This is my answer to the question, "What is it like to fly a plane you built yourself?"

Aerobatic LSA?  How long did it take, did you do some of the build @ the factory, what engine, are you certified to do your own maintenance, is that a second seat behind you, how much for the kit w/ engine?

No, it's a Van's RV-6A - waaay faster than an LSA :-)   I built it all (except for the engine and paint)  over the course of about 11.5 years.    As the builder, I can do any and all maintenance/modifications/repairs/etc.

I have about $80K into the whole thing.

Nice.  What engine are you using?

It's a clone of a Lycoming IO-360-B1B, built by Aerosport Power in Canada.   I swapped the mags for P-Mags (electronic ignition) and bolted on a Hartzell Blended Airfoil constant speed prop.

That's sweet.  What's your HP/weight ratio?

At 1375lbs acro gross w/180hp on tap, it works out to 0.131 HP per lb.      Certainly not in the same class as an Edge 540, but better than a Decathalon and a far cry above a 150 Aerobat.    

It's certainly not a great aerobatic machine; it does "sportsman" aerobatics well enough but is too clean for much else; it accelerates briskly on the downlines and I need to get the wing loaded up to avoid tickling redline.    It *is* a great compromise between cross country and aerobatics; high speed cruise is about 175kts TAS at 10k burning 9.6gph, and economy cruise is about 165kts TAS at 10k burning 8.0.    I can slow down further to 155kts TAS and burn only 6.5 gph at that altitude as well, which is what I usually do.

Very Cool indeed!

Very cool.

I like RVs

I think it might be "neat" to say you flew something you built but more power to those that do. I just have no interest in getting in something that missed all the QC of a manufacturer. I've heard too many stories and don't want to be one of them. lol

The trick is not to fly something someone else home built.  He spent about $8K a year, paying no interest, to build an awesome aircraft.  If I give up food, I have a hope of building one of those someday.  Owning a normal general aviation airplane & paying certified mechanics to maintain it, I probably don't have a prayer.

That's how I feel when I look at a Piper or Cessna, actually.    Some of the things I've seen in the last twelve months on certified aircraft:
- Cooling baffles installed backwards (Cessna)
- Cables tied to engine mount by wrapping electrical wire around the cable and mount tube (Piper)
- Mis-rigged control surfaces compensated for by dropping a flap (this is per mfg. BTW - both Cessna and Piper)
- Lots of cracked plastic on fairings (Both Cessna and Piper)
- Loose stabilator (Piper)
- Loose vertical stabilizer(! - Piper)

My point is that certified or not, the maintenance of said aircraft is dominant over the QC of the manufacturer.    Put another way:  I trust myself, with a second pair of eyes from another RV builder, over the eyes of a local A&P who has schedule pressure to get things done while working for less than he'd make down the street at the auto garage.

An A&P instructor of mine once told me about a brand-new Cessna that he did an inspection on. It still had a whole row of clecos holding part of the fuselage together that didn't get riveted from the factory. I personally witnessed another mechanic find a bucking bar that someone left in the wing, presumably from the factory.

Sometimes, "rolling your own" is a better option.

No one cars about your ass like you do; some dude punching a clock who's wife is sleeping with his brother definitely might forget about a fastener or two.  Unfortunately in my line of work I've seen issues as well, the more hands that touch the aircraft the more possibility to introduce human error; one guy building everything will know the airplane (he can choose to accept error and crappy work, but then that is on him).  I feel the same way about cars too, it is hard to find a mechanic I trust; I usually do it all myself.  

Nice plane, I've been wanting to build an 6 or 8 for years.  Someday...  

This is almost verbatim what the FAA inspector said as he handed the paperwork back to me.   It's one of those truths that almost seems self-evident.



Thanks!