Building my first aircraft.

[GBOZR]

Seriously - don't! The cost and aggro will be silly - and given the huge second hand market in the UK, pointless.

I have to say after looking further into this it just looks like a big pain in the wallet and backside!

[A and C]

GBOZR

Lots of under maintained and tatty rubbish avalable at low prices but the good stuff never gets into the classified adds unless the owner has gone bust.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Originally Posted by Big Pistons Forever

Over the years I have had 5 of my PPL students get into 2 Stroke microlight flying. Every single ONE has commented that they sure were glad that I had done a good job of teaching them what to do when the engine fails as they all had engine failures

I think I've had 2 engine failures (one total, one partial) in microlights with 2-stroke engines - both were fuel supply problems. I've had one partial in certified GA which caused me to fly a turnback, and three in 4-stroke engined homebuilts: one in a spin, one during stall testing, one on final to land - all three re-started easily, although the last after I'd landed as there seemed little point in faffing about at 200ft with a runway in front of me.

The message I get from this, is competence and currency in engine failures should be an absolute in anything single engined, regardless of what engine / aeroplane combination.

IMO 90% of recreational flyers won't use their airplane enough to justify the expense of full ownership.

I agree totally, and that's why I gave up sole-ownership several years ago. But, there are some advantages to sole ownership - basically total control. But that is an expensive luxury - particularly expensive in time.

Personally I think the best deal in aviation is a partnership in a permit airplane. I was in a 4 person partnership on 2 different airplanes for 5 years and I honestly can not think of one time where I had made plans and the aircraft was not available and only a handful of times where I made a spur of the moment decision to go flying and the aircraft was already flying.

So I basically had my own aircraft for 1/4 the costs of sole ownership.

What do you call the equivalent of Permit aeroplanes in Canada?


I agree with you, but it's worth emphasising that at least as much of the expense is time. Owning an aeroplane outright means a lot of man-hours tied up in various tasks - cleaning, managing maintenance, checking the hangarage, looking after the insurance. Joint ownership means sharing all that as well.

G

[Maoraigh1]

Owning an aeroplane outright means a lot of man-hours tied up in various tasks - cleaning, managing maintenance, checking the hangarage, looking after the insurance. Joint ownership means sharing all that as well.

As a long-time member of a group of 6, and the one who does 50%+ of the flying, you can be even luckier - I do less than 1/6 of that work, though not by skiving.