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Evans VP-1... Worth Building?

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ejcheli

Active Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2019
Messages
40
Location
Montana
Hello,

I've been seriously considering getting into aviation (wanted to since I was a kid) and have come to the conclusion I'd like to build my own plane and fly it. I'd like to stay with LSA or Part 103, as I just can't justify the money for a bigger airplane, currently working on a Sport Pilot License. I almost started building a Legal Eagle XL, but I just got frustrated with the extreme restrictions on what you can do with Part 103... how fast you can go, how much fuel you can carry, etc etc. So LSA is looking like the answer. I then I started looking for airplanes that could be trailerable as I don't have year round flying conditions where I live and I'd like to avoid paying hanger fees for 2/3 of the year when I can't fly. Plus my interest is purely recreational.

The Evans VP-1 greatly intrigues me as I love the basic design and simplicity but as I read the forums it seems there is a lot of hate out there, some people say "looks ugly" or "flies bad"... and I'm just looking for some feedback from anyone who's built/flown these planes. I can understand that perhaps they are under powered on the VW conversion motor, but I've seen videos where people put in Corvair engines (among others) which should surely solve that problem (if it is a problem)? And regarding ugly, it seems one could greatly enhance the looks of it (which many have done) with a little extra work while building it. I dunno, I really want to get into aviation but I need to do it on a fairly strict budget. I want to fly for fun on the weekends, don't care about work, travel, etc.

I've also heard people say that for the time and effort one would put into this there are better options. This is probably the most concerning comment, and I wonder better how? Lots of planes are certainty "better" in their own way... except they cost 10-100x as much, and require expensive hangar fees, insurance, maintenance, and other skyrocketing costs... Is there a better low cost, high bank for buck airplane that can be build economically that flies well, can be towed or trailered (if necessary) that can be built from plans and in a garage/basement? I've seen the "kits" and I'm not really interested (though many look nice) as I have all the skills and tools necessary to manufacture just about anything and I loved building R/C planes for many years so I'd imagine I'd enjoy building a real plane too. But I need to settle on a design before I can move forward. I would hate to get halfway into a build and then realize there was a better option!

Any advice and feedback would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Eric
 
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