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Strongly considering a new project...

kbalch

Well Known Member
Hey Guys,

I sold my beloved RV-8 years ago and it's been awhile since I've been actively involved with the RV community, but it's never been far from my thoughts.

After spending time scratching other itches these last ten years (part of a Model 12 Pitts project, a motorcycle restoration, a kit car project, et al.), the urge to build another RV has struck with a vengeance. Since I ordered my -8 kit in late 1999, my mission has changed substantially and the -14A (as much as it pains me to accept the 'A') is now the right fit.

When I sat in the airplane for the first time at SnF last weekend, I was amazed at the level of elbow room, comfort, and panel real estate now available. Even my wife was surprised at how much more comfortable she was in the -14A compared with her former seat in the rear of the -8.

Now it's time to make space in the garage, list the Ferrari for sale, inventory my aviation-specific tools, and order the necessary replacements for items sold years ago. I'll post a project thread in a few months once things are properly under way.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello.
 
Welcome back, Ken. I remember you, although we've never met. Looking forward to your posts.
 
Ken, I feel like I have seen a ghost! Where have you been?

john_ken_dave_2.jpg


This picture dates back to 2004! We both visited Dave that day.

That was back when I started my emp kit! My plane now has 750 hours on it!

So tell me... what is up with the decision for an "A"???

What makes it the right choice?

Good to see that you are back in the kit building mood again!

:) CJ
 
Hi Ken! I see you followed me here as well ;)

I hope you start before I do - similar to our last builds, I will follow yours to get some great building tips/ideas ...
 
Hi Ken! I see you followed me here as well ;)

I hope you start before I do - similar to our last builds, I will follow yours to get some great building tips/ideas ...

Hey Huzi,

Great to see you here!

When I think of how much better my entire RV-8 experience was (even with the early, standard-build kit) vs. the recent Ultima awfulness we both suffered (twice for you!), the mind boggles at the quality of the current kits. I'm just going through the -14 preview plans now - and am very impressed with the progress that's been made.

Can't wait to get started; just have to sell the F430 to make room in the garage...
 
Ken, I feel like I have seen a ghost! Where have you been?

This picture dates back to 2004! We both visited Dave that day.

That was back when I started my emp kit! My plane now has 750 hours on it!

So tell me... what is up with the decision for an "A"???

What makes it the right choice?

Good to see that you are back in the kit building mood again!

:) CJ

Hey Bud,

What's up? How've you been these last 15+ years? I'd have guessed that the photo you attached dated slightly earlier (maybe '02 or '03?), as it predates my move to FL at the end of '03. I'd forgotten how gigantic I was back then - I lost >80 pounds a couple of years later and am still thin.

So, the -14A vs. the -14...? Honestly, it mostly comes down to my wife's comfort. If you remember Jean, you know how great a trouper she is, but she expressed a preference for upright seating and improved visibility on the ground and I'm glad to keep her happy, especially given that the primary mission for the new plane is to enable the two of us to do some traveling together. Maybe she'll even let me teach her how to land (purely as a safety measure) and the nosewheel will make that a lot easier for her.

Project-wise, I've never really stopped; I've just been focusing on non-aviation pursuits since selling my Model 12 Pitts kit after completing the wings. I restored a 1969 Triumph Bonneville T120R, built an Ultima GTR kit car, and spent some time playing with race cars (mostly Skip Barber formula cars). Lately, I've been enjoying my Ferrari F430, but it's going to have to go (for reasons of both building space and finances) before I order the tail kit.

Anyway, thanks for saying hello - it's great to know that I haven't been entirely forgotten! :D
 
Ken,

I think that I have found at least some of that weight you lost! Lol

Glad to see your voice. Perhaps I will see you around the patch soon? Perhaps KOSH?

:) CJ
 
Ken,

I think that I have found at least some of that weight you lost! Lol

Glad to see your voice. Perhaps I will see you around the patch soon? Perhaps KOSH?

:) CJ

I'd love to make it up to OSH this year, but I don't think it's going to happen. A quick look at hotel room prices (coupled with flights and a rental car) mean that it'd be a $2K trip. Better to put that money into the project at this point.

As soon as the plane is done, though, a trip back home to Boston is definitely going to happen. Until then (18 months? 24?), give me a shout when you're in Orlando - I'm sure to have rivets for you to buck! :)
 
When I think of how much better my entire RV-8 experience was (even with the early, standard-build kit) vs. the recent Ultima awfulness we both suffered

After I finish my RV-9A I've considered building an Ultima GTR and thought it looked like a good kit and a decent finished car (even though there are more restrictions in Canada for kit cars). Your experience doesn't bear this out. Can you comment on the "Ultima awfulness"?
 
Camp in HBC instead

I'd love to make it up to OSH this year, but I don't think it's going to happen. A quick look at hotel room prices (coupled with flights and a rental car) mean that it'd be a $2K trip. Better to put that money into the project at this point.

As soon as the plane is done, though, a trip back home to Boston is definitely going to happen. Until then (18 months? 24?), give me a shout when you're in Orlando - I'm sure to have rivets for you to buck! :)

Ken I can offer you a tent camping space in HBC & you can sample our Beer Tasting on Sunday nite...:D
 
After I finish my RV-9A I've considered building an Ultima GTR and thought it looked like a good kit and a decent finished car (even though there are more restrictions in Canada for kit cars). Your experience doesn't bear this out. Can you comment on the "Ultima awfulness"?

Hi Terry,

Let me acknowledge upfront that Ultima has a good reputation in the kit car world and their in-house components and glasswork are first-rate. That said - and keeping in mind that I built a very late generation GTR on an EVO chassis, but declined the factory's offer to switch over to a completely EVO-spec car (mucho dinero for that dubious privilege).

Performance-wise, particularly with a race-spec LS7 engine, it's a beast and quite possibly one of the fastest street-legal four-wheeled vehicles on the planet. On track, on a decently long straight, you'd need an Indy/F1 car to run it down. All of that said...

The kit (despite being one of the best, non-ERA, kits in the component car industry) was a disaster. No detailed plans, ancient out-of-date instructions, hand drawings of critical measurements, incorrect photos, etc. The builder is meant, in large part, to simply figure it out from a few sentences and a folder of relevant photos. It is NOT a kit for a first-timer, though some have undoubtedly persevered through to success.

Add to all that the fact that the factory is in the UK, so email and phone support are going to be at very off hours. They are friendly and willing to help, but a great deal of the help necessary was a function of their abysmal documentation.

The car you'll eventually complete is a real head-turner on the street. People will follow you for miles - and perform all sorts of terrifying maneuvers on the highway - simply to get close enough to hang out their windows with an iPhone. That's fun on an occasion or two, but gets old very quickly. I thought I was used to it from the Ferrari world, but Ultima is an order of magnitude worse in this respect.

Think, also, about your mission. Not the fun, "I'm gonna track it all the time", pseudo-mission, but the real one. This is a pure, no-B.S. race car with signals and mirrors. Its a very noisy (think earplugs), constantly vibrating environment. You won't be having a conversation with your passenger under throttle absent headsets and an intercom. Your wife will almost certainly hate it from the 6-point harness to the negligible visibility.

After all that, don't even think of getting your investment back, though an LS7-equipped EVO car might come close. I did OK in the end, but was definitely in the minority on that score.

If you have other questions, by all means please PM me. I'll tell you what I'd tell any friend of mine: Don't do it!!

IMG_4939-copy.jpg
 
Ken I can offer you a tent camping space in HBC & you can sample our Beer Tasting on Sunday nite...:D

Hey Jerry,

Thanks! While I'm truly tempted by the beer tasting and might even brew something for the occasion, my camping days (such as they ever were) are long behind me. I don't think my back could take it.

These days, "roughing it" is walking into the Club Lounge at the Ritz between snack presentations! :D
 
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