New Builder from Utah

[muleyman78]

Hello and thank you in advance for your help. I am a pilot out of KSLC in Utah. I am a general contractor and we build homes and cell phone towers. I had invested in a company that built Tiny homes and long story short the company went under and I was left with several new or unfinished Tiny homes. I advertised locally that I would trade a home for a STOL plane. I was contacted by a gentlemen that offered to trade me his 4 place kit with wings finished along with a o-470 M with low hours for one of my homes. My question to you all is can I do this on construction knowledge? Is there anything I should know going into the build that may have deterred you from building? Thanks again!

[TrueAirSpeed]

Check your PMs.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Absolutely! As a matter of fact, your contractor skills give you a great advantage. There are a few aviation things you’ll learn about as you go, but I think you’ll enjoy the process. Welcome aboard!

[Archer39J]

Perhaps more of a mindset than anything. If you're willing to learn, have good attention to detail and good problem solving skills then there shouldn't be anything in your way. People from all walks of life and professions build planes. There's a good instruction manual here: http://bearhawkaircraft.com/kit-builder-manuals/ And the beartracks articles at: https://bearhawk.tips/ are a must read in my opinion and they're working on an updated manual too. There's the resource of this forum which is invaluable, ask any question and people are happy to discuss and help. Mark Goldberg (owner of AviPro that builds the kits) is extremely helpful and also an invaluable resource.

Basically there's a lot of help from an awesome community out there if you need it, and as a general contractor you're probably more than well enough equipped. Hope you pull the trigger and join the club!

[whee]

You can totally do it but you'll have to learn a few new skills. I think the deal sounds like a bargain unless you are wanting to fly right now. It will be a several year project.

There's a couple BH builders in your area that might be able to offer some local assistance should the need arise. I'm a few hours north and try my best to avoid SLC but I pass through several times a year.

[Flygirl1]

The best thing you can do to get to the flying stage is understand the commitment and commit. That was the thing the almost kept me from the purchase. It’s a big deal and in order to finish necessary. You obviously like to build things, so I wouldn’t imagine it will be too hard for you to learn the new skills needed. I don’t build things and I don’t like to build things, but most of the time, I enjoyed the process and the thought of first flight kept me going. Good Luck, have fun and welcome to the club. Patrol N241BP

[kbstone13]

If you decide not to take the deal I’d be interested in talking with the builder about his kit!