It only took 20 years of kicking around the idea, but I've finally started down the path of building a plane! For most people, the first step in this journey would be to learn to fly. That's just too normal though, so I've decided to build the plane first and learn to fly second instead. There are just so many restrictions in renting planes that flying when I have to rent has little appeal. I could buy a plane instead, but whereas with building something I have a brand new plane at the end, in buying a plane for the same money I'd be getting something 50 years old with outdated avionics, torn up upholstery, and a questionable engine. Plus, I love the idea of building something with my own two hands. So build it is!
I've looked at a lot of different planes over the years, and while there are many great companies out there, Van's Aircraft has always risen to the top of the list for me. I waffled over which model to build for a long time, but have settled on the 9A, mostly because I'll be a low time pilot when I start flying it, and it's known for being one of the more docile of the Van's models. It's still quite fast (cruise speeds of over 180 mph) and has a very low stall speed (lower than just about any cross country plane out there - even the slow trainers like a Cessna 152), so it checks a lot of boxes for efficiency and safety. Plus, I love the look of it. That decision of building a 9A vs a 7A sounds like it was straight forward, but I'll spare you the mental gymnastics I went through for years and years thinking about which to build. There are still a lot of decisions I'm going to need to make in the coming months/years: tip-up canopy vs slider, avionics, engine, paint, etc), but at least I have the main model figured out. Step 1 done.
With the airplane chosen, the next step was to get my personal airplane factory set up in the garage. Even though I have a very large garage, somehow it's all full, so I only have 1 dedicated bay for tools and airplane building. It won't be long until I have to kick a vehicle outside to take over a second stall for building - probably once I start working on the wings and fuselage, just due to the size.
Van's kits are very complete, and with modern manufacturing don't require nearly as much scratch built knowhow or skill as in the early years. That being said, you still need the tools to cut, deburr, drill, rivet, paint, etc. My shop was always set up for mostly woodwork and auto repair, so I was missing a lot of tools that I would need for building. Once I had landed on the fact that I would definitely be building a plane, I got to work on the shop itself, building workbenches and buying tools. The fun began!
I don't plan on going too crazy writing up details about the build here, but it's the easiest way to keep people who are interested informed of progress (mostly dad). I also need a build log in some form as proof that I built the plane in order to eventually register it as an experimental plane with the FAA. I'll try to do a few catch up posts to get up to date with where I'm at now, then hopefully keep up in the future.
I still have to pinch myself sometimes to realize this is a reality after all of these years. My wife has been encouraging me to go ahead and build for years, but I've always struggled with the idea of spending so much time and money on something that is admittedly completely frivolous. But I'm more excited than words can express. The build in itself is going to be incredibly enjoyable for me. Plus, in the end I'll have a magic carpet that allows Rose and I to make some amazing travel memories together. That's the part I'm most excited about!
