RV-8 Cutaway

I missed Oshkosh this year and it’s driving me crazy. I think I need to build an airplane.

I hadn’t really looked that closely at Van’s Aircraft until recently. I think I’ve just had Lancair on the brain for too long. Being a big fan of Burt Rutan, composites just seemed the way to go.

But I’d never flown a composite aircraft until earlier this summer, when I got a checkout in a Flight Design CTSW.

It was a fun little plane, but to be honest, it just seemed a bit fragile, and with the ham-fisted way I usually land an airplane, I was afraid I’d break something sooner or later. ;)

Now don’t get me wrong, composites are cool, and I still think they represent the future of aircraft construction, but something about this RV-8 is just calling my name. Plus, with the way Van’s offers sub-kits instead of the whole hog, I can get started NOW, rather than waiting until I’m 50 — I like that idea.