I'm hearing a recurring theme on BT that aviation is dead due to regulation. I'm also hearing from many different sources that (at this time) it's better to own an experimental due the affordability of non-certified equipment and being able to do more maintenance. Because of this chatter, I am looking at the Lancair ES and ES-P online and I think many of them are beautiful, however, I'm seeing several ads wanting to trade for certified aircraft. Is that right? They are "living the dream" and they want to drop it for more expensive maintenance and more costly upgrades???

Right now, I can't think of a good reason "to go back" to certified.

Several things are less expensive with EAB, and EAB planes are just as capable - or more so - than the certified ones.

I'm in a 2-place right now; if I wanted a 4-place, I too would be looking at the Lancairs..

I've got a friend looking at an RV-9 and to buy it and put in a decent panel for 110k and because he can only afford half that amount he's taking a partner. I suggested he consider something like an M35 bonanza and now he's looking at them. Better built solid airframe with more seats, faster, and half the price. Sure it's an older airframe, but who cares. You can also do for hire ops, flight training etc. Non-certified avionics are cheaper sure, but you can do the mx work yourself in either case with supervision so that seems like mostly a wash to me if you want the same level of quality in your mx. Exp makes a lot of sense in many cases especially if you want to do the building part.

This is my logic too. If your airplane budget is ~$60,000, you're looking at and older certified aircraft. Not many experimentals will fill a similar role for the same money as a old Cessna, Beech, Mooney, or other.

I fly a ES with the much appreciated TAT system, I'm planning to show the plane at Oshkosh this year at the GAMI/TAT booth

Try to fly your experimental aircraft outside the US or Canada. It gets complicated.
Try to buy insurance, its more costly.
Maintenance, Unless you can do the work yourself some shop wont touch it.

Oh cool our first uninformed poster, my insurance is on par with the cirrus and Columbia crowd, and I've not not one issue flying outside the U.S., this is my second experimental plane

I get my plane worked on all the time at the local FBO that usually works on jets, I don't like their prices but they are convenient- haven't had one mechanic refuse to work on the plane

Do you just make these things up or do you have some sort of experience in this area?

How many people here fly the single engine Bonanza outside the US & Canada regularly? Even if they do, you can do it in an experimental also.

Insurance more costly? Maybe a little, but not much.

Maintenance - nobody will touch it - really? My mechanic enjoyed working on the Glasair. He could fix it the way he wanted to. Parts were plentiful as well.

Once you own one you understand why you don't want a certified machine.

So you are comparing a brand new airplane with the equivalent of $150k in avionics with a 50+ year old machine with crap avionics?

How about him buying a used RV-6 for $50k and putting $15k of avionics in it? He will have a digital autopilot, SVT, HITS, charts, maps, weather, ADS-B, and much more. Apples to apples.

So you are comparing a brand new airplane with the equivalent of $150k in avionics with a 50+ year old machine with crap avionics?

How about him buying a used RV-6 for $50k and putting $15k of avionics in it? He will have a digital autopilot, SVT, HITS, charts, maps, weather, ADS-B, and much more. Apples to apples.

I love this post! I am living Adams suggestion now and when I have the time and money I want to build an airplane for the fun of building it and for the reasons Todd talks about.

So you are comparing a brand new airplane with the equivalent of $150k in avionics with a 50+ year old machine with crap avionics?

How about him buying a used RV-6 for $50k and putting $15k of avionics in it? He will have a digital autopilot, SVT, HITS, charts, maps, weather, ADS-B, and much more. Apples to apples.

Adam,

With airplanes, love and beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

To me, the RV-6 is perfect right now for my flying desires and needs. It doesn't seem "squirrelly" to me. When I had my Bonanza, I almost never used the back 2 seats. I don't need to seat 4 in my plane.

Fun? The RV easily beats my old Bonanza ...hands down.

Cross country? I flew my plane 8500 miles around the perimeter of the USA in 10 flying days. We've been to Ohio, California, Texas, and the Bahamas. My wife and I are going to OSH next month.

I understand that it wouldn't work for you, but it does work for many people.

One of the nice things about aviation is that there are many aircraft choices, and we can each have what we want and what we can afford. We make choices; that's a good thing.

You're right, we need guys who think like him to keep buying the old money pits and keep them flying, if you enjoy flying a tired old panels and simple planes, more power to you

I can't build a panel for less than 50k, even experimental- I like redundancy and dual everything, adds up fast

But Todd is right, my setup rivals a $150k avionics install in a certified bird all day long

Life is about trade offs

My friend had an Epic and it was a PITA trying to fly it around the world, he mentioned that he needed an autorization letter from every country he would fly into.

His insurance were more than his new TBM for less value.
I did say some shop wont work on it, most are ok.
Thats not mentionning that he had no support from the Co.

Told me that he loved it but he traded it on a TBM 850 for these reasons then he recently got a new 900.

Ok maybe a smaller piston experimental may be different.





Oh cool our first uninformed poster, my insurance is on par with the cirrus and Columbia crowd, and I've not not one issue flying outside the U.S., this is my second experimental plane

I get my plane worked on all the time at the local FBO that usually works on jets, I don't like their prices but they are convenient- haven't had one mechanic refuse to work on the plane

Do you just make these things up or do you have some sort of experience in this area?