I seem to be getting drawn into the idea of building a T-51. We'll see...................
I was a USAF pilot from 1983 to 2007. Flew C-130s, T-38s, T-1s. My last USAF flight was Dec 2004 and my last tour was a non-flying tour. After I retired from the USAF I went to work full time for a forest products company in Oregon, in the very town I was born. I do transportation analysis, transportation rate management, special projects--all of those items are boring; but I do get to manage the company aviation program. We have an XLS+. No, I am not actively flying.
Since I left the service with Gulf War Syndrome (chronic fatigue syndrome), I figured my flying days were done. I have learned how to manage my CFS quite well so I took a Class III physical last October. Lo and behold the FAA granted me a Class III Special Issuance Certificate.
I am in the process of selling my current house and moving to a new one, so I don't have the time start flying this year. However, once that transition is complete I can comeback to flying. I have managed to get a tiny amount of stick time in the last 10 years: 10 minutes in a CJ4, an hour in a Stinson, 15 minutes in a Seminole. My flying skills are still there but the rules are a little fuzzy. I'll take an on-line ground school course later this year.
Living in Oregon an RV-8 makes a lot of sense. An RV-8 with a 200 HP engine has a little better performance than what Titan shows for a V6 (I assume Subaru?) T-51. However, the cool factor of the T-51 is much higher than an RV-8, and this time I am flying for ME. I'd think a LS powered T-51 should have better performance than any RV.
Blaine
I was a USAF pilot from 1983 to 2007. Flew C-130s, T-38s, T-1s. My last USAF flight was Dec 2004 and my last tour was a non-flying tour. After I retired from the USAF I went to work full time for a forest products company in Oregon, in the very town I was born. I do transportation analysis, transportation rate management, special projects--all of those items are boring; but I do get to manage the company aviation program. We have an XLS+. No, I am not actively flying.
Since I left the service with Gulf War Syndrome (chronic fatigue syndrome), I figured my flying days were done. I have learned how to manage my CFS quite well so I took a Class III physical last October. Lo and behold the FAA granted me a Class III Special Issuance Certificate.
I am in the process of selling my current house and moving to a new one, so I don't have the time start flying this year. However, once that transition is complete I can comeback to flying. I have managed to get a tiny amount of stick time in the last 10 years: 10 minutes in a CJ4, an hour in a Stinson, 15 minutes in a Seminole. My flying skills are still there but the rules are a little fuzzy. I'll take an on-line ground school course later this year.
Living in Oregon an RV-8 makes a lot of sense. An RV-8 with a 200 HP engine has a little better performance than what Titan shows for a V6 (I assume Subaru?) T-51. However, the cool factor of the T-51 is much higher than an RV-8, and this time I am flying for ME. I'd think a LS powered T-51 should have better performance than any RV.
Blaine