Hello group,
I need some advice. Not about technique or materials, but about the
more basic question of what becoming an airplane builder does to one's
life.
If you have a moment to indulge such a question, read on; if not,
happy building and flying.
I am 39, single (not married, but living with someone) freelance and
not exactly financially stable. I do ok, but I live in New York City,
so my expenses are high.
I have been dreaming about a Europa for 10 years, ever since i saw it
at Sun 'n Fun back when it was a new design. I have been flying for
18 years.
I found a kit in a partially-built condition that i purchased last
fall. It was a decent deal at $19k for a mono XS with all the fast
build options, including the flightcrafters headstart that got the
cockpit module bonded in place. Since then, the builder has made a lot
of progress with control mechanics and the tail plane, and various
layup work to complete the wings. Nothing is closed yet. He
estimates it to be about 60% finished.
The kit is still in Southern CA, and i am now considering my options
for retrieving it. Most people around me (friends and family) think i
am nuts to take this on. I am a very busy person and a bit of a
workaholic, striving to make a name for myself in NY as a Sound Mixer
and Sound Designer for movies. It is going well, but you never know,
being freelance. I basically don't have time to do anything
recreational these days, but the work does come in spurts, so i have
some weeks where i am not so busy. I have a little cottage upstate
with a one car garage that i am turning into a workshop for the Europa.
I am just worried about getting into something that requires more time
than i have to give. My girlfriend says this is something a retired
person should do, not a person busily building his career, and with
other hobbies. I am very dedicated to writing music and playing the
piano when i have a spare moment, and i am worried about losing these
moments to the Europa. I know there will be a lot of research involved
in building a plane, especially when it comes to the panel and the
electrics. This kind of stuff is fun for me and i am very
mechanically inclined and able to do things like this. I don't mind it
taking me a long time to finish, either. I fully expect it to take a
couple of years, at least. If the kit is really 60% done, then, based
on the factory's build-time figures, I would estimate 500 hours more
to finish it. If I could average 5 hours per week, it would take two
years. I don't mean one hour per night, five days a week, i mean
AVERAGE. There would be weeks when i couldn't touch it, and there
would be weeks where i work 50 hours on the plane. I intend to make
the workshop a clean, task-dedicated space that is locked when i am not
working on the kit, and is dedicated solely to the Europa.
I will have to start a fund for the firewall forward bits anyway. Of
course i would like the 914 and the airmaster, so i would have to save
my pennies. I have about the value of these things in credit card debt
at the moment. Maybe a 912 would be the way to go.
If I had the money, i would buy a completed europa or another sport
plane like a Decatholon. Frankly, I want to fly, and building is a
means to an end. I am too bored with the performance of the rental
fleet of Cesnas and Cherokees. I know some of you love the building
and mourn the completion of the kit, but my motivation is owning and
flying a wonderful, fast, aerobatic, handsome, affordable plane.
As i said before, it has been a dream for a long time and i am very
excited to make this happen.
To all of you europa-builders, please let me know what your experience
has been regarding the impact of building on your life and your time,
and please give your impressions and/or advice regarding my situation.
Feel free to ask about something if i have left any important
variables untouched. Many, many thanks! This is a tough one. I don't
want to let it go.
Best,
Tom
|