mtv wrote:Second question: With spousal unit and chillens, is this a good time in your life to tackle such a demanding project?

Maybe that's *why* he's thinking about it. Two hours a day in the garage away from the little screamers?

rw2 wrote:

mtv wrote:Second question: With spousal unit and chillens, is this a good time in your life to tackle such a demanding project?

Maybe that's *why* he's thinking about it. Two hours a day in the garage away from the little screamers?

Guess what? There is NEVER a good time to build an airplane. I'm retired, good income, money in the bank and raring to go but there STILL isn't enough time. I guess part of my problem is that I've taken on too many projects. I do see a time in the future when "The Zenith" is my only priority but every time I head into the shop I notice something else I failed to finish. Like the Pergola on the backside of the house so one can sit out there on Summer afternoons without dropping dead from the heat. Like the irrigation system that has more holes in it than the Albert Hall....in a drought. Grrrrr. I sometimes wish I was still working. I had lots of time then.

Why not just go get a PA-22 for dirt cheap (like 16k-22k), keep flying your dad and kids around, and build what you want over time?

As it is, I'm building a scratch set of aluminum wings and tail to install on a fuselage while I fly my current standard airworthiness plane. It is a retirement project and fun as hell so far. I would never build something if it meant leaving 3-5 years of flying behind. Life is short.

I can't imagine having more than one hobby or kids during a project like mine and still make progress. I have over 200 hours into the design and construction of the first wing alone, which is going to be used for a static load test to failure sometime in September, and then I'll begin building the actual wings.

Trim Tab wrote:Why not just go get a PA-22 for dirt cheap (like 16k-22k), keep flying your dad and kids around, and build what you want over time?

As it is, I'm building a scratch set of aluminum wings and tail to install on a fuselage while I fly my current standard airworthiness plane. It is a retirement project and fun as hell so far. I would never build something if it meant leaving 3-5 years of flying behind. Life is short.

I can't imagine having more than one hobby or kids during a project like mine and still make progress. I have over 200 hours into the design and construction of the first wing alone, which is going to be used for a static load test to failure sometime in September, and then I'll begin building the actual wings.

Wow, Trim Tab - that's really amazing! If there aren't proprietary concerns, it would be really neat to see you start a thread with pics so we could follow along! What kind of project are the wings designed for?