At first blush it may seem a bit kooky. Who in their right mind would take to the skies in something they built in their garage? But if you start to dig into the incredibly diverse world of amateur-built aircraft, you quickly learn it can be an appealing choice.
Experimental amateur-built aircraft offer a host of benefits for owners. The aircraft are generally more efficient, going faster on less fuel. Many offer wonderful flying qualities; the range of designs is more dynamic; owners can customize anything from spinner to tail; and in some cases, pilot-owners without an airframe and powerplant certificate can work on their own airplane.
The Wright brothers were the first amateur airplane builders, and over the years the hobby has matured from pioneers and inventors creating one-off designs from scratch to factory-assisted, professionally run building programs. That means even if you don’t have a passion for driving rivets, you can still build your own airplane and enjoy all the benefits.
Airplane builders measure progress in hours. Some chip away an hour at a time every evening, and others go at it like a full-time job. So figuring out how long it will take to go from dream to first flight will depend on the type of aircraft you buy, how much experience you have, how much customization you do, and how much time you have to devote to the project.
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