I've been reading everything I can about the RV-14 recently, and am very interested in this aircraft. Until now, I've always thought the RV-7a would be the best fit, but the RV-14a seems to offer better view, more space, more usable baggage area, higher useful load, design improvements (i.e. landing gear), lower build time estimates, all without sacrificing aerobatic capability and almost a negligible amount of extra fuel burn to pay for it all (albeit a little bit higher acquisition cost). I keep seeing the RV-14 marketed specifically to "big people," which doesn't exactly describe me (6'0" 175 lbs), but all those features seem equally applicable to any size pilot.
All that said, I've got a lot of trepidation about building an airplane. I'm not really scared about the technical aspect of it--it's more the time commitment. I'm not crazy about about a project that is going to drag on for 5 years. 1-2 years, fine, but 5 years is a long time to be building. It seems like most of the build logs I see online easily reach 5 years, and 2 years or less is the minority. I think I would really enjoy the building process, but also need to be realistic about taking on such a project with a full time job. I also don't have a great space for it. I would have to make significant modifications to my house to build a workshop, or find a space other than my home.
I signed up for an introductory class at EAA SportAir in Corona, CA. It's a 2.5 hr class on "What's Involved in Building a Kit Airplane." Hopefully, I'll get a better sense for everything involved.
Any other Southern California builders out there?
All that said, I've got a lot of trepidation about building an airplane. I'm not really scared about the technical aspect of it--it's more the time commitment. I'm not crazy about about a project that is going to drag on for 5 years. 1-2 years, fine, but 5 years is a long time to be building. It seems like most of the build logs I see online easily reach 5 years, and 2 years or less is the minority. I think I would really enjoy the building process, but also need to be realistic about taking on such a project with a full time job. I also don't have a great space for it. I would have to make significant modifications to my house to build a workshop, or find a space other than my home.
I signed up for an introductory class at EAA SportAir in Corona, CA. It's a 2.5 hr class on "What's Involved in Building a Kit Airplane." Hopefully, I'll get a better sense for everything involved.
Any other Southern California builders out there?