I am getting pretty interested in the Highlanders. Does anyone have, or now of someone in the southwest with one? I would like to talk with someone in detail about them, and hopefully get a ride. They sure look like fun.

I would also like to hear other's toughts, and paricularly with comparisons to other planes, like supercubs, kitfoxes, etc.

Thanks Gary

I don't have alot of info to offer, but did see a demo Highlander at the Arlington Airshow this last summer. Sure was a nice looking plane that was put together nicely.

Yes, all I have heard is great things about the planes,and the company.

I see alot of places I would like to go into, but don't want to take my 180 into.

I have to blame taildrgfun for this.

You may want to get in touch with (BCP member) HighlanderLynn . She was nice enough to share a lot of positive info with me on the Highlander. (I haven't flown one yet so I'm not in position to respond with any first hand experience.) Her website: http://www.floridalightsport.com/

Looks like a fine bird!

I have talked with her. I am just trying to find one closer so I can take a closer look.
Thanks Gary

I'm not much closer than Lynn, but glad to talk about my experiences building/etc. I thought I remembered there was one registered in Colorado?

K

K

Thanks for the response. What is your phone number. I may give you a call and see what you can tell me. I checked FAA, there is one in boulder.

There are only 11 registered

Gary

Gary,

There are a number of worthy experimentals available out there. All have their strengths and weaknesses. The Highlander does look very interesting, and from some of the videos floating around they appear to be quite capable in the right pilot's hands.

Are you a member of the EAA? Are you seriously considering building an experimental, or do you want to buy a finished plane?

I decided to self-build an experimental and spent quite a bit of time researching what was out there. I made a couple of trips to Oshkosh, relentlessly called and pestered current and former builders of a number of kit plane models, talked to lots of factory folks, looked at the incident/accident records, looked at the history of the companies marketing the kits, their longevity and apparent soundness and persistence in the market, and especially I flew in anything I got serious about. I also took a long look at the construction manuals and builders support network available for the ones I got really interested/serious about.

If you go through all of the above you will probably find the plane that is right for you, then you really have to decide if you really,really want to build a plane, or just fly it. If you are only interested in building a plane so you can fly that plane, don't do it. Find a finished one and buy it. If you don't really want to build the plane yourself the chances are you will never finish it. Most of the finished kit-built planes sell for little more money than the builders put into them anway, so you won't really be spending much if any more that if you put a thousand hours and a couple of years into building one yourself.

Here is a link to a guy who had a strong motivation to both build and fly his own plane. This link is for the first long trip he took in it, a trip across the US and Canada to Alaska. I've never met him, or even talked to him, but he sure built a nice plane and is using it like we should all use our planes.

http://poo.gregswingle.com/AK/trip.html

Click on the "blog" label in the lower right for photos and narrative. Click on one of the color-coded route lines for the photos from that segment of the trip.

My current project is at: http://www.mykitlog.com/taildown/

Mark

Hi

And thanks. great info. I agree with completely on the build vs. buy completed issue. I would prefer to buy, rather than build.

I don't have the money to just go out and buy one, although I may consider financing one that is already built. Building one lets me kind of ease into it financially. I know you pretty much donate your time when you build one, if not more than your time.

Your project looks very impressive. And it looks like Greg did a great job, and had a great adventure.

In his blog, I thought he called Colo. home. On the FAA site, it says he lives in Ohio. Do you know him, and if so, have any contact info for him?

Thanks a bunch You have certainly done your homework. Gary

I only know Greg through his posts on the yahoo builders site. If you PM me your contact info I will forward it to him and ask him to contact you. Judging by his history of posts and replies to other builders I think he will gladly do that.

I would not discourage anyone from building their own plane, I just think you have to go into a building project for the right reasons and with the right expectations.

Mark

I met a guy at the NW Aviation show last year or the year before whose outfit built Highlanders & sold them ready-to-fly. Just looked through my stuff & apparently I didn't save his business card, but he was located in eastern Oregon as I recall. Maybe you can google? Some of these kind of light airplanes are real bargains- a guy I know bought a low-time Rans S6 1-1/2 years ago for about $45K, from the builder who was based at West Desert Airpark in Utah, west of SLC. Apparently quite alot of light airplane activity there, like maybe they build for hire or build for sale on a regular basis? You might wanna check into it.
I saw a Highlander at the Arlington fly-in a couple years ago with a 6-cyl 120-horse Jabiru 3300-- man, what a rocketship! Very impressive!

Eric

Thanks Eric
I probably just got too much time on my hands right now. Work is a little slow this time of year. But I do see alot of places flying around that I would like to go into, that I don't want to take my 180 into.

We'll see what happens. Maybe a bargin will pop up.

Gary

Terryd23 wrote:You may want to get in touch with (BCP member) HighlanderLynn . .........

I was looking through a Sport Aviation magazine from last year, and low & behold -- there's Lynn's Highlander. Nice!
Saw another Highlander close-up yesterday, looked like a real nice airplane. This one had a 100hp Rotax, think I might prefer a 120horse jabiru if I built one but it appeared to perform well with that Rotax.

Eric

I would expect another great debate there. Jabiru vs. rotax. It will be interesting to see how that comes out.

Hi, ShortFielder,

I am out on the road right now, but if you call the factory they have a big map with push-pins that shows all the owners. Many are not finished, but we have a bunch of people that are close to finished if not finished in the SW. Come on down to Sun n Fun and we can fly mine.

Check my galary for more photos

shortfielder wrote:I am getting pretty interested in the Highlanders. Does anyone have, or now of someone in the southwest with one? I would like to talk with someone in detail about them, and hopefully get a ride. They sure look like fun.

I would also like to hear other's toughts, and paricularly with comparisons to other planes, like supercubs, kitfoxes, etc.

Thanks Gary

You could probably call Steve Dentz in Carnation, Washington he seems to know all the Highlander owners.

We have one up here in Baker or La Grand, I think Brad Pain is his name... Give JMTGT a call I think he flew it while he was up here

joang wrote: ............You could probably call Steve Dentz in Carnation, Washington he seems to know all the Highlander owners.

I think that must be the guy I referred tyo in y post a week or two ago.

hotrod150 wrote: I met a guy at the NW Aviation show last year or the year before whose outfit built Highlanders & sold them ready-to-fly.....

Just found his card- Brad Payne (who Wup just mentioned) Pacific Custom Aircraft , LaGrande OR 866-459-5668 [email protected]

Eric