Scudrunners

Those prices trickle down to renters too.

I was looking for plane rental places in Carson City Nevada, I found one with lots of nice light singles to rent. Then I got to the prices. Keep in mind it’s US dollars too.

https://highsierrapilots.club/services/aircraft/

Yay. Don’t forget the monthly club dues...

Looking at it from the other side, it seems to me that the manufacturers are cool with this. If I was building Super Cub clones I know I’d rather build one a year and know I can sell it for a half million dollars than five hundred a year at a thousand dollars each. Way less likely to get my ass sued off and better margins to boot.

A few years ago some friends and I over some airport burgers and beers came up with a killer little lightplane that we thought would have sold like hotcakes. Think of it as a ‘Carbon Cub Light’ and while mostly Cub on the outside it was a greatest-hits under the skin of all the cleverest stuff from classic lightplanes. We even figured we could probably get them out the door for $35k each (15 years ago, mind you). It would have been awesome to fill the skies with these little guys but then what? Now you have anyone who could pay for it buzzing around in a little flying machine that we’d be at least partly if not wholly held responsible for the outcome of. Screw that.

Then you have modern, excellent homebuilts sliding into the cost void below the certified stuff. If I bork a hot RV into the ground, how is my family going to blame Van’s for the plane that I built with my own dumb hands?

Sliding into the cost void? Vans?

The reason I don’t have an unfinished RV-8 project languishing in a shed or hangar somewhere is, by the time I get an engine, radios, gauges and such, it might end up a bit more expensive than my unreasonably low budget for a nicely worn in 172 with a fresh CofA which I could fly this afternoon.

Having said that, it should be a nice brand new machine so you’re certainly right about it being a bargain relative to a factory built arguably lesser plane.

It might be too late but you should have started building Back County Slick kits. They sound awesome. The quick build versions would probably be selling faster than you could make them for any price under $60,000 Canadian.

Back to whether or not the cost of a less expensive factory built marvellous old timey cub like plane is an obscenity or a bargain, check these out.
https://www.americanchampionaircraft.co ... ria-aurora

I figure that’s the new radio and electric starter version of an Aeronca Champ from the 1940s. I suppose you know the spars and fabric are excellent.

I notice they don’t even have a Canadian dealer. Anyone that is ready to cough up the price of admission will probably just cross the border and go to them.

Well, here’s a fairly nice used Piper proving your point.

https://www.controller.com/listing/for- ... e-aircraft

A fellow should be able to build a really nice RV of your choice for less than that.

I kinda like the idea of building one of these one day, or something similar. But plan to fly some post war aircraft while I build it. (really long term goal).

https://bearhawkcanada.ca/bearhawk-4-place/

That looks interesting!

I don’t even like the Cirrus planes but someone must.

https://www.controller.com/listing/for- ... e-aircraft

That’s creeping up on a million dollars for a five year old light single. Who’s buying them?