Well, here goes...
Long, long ago in a land far away, I made a conscious decision to build my own aircraft. I obtained my pilot's license and tailwheel rating at the Palo Alto Airport in California; I flew whenever I could manage it, and did some serious planning/dreaming. At first, I was intent on building an Avid Amphibian, as owning an amphibian aircraft seemed a very attractive option, in terms of both recreation and safety. As the dream evolved over the years, with the decline of Avid Aircraft and the rapid growth of Van's Aircraft, I changed my aircraft of choice to the RV-8. It is a well-proven and very popular design with tandem seating, reminiscent of the WWII fighter & trainer aircraft I've loved all my life.
As is the case with many dreams and goals, it was (and is) compromised by the demands of everyday life as a husband and father, and for a long time it remained only a dream. Then, in 2000, I was able to retire early and moved to a more rural setting in a wonderful location near Redding, California, where I would create the homestead of my dreams... including a huge guest house with shop and garage space that was designed specifically for the creation of my aircraft. I purchased my Vans promo pack/pre-plans kit in 2001, and although very busy with other endeavors, I never really stopped trying to inch my way closer to my dream...
Life is full of unexpected turns, and in 2008 I had to leave my beloved homestead and return to Michigan, where I was born and raised. I was fortunate enough to remain both solvent and retired, and since then I've been preparing this newest home for the continuing pursuit of my dream. I have a large detached garage/shop that I am gradually outfitting for the purpose of construction, and added an attached garage to the main house to make it easier for my wife and I to deal with winter weather, and to make it easier to make the detached shop a dedicated work space. I've converted one small area to a wood shop/paint booth, and I've finished off another large room, adding built-in workbenches and flourescent lighting. When I had the attached garage built, I put in heating, and ran an extension gas line to the shop so that I can eventually install gas heaters out there, allowing me to work year-round.
Of course, normal life (or in my case, a somewhat unusal life) demands my attention as much as it always did, and financial considerations don't quite allow me to purchase any Vans RV-8 components just yet... but lately my enthusiasm and dedication to my dream has grown in leaps and bounds. To that end, I've increased my research on the topic, and in the process I've come across several builder's blogs here... most notably Flyin' Bryan's RV-8 Adventure. I've always known I wanted to document my build with a blog and notes, and thought this might be the ideal way to do that. Although I don't expect to be able to start really building until 2016, there are plenty of things I can do now... and that includes starting this blog. So here I am.
My blogs here in the near future will cover some more of my aviation background, my past and current paint schemes for my own RV-8, the ongoing evolution of my working space, acquisition of tooling and other aviation-related topics. So watch this space, as I share my efforts to turn my homebuilt dream into a flying reality!
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