Hey guys
Ever since I've been little I always wanted to be a pilot. Soon I will begin taking flying lessons (even though FSX has done most of it) and we've been told its cheaper to own a plane instead of renting. My dad is interested in buying an LSA or light sports aircraft. He has at his job a Kitfox and I saw it online and thought it was a viable option. Especially being since I could only get my private pilots next year. I thought why not buy the Kit and assemble it (a few hours each day) and it should take around 166-250 some odd days to put together. I could then use the remaining for the training and when its my birthday again I could get the private pilot's license. Do you guys think that that is a good idea? And what would be better the Rotax 912s (100hp) or the IO240?

If you are looking at buying and your primary goal is to fly and get your pilot's license, then you need to buy a flying aircraft. If your goal is to learn as much as possible about all aspects of aviation and you would be okay if you didn't get to start flight training right away, then you should build a kit.


First, to address buying an airplane. Generically, the tipping point for whether it is "cheaper" to own rather then rent is 100 hours per year. That will vary depending on what two airplanes your are comparing. For owning a Kitfox vs renting a 152 it might be a little less, but 100 hr/yr is a good number to work with.

If you have the time and money to fly twice a week and get all you training done in one shot (which is the best way to do it), then it might make sense to buy. Or if two people are going to use it for training, each flying at least once a week, then that might make sense too. Keep in mind that you are not just paying for the airplane and gas but also regular maintenance, unscheduled maintenance, hangar or tie-down, insurance, future engine overhaul, etc. I'm not trying to scare you away from the idea, I actually own an airplane and have been incredibly satisfied with the experience, but it only works if you have realistic expectations going into it.


As far as building, I haven't done that, but I know a lot of people that have built or are building. The people I know are mostly building RVs or things similar, nothing quite so small as a Kitfox. Most people who are serious about building will finish a kit in about 4 years. If you get an RV and get all the quick build options and are seriously committed to working on it, you might get that down to a year and a half. I don't know much about the Kitfox kit. It looks like a pretty simple build and there are a couple of quick build options. Who knows, maybe a young guy without a lot of responsibilities or commitments might be able to plow through it in a year, but you'd have to be incredibly dedicated to it. I really don't know though, it'd be wroth spending some time on the Kitfox forums to get a better idea from some people who have actually built them.

That being said, once your kit is complete, the first thing that will need to happen is flight test. If you wanted to do that yourself, well then you'll already need to have a pilot's license, which would defeat the purpose of building it to get your license in. Otherwise, you'll need find someone to fly the testing phase for you before you can start your training. Again, I'm not trying to discourage you. Building a kit would be an incredible experience and you would do a massive amount of learning in the process, but you have to know what you are getting yourself into. In the end it all comes down to what your priorities are.