![]() A visit with his son and family while picking up the trailer and preparing it for airplane moving was a pleasure as well as hard work. Plenty of thought, figuring, measuring and scheming went into just how to make things fit. Smith's son, who lives in Louisville, Ky., had a 20-foot box trailer he could make available. Plus the trip would be an adventure.Ī lot of planning went into preparing. Smith arranged to pick up both airplanes, deliver one to Texas and bring his back home, all for a considerable amount of money saved. ![]() (Isn't this what makes some people build experimental airplanes in the first place)? He found someone in Austin, Texas, who was building an RV-8 and was also unhappy about the delivery charge. When Smith learned that to have the quick-build fuselage and wings delivered from the Van's home base in Oregon to Florida would cost almost $4,000, he got creative. There is no forming welding or jigging required. Van's advertises you just pull the pieces out of the box and start building. The wing and fuselage structures are put together, with all rivet and screw holes pre-punched for a perfect fit. The quick-build kits are assembled in the Philippines, then shipped across the Pacific to the Van's factory in Aurora, Ore., just south of Portland. "I learned a lot," he said.Īll hardware, cowls, the engine mount and so forth are included, so there are no surprises on major purchases necessary along the way. This is the way Van's has builders introduced to the process on a relatively small scale, which Smith felt was a good idea. He practiced on the tail feathers while waiting for his kit to be ready. He opted for the quick-build version of the builder's package in order to get into the air as quickly as possible, while still having the creative and regulatory advantages of home-building an airplane. Never having built an airplane before, it also was important this kit come from a company with a strong and proven reputation for quality, performance and customer service. Important to him is that it comfortably accommodate his tall frame. Smith liked the fact that Van's advertises their simple efficient airframe means low maintenance and reasonable operating costs. It has 700 pounds of useful load, a relatively large baggage compartment, and operates easily off short grass strips. Van's Aircraft's RV-9 seemed the best choice to help him regain all of his aviation goals.Īn RV-9 can cruise about 200 miles per hour, yet has a startlingly low stall speed, and is docile, agile and balanced in handling characteristics. Formerly an instrument-rated pilot with his Cessna 182 on his own strip in Indiana, he had flown whenever and wherever he wanted to go. Moving to Florida brought many diversions, but eventually he wanted to get back into flying, wanted the most efficiency for the dollars invested, and wanted a project. There are also many reasons why pilots build airplanes.įor Tom Smith, who splits his time between Love's Landing and Crystal River, getting back into general aviation after a nine-year hiatus was the incentive. There are many ways to acquire an airplane, building an experimental plane being one of them.
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