Seems like a lot of folks enjoy working on an airplane as much as flying one, and I envy them. They end up with really neat aircraft that probably mean more to them than my Cessna means to me.

Personally I'd rather have syphilis than an airplane project.

Ready-to-fly airplanes are already more than enough work for the likes of me.

Trimtab wrote:"looks like your having quite a battle there." "I sure am" Old timer said. "The problem is that your mind is at the bottom of that log while your saw is at the top."

Hammer wrote:Personally I'd rather have syphilis than an airplane project.

Both hysterical quotes!

A lot of truth in both, for sure. Especially if you let the project get the best of you. I've had the best luck when I treat a project like a journey. But sometimes it's hard to keep good perspective when you just can't get that nut on that bolt.

hotrod180 wrote:I answered his post just like I would if he was asking me the same question(s) at the airport café.

Which is to say:

"Of these three aircraft ______ , which do you think I should build?"

"Welllll, do you have any idea how much it sucks to build an airplane?"



I will agree with you to some extent that the easiest part of building is the dreaming in the beginning. You don't know what you don't know.

Trimtab wrote:First i would like to double up on what 701 wrote about poor ole Zzzzz.

Hey, don't start a rumor that I'm having a bad time. My Bearhawk is coming along nicely and I'm proud of the work I've done on it thus far. I chip away at it when I can, and when i want to fly I have some nice rentals available to me. Also, my new bathroom is looking stunning. The tile and toilet and IKEA boxes that were stacked around my airplane are disappearing. Engine mount from Bearhawk arrived yesterday. Just need something to hang on it.

vaughans wrote:Hmmm! Wonder why the Maule is always the measuring stick everyone wants to measure against. Just sayin!!

Vaughans

Because it's a pretty good home built airplane. Just sayin.

Except that you can call Maule & have one home built for you to turn the key & fly away, try calling Cessna to custom order your 180! Just sayin!

vaughans wrote:Except that you can call Maule & have one home built for you to turn the key & fly away, try calling Cessna to custom order your 180! Just sayin!

Oof. Biting my tongue on this one...you just tossed me a softball.

Not to get too far away from the thread though, I think there is some merit to comparing any potential build to what the "standards" are on the market. I think of bracketing performance/value. My "bracket" would be to never build a 4 place bush-bouncer type plane if it didn't perform as well as a Maule with cost approaching a nice 185. I say if your build fits within that bracket and has the added value of being exactly what you want (like only a home built plan can provide), it's a home run. Just my opinion.

Bill

Zzz wrote:That'll teach this poor fellow to ask that question again.

I went back & re-read the original question:
"with a 180hp engine and climb prop, which bird would you pick?
Bearhawk 4-place, Murphy Elite, CH801."

So the issue of whether to build or buy never came up.
So a lot of the follow-on posts (including my own) were maybe a bit off topic.

fiftynineSC wrote:

vaughans wrote:Hmmm! Wonder why the Maule is always the measuring stick everyone wants to measure against. Just sayin!! Vaughans

Because it's a pretty good home built airplane. Just sayin.

59SC's post made me think of my Maule-owning hangar neighbor's recent comment to me that the Maule was the most popular homebuilt.

Personally, I would say the two benchmarks for bush-type airplanes are the Cessna 180 and the Supercub.

Jeez I'm changing my username to "Backcountry pot-stirring"

Tons of really good perspectives... lots to think about. all greatly appreciated!

Now how to practice backcountry flying. hmmm. a different thread altogether.