Sounds like a deal. Why do we fool with the Fed's? Why don't we all go experimental?

Because you must build the "major portion" of the aircraft. (The 51% rule)

By default, if done legally, this means that you will need 2,000-10,000+ hours of spare time to complete the airframe, and extra spare time to wrench on it. In the end you will probably have way more $ into it than you do in your G36.

You may be confusing "Experimental Homebuilt" with other experimental categories. The only way you could convert your G36 to "Experimental Homebuilt" would be to disassemble the airplane, reverse engineer the design, and fabricate more than half the parts. The only other experimental categories that could easily apply to your Bonanza are for testing alterations and these generally come with both a time limit and significant restrictions on use.

Or were you thinking of building a homebuilt? Lancair 4P perhaps?

I just looked up what a 4p is I love it. what do you think of the turbo prop version, besides its 370mph

Besides the 51% rule. Only the original builder can sign off maintenance. So, when you get tired of the plane and sell it in a few years and the next owner crashes who do you think the lawyers are going to come after for flawed building or some made up maintenance issue. You will be on the hook for the rest of that airplanes life whether you still own it or not. You are basically the manufacturer.

Russ

I haven't ever flown one but a friend built one (must not be much of a friend since he never let my fly it!) and sold it once it was flying. IIRC he said it was a handful on landing and not very forgiving. But it was fast.

Liability is a big reason. If you build the plane you are the manufacture. So a couple years goes by you sell the Jason 500P to Paul Pilot he crashes you’re named in the law suit.

The builder liability issue has been successfully dealt with via exculpatory agreements signed by both parties at the time the airplane is resold. This generally requires an attorney and is a real pain, but these agreements have held up in court after they buyer manages to kill himself in the airplane. I'm building an AirCam and made a point of checking out all the legal angles before I bought the kit.

I wonder if you could sell yor Experimental 51% disassembled, so the new owner had to have built 51%? or mabe you could do this on paper.

That's a mouthful.

Hey all,

As someone who has built not one but two home built airlpanes let me see if I can shed some light.
I built a Rutan Veri-EZ and long-EZ, both from scratch. The first one took me 3000 hrs documuented build time the second I did in 2000 hrs. You MUST document your time, I used photos of me doing the work and a log book.

When I sold them I disassembled them and and sold them as parts only, and I removed the Data plate.

I could fly my airplane anywhere I wished after I had flown off the required time. I applied for a repairmans certificate and was able to do my own maintance, and sign off my own condition inspections.

The big thing about the catagory EXPERIMENTAL is that it is for educational puposes. So if you are inclined build one of these wonderful new machines, and enjoy. I did.

Jay

Jay

This experimental thing is getting out of control. What about those fiber glass experimentals like the Epic and Lanceair? They seem like they would be a little difficult to disassemble. I have a friend that probably has $500,000 in a Lanceair 4P. and another friend that has $400,000 in an RV-10. When they get ready to sell it doesn't seem like there is an easy way to avoid the liability.


"The builder liability issue has been successfully dealt with via exculpatory agreements signed by both parties at the time the airplane is resold." Paul De Zan

I am no lawyer, but if it was easy to have some lawyer get you out of the liability as a manufacturer. Why doesn't Cessna and Beech have you sign one of these agreements before they deliver you a plane?

Russ

Assembling is not the same as building.

I'm no lawyer but I suspect that someone in the business of building and selling airplanes will be held to a higher standard than the one-time builder of an experimental airplane.

Paul, I would like to build an aircam on floats with the 914 and reversing prop. Have you seen that one the guy uses to test water on lakes with? IFR even.