|
|
|
Why build instead of buying? "Why are you building a plane? Are you crazy?" I must hear this statement a hundred times a day, along with endless teasing from everyone I know about how crazy I am to build my own airplane. The truth of the matter is, accident rates between homebuilts and production planes are very similar, and homebuilts are getting safer every year. Take into account the fact that more people are killed in kitplanes while showing off (You are more likely to buzz a crowd in a sleek kit then a fat slow Cessna), and take out the overly radical designs and they may actually be safer. Why not just buy a used production plane? There are plenty of nice used planes out there, for about the same price or less, and I could be flying right away. Airplanes do not depreciate like cars, they hold their value or they may even appreciate depending on the model. Some of the most sought after and expensive planes were built over forty years ago! Since airplanes are constantly maintained and are built so well, they hold up to the years much better then their unfortunate four wheeled brethren. I learned to fly in an airplane older then me, and the youngest production plane I have ever flown was built in 1978. So why not just buy one of these? Cost Cost effectiveness plays a big part in the decision to build instead of buy. New production planes are way out of reach of most consumers, costing as much or more then a nice house. It will always be cheaper to build, and in the long run, it will also be cheaper to maintain. The FAA limits the amount of work that can be done on production airplanes (Cessnas, Pipers, etc.) by the pilot/owner. You cannot just go out and fix your Cessna yourself, even if it is a minor problem. The owner is allowed to do things like grease fittings and change the oil, but they cannot tear the engine down or fix any structural problems. Expensive mechanics must be used to install expensive FAA approved parts. Inspections must be made by an approved mechanic every so many hours, and the owner is at his mercy. If he says it's broken, it must be fixed before the plane flies. Kitplanes can be built affordably. The builder can usually buy in "subkits" so there is no need to take out a loan, you can just buy parts as your financial situation allows. In the end you will also have a brand new airplane, but it may take years to build. In an amateur built or "kit" airplane, the builder is listed as the manufacturer. He is free to do all maintenance and inspections himself. He knows the airplane better then any mechanic, since he built it. If a part needs to be replaced, it can be done by the builder, and it need not be an FAA approved part. This saves lots of cash in the long haul, as FAA approved parts are always pricey, and do not always offer the best performance. Performance In the late 1970's, production airplane manufacturers like Cessna and Piper were nearly sued out of existence by pilots and their families who were involved in accidents. As everyone knows today, when somebody gets hurt, somebody else gets sued. It doesn't even matter who's fault it was. There were plenty of cases where pilots pushed planes way beyond their limits, yet their widows still sued the manufacturer and won. Because of a massive rash of lawsuits many of the major production aircraft manufacturers stopped building light planes. This left a void that was quickly filled by kitplanes. People could no longer buy light planes, so now they were building them. Ever since the late 70's, litigation has stunted aviation's growth. Blaming the lawyers for this is like blaming a murder on the gun, but that doesn't mean we can't still hate them! Very little has changed in production planes since then. A 1998 Cessna 172 still looks and flies very much like a 1973 Cessna 172. Yes, the new plane has a cupholder, but other then that, they are virtually identical. Airplane manufacturers are afraid to change anything lest they get sued. Getting a new design FAA approved is also prohibitively expensive. Kitplanes on the other hand, have none of these problems. You as the builder are the manufacturer, so there is nobody to sue but yourself if something goes wrong. Kitplanes do not need to have FAA approved instruments or engines. This means that kit aircraft are always going to be on the cutting edge. Their design continues to be refined, and performance increases with every generation. State of the art materials are used in their construction, and state of the art instruments decrease pilot workload and increase safety. The downside is that the buyer must be wary of what he builds. There is no regulation. You could strap an engine to a broomstick and call it an airplane and sell a kit. The buyer must beware, and make an informed decision based on the kit's safety record. The number of customer built kitplanes that are actually flying is a good indication of a kit's reputation. Customization Next time you get into your car, take a look around and think about what you would like to change. Does the seatbelt chafe your neck? Are you sitting too high or too low? Is it hard to reach the radio? I think you get the point. In a production plane, what you see is what you get, just like buying a car. Other then the instrument package, very little can be changed. In a kitplane, you build it to fit like a glove. Put those switches wherever you like, make a cupholder capable of holding a 5 gallon cofee cup. Whatever you want, you can get. This includes instruments that are not approved. Digital instruments, multifunction and heads up displays, instruments that serve multiple purposes. These are all state of the art, and very few are FAA approved because the process is so expensive and cumbersome. Look inside the cockpits of some of today's kits, and they will look like fighter planes. The builder/pilot can build the plane to his own specs so that he is always comfortable, thus reducing workload and increasing safety. Sense of accomplishment It is very hard to match the sense of accomplishment you get from building. Every assembly is a battle won. The whole thing is a learning experience that will never be forgotten. Imagine the first flight in a plane that you built with your own hands! Building is not for everyone. You must be able to take the good with the bad, and have tons of perseverance. Building an airplane takes thousands of man-hours, and could take a decade or more for the casual builder. You will make mistakes, lots of mistakes, and you must be willing to go back and do whatever it takes to fix those mistakes, even if you have to rebuild whole assemblies. There are lots of used kitplanes for sale out there, but the FAA treats it just like a production plane as far as maintaining it goes. It will also be built to fit somebody else, and this could be even worse then what you would find in a production plane. If you are happy with the performance of a Cessna, and the price is right, go for it, you won't be sorry. If you thirst for something more exciting, and have the time to spare, build a plane. You will be lighter, faster, more economical, and draw a much bigger crowd at the airport. Below is a comparison between the RV-6A, a very popular kitplane, and a ZLIN-242L, a production aircraft that fits the same "mission". This is as close to apples to apples as I could get. Both are 2 place side by side, built of the same materials, and are approved for sport aerobatics. The RV-6A has 20hp less then the Zlin. Keep in mind that the Zlin is nearly 1,000 lbs heavier then the RV-6A. 1998 Zlin 242L
Sorry about the lame picture of the Zlin, but believe it or not that is the best they had on their site. If I was selling airplanes, you bet your ass I'd have a better picure of the thing.
1998 Van's Aircraft RV-6A
*I had to guess a little on the price, but I always estimated on the high side. All parts are brand new. I allowed 25k for engine, fixed pitch prop, and accessories, 15k for instruments as comparable to the Zlin's, and tacked on 8k in case I forgot something. |
|
Top of Page |
