Saturday, March 30, 2024

Kit Airplane: Airframe Arrived!

The airframe kit for my Zenith CH-650B has arrived. 12'x4'x3' crate that weighed 680 pounds; picking it up from the distribution center...

Removing the top...

Underneath the packing paper...

I emptied out most of the heavy stuff, then some neighbors graciously help me move the crate inside...

I also went through and ensured everything had arrived on the packing list...


I ordered the tool kit with the airframe...


And this is why I went with an experimental. "Certified" aviation part for several hundred dollars? Or what has worked in millions of cars for many decades for a tenth the cost?


The most egregious difference I've seen with this has been avionics.
A 10.6" Garmin G3X Touch for Experimental Aircraft? $4,995.00
A 10.6" Garmin G3X Touch for Certificated Aircraft? $11,895.00

Parts for the vertical stabilizer / rudder are out and ready to be assembled (as well as a few for the horizontal stabilizer that will be constructed next).


I actually already built a vertical stabilizer, but I want to do it again as I think I'll do a better job the second time and it will help me re-familiarize myself with the process (drawings, instructions) with something I've done before. The old rudder can hang from my shop wall!