While there were many decision points and paths that I went down, I eventually decided that I wanted to build a Vans RV-10 airplane. Some of the initial decisions that I considered and disregarded were renting and buying. Once I eliminated those, discussed below, I then started to look at options that lined up with my expected mission.
Renting an airplane:
I initially started my training for my PPL and renting at my local flight school. This makes perfect sense as I had zero aviation experience and wasn’t sure if I could even get my PPL. After the first few lessons when I realized how much I enjoyed flying, I started dreaming about how I could use this new ability in the future. Thoughts of the TBM or the PC-12 were behind a few lotto tickets!
Renting is great to start with, as you don’t have to worry about maintenance and general upkeep of the airplane, but get the ability to fly when it’s available. You don’t however get any say into upgrades, equipment, or anything else other than finding a different school or place to rent from. Also any money you spend is just gone with nothing to really show other than a logbook entry.
Partnerships (owning a fractional airplane):
The next option would be to find a few like-minded people to go into a partnership with. Beyond not knowing anyone in the aviation world or knowing what I liked / didn’t like, the thought of being in a partnership worried me. Plenty of horror stories out there, and with my limited background I didn’t have the confidence to know if I was getting into a good deal or not.
Flying Clubs:
Getting access to a flying club is a great way to find like-minded people and have access to an airplane at a more reasonable price (and possibly do multi-day trips without as much fuss). While there were a number of clubs in the area, but none of them had openings (or I didn’t know the right people to ask). <update 2024> I ended up joining the FAA flying club to get access to several aircraft to allow me to get current. I wish I had joined them years ago, but don’t regret my decision to build the RV-10 for even more freedom to fly when I want. </update>
Buying:
Next was the thought of purchasing an airplane. Honestly my budget is fairly limited and I wasn’t ready to take a loan out to purchase a airplane (again, limited experience and knowledge). At the time (2017) the talk of ADSB and upgrades to avionics made me understand how difficult and expensive it was to put modern avionics into older airframes. Also since I didn’t have my IFR yet, I didn’t know what to look for. Even buying a 172 like my trainers worried me that I would quickly get in over my head.
Building:
The more I started to research, the more I became excited with the option to build my own airplane. I love learning new skills and the process of building would allow me to become an expert in at least the systems of my airplane.
Some of the reasons I wanted to build vs buy include:
- I can work on my airplane / make the necessary repairs
- I can install “non-certified” avionics at a fraction of the price that I could in a certified airplane
- I can build on my schedule as my budget allows.
- I get to say “I’m building an airplane”
- At the end of the build, I’ll have a high-performance aircraft for a fraction of the cost of a similarly equipped aircraft.
- My kids and wife can help me along the way