I bought my RV-8 versus building one :

I wanted to build to keep costs down, learn more about the plane, and be able to do my own condition inspections.

After looking at various kits I found the new Ran’s S-21 to be as close to just-put-it-together than any other kit but I wasn’t as convinced in the performance for what I wanted. I also was more inclined with low wing since all of my previous planes have been low wing except a Citabria and recently a 180hp T41a (Cessna 172H).

So in my search I came across the RV-4 and RV-8. After seeing that the -8 is the gold seal regarding comfort since it’s bigger than the -4, I then had to either build or buy used.

I realized after seeing many posts in the Van’s Builders page that the RV is more of a construction kit than a put-parts-together kit.

After spending the last 2-1/2 years restoring the 180hp T41a (Cessna 172H) I knew how much work it would be to upgrade a used plane so I started trying to figure it how much I should spend on a used one versus a kit. After seeing what was out there and the prices varying from $60k to $160k I knew I had to really think this through.

So I went back to find out how much a kit with all the options I wanted (minimum it must have EFIS, EMS, Autopilot, nice paint scheme). I realized that I would end up spending around $100k plus I wouldn’t be able to fly for a few years while I built it.

So knowing my budget was $100k I set out to see what I could buy with $100k or less that would give me the perfect combination of nice avionics, history of being a safe design, light aerobatics, not old, less than 500 total time.

I went on to Barnstormers, Controller, Trade-A-Plane, etc and entered all aircraft $100k and less. I found twins, Bonanzas, Nangchangs, helicopters, etc. I looked for the ones I liked first then from there eliminated the ones older than 10 years (possible or future maintenance hogs), older than 500 total time, gas guzzlers (radial engines and helicopters), and non aerobatic. I kept finding RVs and VAN’s airplanes.

Then I started looking at cruise speeds and the RV blew the VAN’s out of the water.

So now I had to determine the expense of painting the ones out there for sale that I didn’t like, how far they were from my house (since I had to take my trusted mechanic for the pre-purchase inspection), and what would I have to add in avionics.

I finally narrowed it down to 4 or 5 planes. So I started asking for pictures and more info. Most of them were living near the coast and in some of the pictures I could see some surface corrosion on rivets so those were discarded. Others had paint jobs that I knew I wouldn’t enjoy flying until it had a complete paint job.

So my final 2 airplanes were almost perfect. One of them already had the military paint job and the other one was all white and the lines it had were all decals so I had a clean slate to make it mine and I chose to start with that one.

I spent on that purchase almost as much as if I had built it myself but this one was built to very high standards, as per my mechanic who has built a few RVs.

It also had a lot of great details like instead of using the hinge and wire to hold the cowlings he used Skybolt adjustable camlocks and instead of using regular Philips screws the entire plane is built with stainless steel Torx and Hex screws.

The entire airplane, 0-360-a1a engine, and the C/S Hartzell prop were all new and now only had a total time of 415 hours on everything. It also has other little things like engine warmer, oil quick drain, both mags have impulse couplers, battery charging terminals, sealed battery, and instead of fiberglassing the front windshield to the fuselage he made it replaceable with torx screws. Now if I ever have to replace that front windshield I don’t have to cut into the fiberglass. Lots of little things like that. Wait, instead of writing everything just look at my signature here.

After researching for a long time I think if you want a low time well built RV-8 you're looking at $95k or more at this time. It's all cyclical so prices go up and down, who knows what it'll look like next year.
 
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Build or Buy

It's a very personal decision. I started the Doll September 1997. The quick build option was months away, so the only option available to me was a slow build. Buying? Not a chance. As best as I could calculate, the Doll was the 20th RV-8 to fly. No one was selling RV-8's in September 1997! Why not an RV-4? I love the 4, but she is a little too small for me. My 5' 8" wife was cramped in the back seat, and cargo space was too sparse for the two of us. So....I ordered the RV-8 tail and wing kit. Two years and seven month later the Doll was fully painted and ready for her first flight. I did not consider the building experience work. It was pure joy! So why does it take builders ten years to assemble a quick build? I really don't know! I was flying a Boeing 727 fifteen out of thirty days every month during the 2 year 7 month build. I was in hotels away from my shop two or three nights on each of those trips. When I was home I put in the hours, but it really wasn't work. It was fun and joy and pride of workmanship. It was a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

Watching the admiring crowds around the Doll at Oshkosh 2000 was incredible. Van himself left his tent and inspected Beautiful Doll parked out in the west field now known as EAB camping. What a Rush!

I never added up all the receipts but I figure I first flew the Doll for around $55K with steam gauges and a rebuilt used engine. Since then, engine and avionics updates have put the investment around $85-$90K. She's not for sale, but if she were, you could not get her from me for anywhere near that number!

Someone posted.... you have to include the "cost" of the work in the amount invested. Someone else said to substitute the word "Joy" for "cost". I can tell you it was all Joy! It's been over 21 years since I drilled that first hole, and the joy continues along with a big RV grin every time I fly her!

Note: Having flown three different RV-4's and 26 different RV-8's I think the 4 edges out the 8 in pure flying characteristics. So Smokey Ray.... you're right on there! The RV-4 is a wonderful flying machine, and the easiest taildragger I've ever landed.
 
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It's a very personal decision. I started the Doll September 1997. The quick build option was months away, so the only option available to me was a slow build. Buying? Not a chance. As best as I could calculate, the Doll was the 20th RV-8 to fly. No one was selling RV-8's in September 1997! Why not an RV-4? I love the 4, but she is a little too small for me. My 5' 8" wife was cramped in the back seat, and cargo space was too sparse for the two of us. So....I ordered the RV-8 tail and wing kit. Two years and seven month later the Doll was fully painted and ready for her first flight. I did not consider the building experience work. It was pure joy! So why does it take builders ten years to assemble a quick build? I really don't know! I was flying a Boeing 727 fifteen out of thirty days every month during the 2 year 7 month build. I was in hotels away from my shop two or three nights on each of those trips. When I was home I put in the hours, but it really wasn't work. It was fun and joy and pride of workmanship. It was a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

Watching the admiring crowds around the Doll at Oshkosh 2000 was incredible. Van himself left his tent and inspected Beautiful Doll parked out in the west field now known as EAB camping. What a Rush!

I never added up all the receipts but I figure I first flew the Doll for around $55K with steam gauges and a rebuilt used engine. Since then, engine and avionics updates have put the investment around $85-$90K. She's not for sale, but if she were, you could not get her from me for anywhere near that number!

Someone posted.... you have to include the "cost" of the work in the amount invested. Someone else said to substitute the word "Joy" for "cost". I can tell you it was all Joy! It's been over 21 years since I drilled that first hole, and the joy continues along with a big RV grin every time I fly her!

Note: Having flown three different RV-4's and 26 different RV-8's I think the 4 edges out the 8 in pure flying characteristics. So Smokey Ray.... you're right on there! The RV-4 is a wonderful flying machine, and the easiest taildragger I've every landed.

With all that experience in -8 and so close to me and I'm sitting here for over a month since I bought mine just looking at it because all of the CFIs with more than 25 hours in -8s have been busy or have their -8s in for condition inspection. Hopefully I can fly this weekend with one CFI in between that time when the weather gets better and before it goes down the drain again.
 
I was going to PM Danny directly, but thought the rest of VAF might get a kick out of this.

I owned my Midget Mustang for right at 15 years. At least half the people who ever commented on my paint scheme asked me if I was copying Danny?s Big Beautiful Doll. Kinda shows the reach of the VAF community.

N881MMsmall.jpg
 
I started shopping for a flying 8 starting in 2011. I looked at about 20 of them over the next two years ranging in price from $35K to $140K. I finally found an exceptionally well built beauty in 2013 and paid $100K for it. It had been flying for a year and had 100 hours on it when I bought it.

I still own it, love it, and have no regrets. It's day VFR with steam gauges and a Lycoming O-360, and it's the funnest airplane I've ever flown. Since buying it I've only seen a handful of 8s that I think are as nice or nicer. I was willing to step up in price to get as perfect a specimen as I could because I knew I was going to keep it for many years.
 
That was cool. I clicked on what I have in my RV-8 and came up with a price of $137,299 so I guess I made a good purchase when I bought mine built and saved almost $40k. :)
 
I haven’t been able to find the cost estimator on the new Van’s site. Could be operator error.

Anybody else having this problem?
 
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Not on Van's new website but I haven't been able to find a lot of things I knew where they were on the old website.

I just followed that link in the previous comment to get an idea about mine.
 
You can build on the cheap...

I finished my first RV-8A for $36K in 2002. Standard kits, 1800hr O320-E3D, Sterba wood prop, basic VFR panel with handheld radio and GPS, homemade interior, and no paint. At the time Vans told me it was the lightest -8A ever built at 996lbs.
 
Very new to experimental aircraft and have been looking at some RV-8s online. I see a price range starting around 60 and well over 100. Im just wondering what an average RV8 sells for with basic vfr panel and io-360. I know there can be many varibles, just wanted a better understanding of price. Ive also thought about building one in the future and figured with a QB kit and a used engine it would be in the 50ish range. Any info/insigh is appreciated!!

Today's kits are more evolved than earlier kits, some didn't even have the pre-punched holes, although that's always been standard for QB kits. So if you get a used kit, say 15 years old, it would be important to note what you would be getting with it, compared to today's kits.

Van's pricing has pretty much went up every year, some builders could do this 10-20+ years ago, going very basic instrumentation, a used engine and prop. It doesn't seem very realistic today, at least I haven't found any deals on used kits, and they rarely come up, anyhow.

Since there are so few kits for sale, I've looked at Van's QB kits. Realize that their prices on QB kits still do not include the finishing kit, that is a separate deal altogether. Then you've got shipping, along with many states now collecting on the sales tax. So you're pretty much at 48-49 before purchase of a single tool and shop space, engine, prop, instruments, wiring, paint, interior, and lots of shipping charges for this and that along the way.
 
What is the 8's wingspan? Going to Van's own site, I see two different figures. On the total performance specs and performance page when you download the brochure, 23' listed.

But they also give the 24' figure here. Can someone explain the discrepancy?

Have been taking a renewed interest in 8's lately, but hangar at the valley is very limited, just barely get my six in there along with another plane, so hoping wingspan is still 23'.
 
What is the 8's wingspan? Going to Van's own site, I see two different figures. On the total performance specs and performance page when you download the brochure, 23' listed.

But they also give the 24' figure here. Can someone explain the discrepancy?

Have been taking a renewed interest in 8's lately, but hangar at the valley is very limited, just barely get my six in there along with another plane, so hoping wingspan is still 23'.

The early -8 kits were originally equipped with Hoerner style wingtips. The later kits have sheared wingtips . The Hoerner tips are a bit narrower than the sheared tips so the different wingspan figures may reflect this. The sheared tips are 18 inches wide a the trailing edge.

Skylor
 
The early -8 kits were originally equipped with Hoerner style wingtips. The later kits have sheared wingtips . The Hoerner tips are a bit narrower than the sheared tips so the different wingspan figures may reflect this. The sheared tips are 18 inches wide a the trailing edge.

Skylor

So this thread got me thinking and I went to measure mine. They're 18" on the trailing edge of the wingtip so I suppose a 2009 model RV-8 is a newer style.

Why did they change it to this sheared style?
 
So this thread got me thinking and I went to measure mine. They're 18" on the trailing edge of the wingtip so I suppose a 2009 model RV-8 is a newer style.

Why did they change it to this sheared style?

They were available in the early 2000's. I put them on my 2002 RV-8A...
 
Yes but WHY the change to the new ones?

Sorry I misread your post. Back then there was a lot of discussions re wingtip design between Van's, Massey, Rocket and etc...always looking for another knot. The theory at the time, as I remember, was the bat wing, or sheared tip, had sharper and extended trailing edges in an effort to reduce turbulence / drag. However, I believe the horner style tips will net you a slightly slower stall speed. I'm no aeronautical engineer, but there is a lot of discussions re all this in older posts (early 2000s) from much smarter folks that me on this forum.

I bought them because I thought they looked better. Also, I used to manufacture and sell Landing/Taxi and LED Nav lights that fit perfectly in the cutout of the new bat wing/sheared style tips...
 
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I bought them because I thought they looked better. Also, I used to manufacture and sell Landing/Taxi and LED Nav lights that fit perfectly in the cutout of the new bat wing/sheared style tips...

I'm going to replace my incandescent NAV lights with LEDs this weekend and was even thinking about replacing the current high current sucking strobes with LED strobes but that's just more money, probably do it next year, no rush on that since they're working fine.
 
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