Repeat Offender

I still vividly remember when I made the decision that I was going to build a Van’s RV-10 almost 18 years ago. I’m sure that most of us first-time builders go into a project with a lot of dreams and excitement mixed with some apprehension and doubt. We naturally wonder if we are intellectually up for the task—not everyone is—and whether we have the financial resources, patience, endurance and familial support to bring it to fruition. Again, not everyone does. I entered that stage as an 80% pilot/20% builder who wanted the airplane badly enough to accept that building it would be more of a means to an end than a destination in its own right.

When it was all said and done, I found that I actually enjoyed the building part of the process much more than I expected—even after the inevitable periods of doubt and frustration. In the end, when you’re sitting in a comfortable lawn chair at Oshkosh in front of your pride and joy and passing lookie-loos make some kind comments about your creation, it is actually the builder receiving the accolades, not the pilot.

Now that my RV-10 is complete and has been fulfillingly operational for more than a decade, I find myself with an insatiable compulsion to build another project. This time I will embark on the endeavor as equal parts builder and pilot. The harder part at this stage is simply deciding what to build. I’m finding that in many ways the mindset and decision matrix are quite different on a second or subsequent project than on an initial build. This time I will have a much clearer picture of what it takes to finish a project and I will know and plan for setbacks and disappointments. However, having already experienced the joy of what in Van’s world is referred to as the “RV grin,” I am highly confident that the process will be worth it in the end.

The Learning Game

A large part of my motivation and drive to build again is that I enjoy the challenge of learning new things. I firmly believe that the human brain is like a muscle in the sense that if it doesn’t get challenged and used, it will weaken and atrophy. On the last project, before I began, it was the electrical work that scared me the most. In hindsight, it was that part of the build that I actually enjoyed the most. The fact that my highly electrical RV-10 has been electrically reliable and robust just adds to the builder satisfaction therapy. The knowledge, skills and tools that I amassed on the first project, its maintenance and upgrades have since served me well in numerous other ancillary projects that have nothing to do with the airplane. These are things like home and automobile maintenance that I never before would have tackled on my own without the experience gained from my airplane project.

Perhaps the hardest part of any build project is the blizzard of decisions that have to be made, but the freedom and customization that are available in the Experimental/Amateur-Built world are also what makes it fun and rewarding.

I know people who possess several airplanes at once. I’m jealous, but that will never be me. The RV-10 that I already have is an amazing design that is a wonderful mix of efficiency and capability, and the rock-solid nature of the design, the kits and the plans make any RV an excellent choice for any builder. It is a wonderful traveling machine that is high in comfort and convenience. This time, however, I’m looking for something different. As much as I enjoy flying the -10, and I do, it is a serious airplane for serious use that can rack up some serious costs.

Looking at the marketplace, the Van’s RV-15 is interesting and tempting. It looks like it will be a bestseller and perfect for many builders, but alas it is too much airplane for what I am looking for at this stage and likely not going to be available anytime soon.

This time I want an airplane strictly built for the joy of flying. I want something simple and relatively cheap for that magical first and last half-hour of daylight, to be low and slow with no place in particular to go and sporting a massive grin. Instead of air-conditioning, I want removable doors. Instead of an autopilot, I want folding wings.

Narrowing Down the Choices

In kind of a reversal of my original thought process, I have started at the bare-bones basics and been working up from there. My copy of the KITPLANES 2024 Buyer’s Guide is dog-eared. On the floor of expectations, I have ruled out powered parachutes but anything above that is fair game. I have read and enjoyed Jon Croke’s excellent series on building the Affordaplane, and even given that option serious consideration as it fills a lot of the squares that I desire. However, part of the joy of flight for me personally is sharing that experience with others—my wife, children, grandchildren and friends. It may sound corny but I would feel selfish in a single-seat airplane. To that end, two seats are a must for now. I’ll push the Affordaplane down to the next “three-peat” level list, perhaps sandwiched between gyrocopters and motorgliders.

Another important consideration is related to performance. I’m fine with low and slow, but our Mogollon Airpark (AZ82) property has a field elevation of 6657 feet, so strong density altitude performance is vital. I enjoy flying from unimproved strips, but I don’t need crazy STOL-level performance that some aspire to. Aerobatic performance is not important at this stage of my flying avocation either; I have too many hard airliner miles absorbed to want to stress my body with G-forces.

I’ve looked at a few big-boy ultralight types like the Kolb Mark III, Quicksilver GT-500 and the Double Eagle. They all have enticing features. However, the production status of all three seems to be stalled, discontinued or unclear at last check. I’m not interested in building an airplane with little or uneven factory support.

Obviously, anything original Cub-like would be a fine choice to fulfill what I want to accomplish. I’m willing to try new building tasks like fabric covering, but I stop short at serious welding. There are a few Cub clones with prefab structural assemblies that are on my short list, though the nice ones can be quite expensive per pound.

I Think I’m Just About There

One day while diving deep into the Buyer’s Guide, I sent a text out to some select mentors in an attempt to mine further light and knowledge on the subject. One of those who responded to me was Editor at Large Paul Dye. His comment was, “Honestly, bang for the buck and as different as you can get from an RV would be a Kitfox(ish) airplane. They are a tremendous amount of fun and great for the backcountry.”

I hadn’t really thought seriously about that option, but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. I grew up and initially learned to fly in Idaho where the Kitfox was first conceived and produced. I started investigating deeper and I liked what I saw. The current models, most likely the Series 7 Super Sport for me, check all of the boxes that I have on my list with the added bonus of a company with a long and distinguished history and decent reputation. I immediately dug through several of our magazine’s issues for Kitfoxes and found a treasure trove of interesting information.

The final tidbit of motivation for me is that I just found out that my new neighbor at the airpark, Bill Prokes, happens to be one of the world’s foremost experts on building and flying Kitfox aircraft, having built several of them. He still owns most of them. His passion for the aircraft type is infectious. Having that level of experience and expertise located literally across the street makes the decision practically a no-brainer for me. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but I’m right there. A final decision and order initiation will likely be made soon. “Hey, sweetheart…have you seen the checkbook?”