anyone built kit planes?

[KFhunter]

anyone?


Looking at a superSTOL pretty hard

[washelkhunter]

You'll probably be looking at it differently after the 5 or so years it will take you to put it together.   

[KFhunter]

looking into one


I haven't been around it, never seen it done, never flown a plane, don't have a license.   I literally got no clue.



but I want to put together a bush plane.  Looking at "just aircraft" and their big tired bush plane.

[KFhunter]

not that I'll be doing this....but wow!

[JKEEN33]

Friends dad built and sold ultralights when I was growing up. Flew in them a few times. Lots of fun. Do your research, lots of different grades of quality.

[KFhunter]

This one will pucker you up 


full screen it   

[Zardoz]

looking into one


I haven't been around it, never seen it done, never flown a plane, don't have a license.   I literally got no clue.



but I want to put together a bush plane.  Looking at "just aircraft" and their big tired bush plane.

I did a lot of research on just this thing over the last 10 years. I had planned on going with Just Aircraft because for me it offered the best bang for the bucks and my expected needs. There is a large group of enthusiasts in the kit plane field. Before you buy anything you should at least go for a couple of flights or take an introductory flight lesson at a flight school. Definitely attend a couple of fly-ins and talk to the pilots. Research EAA for more information. Any questions, just ask.   

[KFhunter]

Thanks for the input Zardoz

I've been in quite a few different small airplanes and helicopters, and do go to fly-ins quite often.  My favorite was a tour around Mt McKinley in AK Denali park.  Well maybe not, I did a helicopter ride down into the waterfall featured in Jurassic Park - this before they restricted helicopters from going down in there, we flew almost to the bottom THAT was cool, I let my new bride ride shotgun     

I was at the Colville fly in last weekend and sent my son up in a Cessna as he's going to CWU and going through the aviation program there on his way to .mil and commercial airlines.  He hasn't flown as much as I, but he really wants to pursue this. 

I want to bounce around in a bush plane hunting/camping goofing around, and when I retire I want a go fast plane to visit grandkids,  and I thought he could also build time with it and perhaps teach me after his 3rd year at CWU as he'll have an instructor license.   


So in 3 years I want to have a plane ready to fly and a runway in my hay field.   I learned that if I build the kit plane I can do all my own annuals and work on the plane myself saving me money.  Before I retire I'll do it again with something like an RV 4 seater.

Right now I'm looking at the just aircraft super STOL stretch xl with the new UL 200hp engine that burns pump gas - lot of $$ 

[Badhabit]

Does CubCrafters in Yakima offer a DYI kit? It would be nice to have them in state if you run into any "issues". I'd love to learn to fly but when I was in college a buddy and I were flying his rc glider. It was a grey cloudy day and I about got sick from the vertigo. Watching the glider and trying to tell if it was flying level, asending or desending I couldn't tell as I had no landmarks to judge with. Scared me away from ever trying to learn to be a pilot. STOL competitions are really cool. Incredible to see them take off and then land in less than 60' combined.

[KFhunter]

I watched some competitions in Alaska, was really cool.

[Zardoz]

Great choice for a project. I was also considering the CH750 from Zenith Aircraft because it is also a solid design and I liked the idea of a metal design over fabric for STOL fun.   

[Born2late]

yep, did it out of high school till i was about 30. Built Glasairs,Glastars,Sportsmans.
I would recommend making a list of what you would like the plane to do and what it must do then see if the kit fits what your looking for.Some have folding wings so you can trailer it home so you dont have to pay hanger rent.Some have a great stol capabilties but no useful load or a slow cruise speed.Some have float attach points so you can play on water.
From my experience not all kits are the same. Meaning, some companies do lousy jobs at manufacturing the parts.Which makes building them a nightmare. Others have the worst building manuals you have ever seen.Some are not properly engineered and i would never fly in them(using pop rivets on structual parts).Its was extremely fun building them if you enjoy that type of thing.
I knew a guy that built a glasair 3. which is a 300 mph low wing that you  better have your abiltity match it to be able to handle it.He spent 4 years building it only to finish and realized it was way beyond his capabilities to fly and ended up selling it.If i was to build one for my self I would do a sportsman and highly modify it like my best friend did.Its easy to fly.You can set it up fixed trike,tail dragger or floats. Has a good stol and a  good cruise and room to carry stuff. His plane has 35 inch tire i think,and is was built light.
Rv's are good planes but are not really a land in the bush type plane. More for cruising and aerobatics.

[Zardoz]

Flying is one of the most non-forgiving sports there is. Like they say, take off is optional, but landing is mandatory.   

[724wd]

My cousin in Twisp built one and flies it regularly.  Vans RV-7

[KFhunter]

I just got off the phone with Steve Henry, he's using a Yamaha snowmobile engine and recommended I look at the highlander over the superSTOL.


Pretty cool, they have a centrifugal clutch so the prop is disengaged below 2700 RPM, throttle up and the prop spins.  I could think of a few good things about that and I'm not even a pilot yet. 


I'm also digging the Zenith air  801 SD SUPERSTOL.   It'll carry a lot more stuff and 4 people, plus its all metal.    I used to build boats so I can buck rivets and work sheet pretty good...but I guess it's all pulled rivets...and even in the wings     should buy a bunch of cherry max and toss the kit's rivets?

but they spray crops with it and it works, if it'll haul around water and spray crops it'll hold up for me 

The biggest turn off for the Zenith air is lack of folding wings,  I can put the Just Aircraft highlander in a cargo trailer and run up to Alaska.