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Being practical with the homebuilt.vs. certified decision

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Peterson

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 25, 2014
Messages
160
Location
St.Rober, MO
So I've considered what I want in a plane verses what I need in a plane, and while not necessarily the most fun sounding option, I think in the long run I'll be happier letting practicality be the number one priority in the decision process. What I've come up with is :

What I need
-affordable way to build hours
-forgivable flying characteristics but capable of helping me advance my skills
-something comfortable enough to bring my wife
-possibility of providing commercial services to offset expense

What I want
-four place, or at least enough space to take one plus baggage
-Mazda rotary power
-able to take off and land from 3500-4000 foot grass runway
-gentleman's aerobatics capability but simple to fly cross country or in the pattern

I'm thinking a Piper Tomahawk is closer to what I need, while the Falconar F12A is what I want. I'm about half way through private pilot training, and the Tomahawk is supposed to be pretty roomy for a two place while having a similar feel to a larger plane, making it great for transitional training. It's not an aerobatic machine, but will handle and recover from spins all day. After licensing, I could rent it to a CFI (or become one myself) or use it for aerial photography. Low time models cost about the same as an economy car. Still trying to find one to rent but it has a lot going for it.

The Falconar is a bit larger, flies very well behind a 13B, can't tumble but can handle all the aerobatics I could do without killing myself, and would let me get to build what has always been described as a great plane. I'll probably still order plans and piece it together, but having a flyer already would help keep me from being tempted to rush anything or cheap out to get flying sooner. No doubt I would enjoy it more, but the practical plane first will probably save me time, money, and headache. I love fine craftsmanship and working with my hands, but I also know that as a low hour student pilot wanting to get in the air as soon and often as possible, I may end up rushing a detail that causes my plane to fail its airworthiness inspection (or fail in flight) .

Am i missing anything?
thanks
 
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