Aesquire
Well-Known Member
I know this is tangential.. but I doubt it rates a whole thread... so.
Going over old Kitplanes magazines, and often they talk about the price of different aspects of a build. Classically, 1/3 airframe, 1/3 engine, 1/3 instruments, 1/3 finishing & odds & ends..
And often the advice is to get the engine nearly last. This means you don't have it sitting around rusting and in the way while you build, New engine warranty doesn't expire, and the big $$ hit comes after a lot has already been paid for.
All great reasons, and good logic.
But.
I also see the $14,000 Jabiru from 2003 is now $17,000, the $7k VW engine is now $10k, and Lycomings and Continentals and Rotaxes are even worse in the inflation dept.
Not to mention that lovely air frame that is just waiting for that shiny new Rotax 503, or HKS 700, etc. That just doesn't exist anymore. ( yes they did bring the HKS back...) Page after page of Ultralights advertised with a 477.
I won't even get into the up and coming new engine that never happens. Leaving you with a BD-5 problem of adapting a different engine to an air frame that was lovingly wrapped around a power plant that is now historical or imaginary.
So, the question is, If you are building a plane with a specific engine in mind, would it be smart to buy one first? Some care in pickling and kept in a climate controlled environment... ( yes, I've had an engine with a slab of glass on top as a coffee table in the living room. But it was 3 male room mates and when it got warmer it was going back in the car )
Going over old Kitplanes magazines, and often they talk about the price of different aspects of a build. Classically, 1/3 airframe, 1/3 engine, 1/3 instruments, 1/3 finishing & odds & ends..
And often the advice is to get the engine nearly last. This means you don't have it sitting around rusting and in the way while you build, New engine warranty doesn't expire, and the big $$ hit comes after a lot has already been paid for.
All great reasons, and good logic.
But.
I also see the $14,000 Jabiru from 2003 is now $17,000, the $7k VW engine is now $10k, and Lycomings and Continentals and Rotaxes are even worse in the inflation dept.
Not to mention that lovely air frame that is just waiting for that shiny new Rotax 503, or HKS 700, etc. That just doesn't exist anymore. ( yes they did bring the HKS back...) Page after page of Ultralights advertised with a 477.
I won't even get into the up and coming new engine that never happens. Leaving you with a BD-5 problem of adapting a different engine to an air frame that was lovingly wrapped around a power plant that is now historical or imaginary.
So, the question is, If you are building a plane with a specific engine in mind, would it be smart to buy one first? Some care in pickling and kept in a climate controlled environment... ( yes, I've had an engine with a slab of glass on top as a coffee table in the living room. But it was 3 male room mates and when it got warmer it was going back in the car )
