What's an RV-8?
The Airplane
The Van's RV-8 is a two-seat high-performance kit aircraft. A "kit aircraft" (also known as an Experimental Amateur Built aircraft) means that the builder (me) receives parts and components that are largely pre-fabricated, in the case of the RV-8, and require finishing work, fitting, and assembling. This will probably take something like 2,000 hours of build time to complete. Check out how close I am on The Stats page. It will cruise at about 200 mph, go about 1,000 miles on a tank of gas, and takeoff in a little bit over the length of a football field with incredible climb performance. The RV-8 is also aerobatic rated to +6/-3 g, so I can do loops and rolls the whole way. The RV-8 will carry about 800 lbs of people, fuel, and cargo. The RV-8 is an extremely nimble and exciting aircraft, and will probably be as close to flying or owning a fighter jet as I'll get.
Why Build?
The cost of a new, certified aircraft is extremely high. Take for example the Aviat Husky. This aircraft is not necessarily intended for the same mission, but it is a small, single engine, tandem, two-seat aircraft like mine will be. A new Husky will set you back more than $300,000 and if you want fancy avionics and some nice additional features, that price will be more like $400,000. I intend to build my airplane for less than a quarter of that, and I will get to have a nice cockpit with the newest and greatest avionics that rival what modern airliners have. Sure, some of the cost difference comes from spending my time instead of money. However, aircraft parts and equipment for certified aircraft are much more expensive due to regulatory reasons and the years of paperwork associated with certifying airplanes and airplane equipment. Many of the components marked as "experimental" that I will use for my plane come from the same manufacturers and even the same assembly lines that the certified equipment does, mine just might not have the same sticker. I'll also be able to fund the aircraft as I buy the different sub-kits over the course of 5 years or so, which lessens the financial blow.
Looks the same, right?
I am also building my own aircraft because it doubles as an investment in my education. It will surely make me a better engineer and give me a more versatile skill set. There are a lot of choices that must be made throughout the course of the build such as power-plant, propeller, avionics, and much more. This not only allows me to custom build a flying machine that fits my needs (wants?), but also gives me first hand experience with systems integration and the trade-offs associated with design choices. Building an aircraft will certainly make me better at designing them.
Lastly, the versatility and handling of an experimental aircraft, at least in the case of the RV-8, can't be beat. There is no certified aircraft on the market that compares to the fun and utility of this plane, let alone anywhere in the price range.