Best homebuilt for ~700 nm commute

I have a firm opportunity to take a much higher paying job and expand
my education but taking the family might be difficult. If I have to
leave them I'd like to find some way to fly myself back and forth for
frequent visits for the 4-5 years I will be there. Flying commercial
is not an option as it is a 8-9 hour trip each way tied to carrier
schedules once driving to/from major carrier airports is included. I
know there are plenty of planes that can cruise in the 200+ range,
however, so flying myself would be an alternative as both locations
have airpots within 10 miles of town centers.

I only need to carry myself and minor luggage so passenger capacity
isn't a concern.

My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.

In investigating this, it looks like a Cozy/Aerocanard is going to be
the way to go. With a 1000 mile range, service ceilings approaching
class A and greater than 200 mph cruise I can't find anything else
that matches this in an affordable package to build. As I have past
experience as an auto mechanic, being able to work on the plane to
keep costs down is important so I'm going to have to go with something
I build myself.

Are there any good alternatives outside the canard family?

es330td wrote:

My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.


Vans RV-7 - http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm

Vans RV-8 also meets the speed and range requirements but as a tandem
may not have enough panel space for IFR.

Mustang II - http://www.mustangaero.com/Mustang%20II/MustangII.html

Lancair Legacy FG - http://www.lancair.com/Main/legacy.html

On Jul 7, 1:48�am, es330td wrote:

Are there any good alternatives outside the canard family?

Check out the Tango 2 at www.teamtango.com. The standard
configuration carries 58 gallons which will give you an approximate
1,100 nm ifr range at 175-180 KTAS. You can go with the 90 gallon
full wet wing and make your 1,400 nm round trip without refueling, or
fly LAX-to-JAX nonstop if you can stand it. Useful load is 800lb or
1,000 with the wet wing. Basically, it will carry what ever you can
pack in for luggage. I have an older version with 40 gallon tanks and
consider 750 nm a comfortable day vfr range, no wind. I have several
trips over 800 nm, with some tail wind, burning 33-35 gallons. The
owner of the first wet wing airplane has one trip of 1,540 nm on 65
gallons.
I just passed 1,550 hours in my airplane, N99GE, using it
primarily for business trips, many matching your profile. I average
about 7.5 gallons per hour, switch on to switch off. I routinely
operate off a grass strip.
The panel is big enough to put in about anything you want or can
afford. Our EFIS 1200 has been popular. We are currently fitting up
the first airplane with Precise Flight speed brakes, which been a
perfect fit. We are testing an affordable laser horizon line, like
the SR-71 used to have. I am now flying with our new plenum chamber
for engine cooling, which is working almost too well, giving CHTs in
the low 300s. Autopilots are optional.

Denny Funnemark
Team Tango

On Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:11:39 +1000, Michael Henry
wrote:

es330td wrote:

My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.


Vans RV-7 - http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm

Vans RV-8 also meets the speed and range requirements but as a tandem
may not have enough panel space for IFR.

Mustang II - http://www.mustangaero.com/Mustang%20II/MustangII.html

Lancair Legacy FG - http://www.lancair.com/Main/legacy.html




Thorp T18 !!!!

On Jul 7, 8:17Â*am, denny wrote:
On Jul 7, 1:48�am, es330td wrote:



Are there any good alternatives outside the canard family?

Â* Â* Â*Check out the Tango 2 atwww.teamtango.com. Â*The standard
configuration carries 58 gallons which will give you an approximate
1,100 nm ifr range at 175-180 KTAS. Â*You can go with the 90 gallon
full wet wing and make your 1,400 nm round trip without refueling, or
fly LAX-to-JAX nonstop if you can stand it. Â*Useful load is 800lb or
1,000 with the wet wing. Â*Basically, it will carry what ever you can
pack in for luggage. Â*I have an older version with 40 gallon tanks and
consider 750 nm a comfortable day vfr range, no wind. Â*I have several
trips over 800 nm, with some tail wind, burning 33-35 gallons. Â*The
owner of the first wet wing airplane has one trip of 1,540 nm on 65
gallons.
Â* Â* Â*I just passed 1,550 hours in my airplane, N99GE, using it
primarily for business trips, many matching your profile. Â*I average
about 7.5 gallons per hour, switch on to switch off. Â*I routinely
operate off a grass strip.
Â* Â* Â*The panel is big enough to put in about anything you want or can
afford. Â*Our EFIS 1200 has been popular. Â*We are currently fitting up
the first airplane with Precise Flight speed brakes, which been a
perfect fit. Â*We are testing an affordable laser horizon line, like
the SR-71 used to have. Â*I am now flying with our new plenum chamber
for engine cooling, which is working almost too well, giving CHTs in
the low 300s. Â*Autopilots are optional.

Denny Funnemark
Team Tango

This looks like a great plane and well within my idea of a reasonable
budget with full IFR avionics installed. Reading your review really
piqued my interest; I grew up in San Antonio, TX, within sight
distance of the flight patterns for Randolph AFB where the T-38s flew
while I was growing up. I loved watching them fly and while I will
never get to fly a T-38/F-5 the fact that someone who has thinks so
highly of this plane definitely makes me interested in the Tango 2.

es330td wrote:
My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.

Michael Henry wrote:
Vans RV-7 - http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm
Vans RV-8 also meets the speed and range requirements but as a tandem
may not have enough panel space for IFR.

I would recommend a Van's RV for several reasons:
- excellent builder support along your route (RV builders area
everywhere)
- excellent aircraft for high-speed cruise, low fuel consumption,
low-airspeed takeoffs and landings at short fields, providing more
options

On Jul 7, 2:04*pm, John Smith wrote:
es330td wrote:
My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. *I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.

*Michael Henry wrote:

Vans RV-7 -http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm
Vans RV-8 also meets the speed and range requirements but as a tandem
may not have enough panel space for IFR.

I would recommend a Van's RV for several reasons:
- excellent builder support along your route (RV builders area
everywhere)
- excellent aircraft for high-speed cruise, low fuel consumption,
low-airspeed takeoffs and landings at short fields, providing more
options

IIRC, there are more RV's out there than any other homebuilt. Before I
posted I checked out the -7 but was a little concerned about the
range. According to AIRNAV, the distance between my airports of
interest is 684 nm direct and my path takes me through/around the
general aviator's Hell that is Hartsfield-Jackson. They aren't always
accomodating to GA IFR pilots and will route you all over the place.
Depending on whether I am coming or going, if I am VFR I can just
cancel and fly under the class B or file a pop-up IFR but if I have to
take off or land in IMC I have to let them send me where they will.
With a 775 sm range at 75% power on the -7 I start running into
problems of getting low on fuel and pushing into my reserve if the
flight encounters any kind of rerouting. I can, of course, slow down
but now I start getting over 4 hours and given that a lot of my flying
would be early evening I'd rather not push myself.

I'm not scratching any reasonable plane off my list just yet; in fact,
this doesn't become viable until I get my IFR ticket which is at least
a year off. It doesn't hurt to start educating myself because I can
always start building even before I am ready for cross country
commuting.

"es330td" == es330td writes:
es330td As I have past
es330td experience as an auto mechanic, being able to work on the
es330td plane to keep costs down is important so I'm going to
es330td have to go with something I build myself.

Just curious, any build will take a year or two at least, will you
have time for this living away from home?
--
Mom always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew
up, 'within reason.' When I asked her what she meant by 'within
reason,' she said, 'You ask a lot of questions for a garbage
man.'
- Jack Handey

"es330td" wrote

IIRC, there are more RV's out there than any other homebuilt. Before I
posted I checked out the -7 but was a little concerned about the
range.

Hey, it's called experimental for a reason. You can add extra fuel
capacity, yourself. Tip tanks come to mind, since they can be added without
adding extra stress to the wing spar, or connections of the wing to the
plane. Well built ones could probably lower the stall speed, and possibly
add to the gross payload, too.
--
Jim in NC

On Mon, 7 Jul 2008 14:35:28 -0700 (PDT), es330td
wrote:

On Jul 7, 2:04*pm, John Smith wrote:
es330td wrote:
My mission requirements are a 700 nm range with reserve and a flight
time under 4 hours facing occasional IMC weather as I will be flying
between GA and east Texas. *I'd also prefer something with as low a
fuel burn as possible for cost savings.

*Michael Henry wrote:

Vans RV-7 -http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm
Vans RV-8 also meets the speed and range requirements but as a tandem
may not have enough panel space for IFR.

I would recommend a Van's RV for several reasons:
- excellent builder support along your route (RV builders area
everywhere)
- excellent aircraft for high-speed cruise, low fuel consumption,
low-airspeed takeoffs and landings at short fields, providing more
options

IIRC, there are more RV's out there than any other homebuilt. Before I
posted I checked out the -7 but was a little concerned about the
range. According to AIRNAV, the distance between my airports of
interest is 684 nm direct and my path takes me through/around the
general aviator's Hell that is Hartsfield-Jackson. They aren't always
accomodating to GA IFR pilots and will route you all over the place.
Depending on whether I am coming or going, if I am VFR I can just
cancel and fly under the class B or file a pop-up IFR but if I have to
take off or land in IMC I have to let them send me where they will.
With a 775 sm range at 75% power on the -7 I start running into
problems of getting low on fuel and pushing into my reserve if the
flight encounters any kind of rerouting. I can, of course, slow down
but now I start getting over 4 hours and given that a lot of my flying
would be early evening I'd rather not push myself.

I'm not scratching any reasonable plane off my list just yet; in fact,
this doesn't become viable until I get my IFR ticket which is at least
a year off. It doesn't hurt to start educating myself because I can
always start building even before I am ready for cross country
commuting.

have you ever realised that the fuel caps come off pretty easily.
you could refuel enroute :-)
it is not as though you are flying california to hawaii.

Stealth (easily overlooked) Pilot