wnsolomon

Big Steve, That sounds like well-reasoned advice. Unless I get a can't-refuse opportunity, I'll wait on the engine. Nathan

Big Steve, That sounds like well-reasoned advice. Unless I get can't refuse opportunity, I'll wait on the engine. Nathan

What about the SportAir workshops? What are your experiences with them? They seems pretty reasonable cost-wise but I'd have to travel to make one. Also, it seems Aircraft Spruce is the firm everyone deals with. Are they good? Do you have any options? (For the record, AS is on the way between my house and my in-laws; so at least I could save on shipping).

rickh, Those sound like excellent ideas. Sounds like you set your self up well while not actually building. I also like the idea of looking for materiel over the next couple as well. I'd thought all along that I'd start searching for a mid-time engine early but it would really make sense to start buying good deals in bulk now. As for Rough-River (I'm an east coaster) I'll definitely put it on my calendar. Perhaps someone with an empty seat going will let me buy their gas. If not I could probably load our flying club 172s with a couple of other builders and make the trip... As far as another general question goes, what do you wish you had known before you started building? Thanks, Nathan P.S. The Old Testament comes before the new, that's how to tell the difference!

I think that'd be likely with me too so I'm hoping to both 1) learn a little before beginning and 2) cut my teeth on the early chapters while he's still too young to directly help. Thanks for the reply, Nathan

Greetings, Just an introduction, some remarks, and a couple of questions. I have been planning to build a Cozy MkIV for about 1 year now but am holding off for a little while. Here are my reasons for holding off and how I plan to proceed. If any of you builders care to comment on my plan I'd really appreciate it. 1. I really want to build my own airplane but would like to give my son the opportunity to participate in the project too. He's three right now so maybe he's a little young to start doing lay-ups (and, I know, he may not be interested in this sort of thing later). Ideally, I'd like to complete the project before he finishes high school, so I've got some time to play with here... 2. I'm not an engineer, builder, electrician, machinist, or an A&P. I'm a professor of Old Testament. I'm handy around the house and have a basic mechanical aptitude, but I'm no Cozy Girrrl. 3. I'm a relatively low-time pilot (180 hours) and figure that I need to keep flying in the mean time. 4. I've got an upcoming Iraq deployment in the Fall. Given these three realities, here's my plan. 1) Keep flying, 2) Join forums like these and read regularly 3) Join EAA participate in the local chapter and take a few sport air workshops 4) find a local builder and see if he or she would let me sweep the shop and maybe learn some skills on the side. 5) in a couple of years...start building. I figure my learning curve is going to be pretty steep given my background but I want to stack the deck for success as much as possible. Any thoughts? Best Regards, Nathan Solomon Alexandria, VA