Questions from a newbie.

Hi All:

I've held my private cirt for a year now, and it's time to stop
renting, or time to start the process of stopping. Homebuilding is an
option. Which kit? The more I look, the more I see. I'd really like to
hear what you builders have to say as to which kits I should look at.

After about two hrs of reading on the BD-4, I have to admit I kind of
like it. A conventional design, lots of build options, all metal ( I have
a full machine shop ), and can be built from plans and raw materials.
However, I can't say that I'm too impressed of what I have read of Jim
Bede's operations, and his other designs don't push my buttons. I can't
seem to find how many were built, and I have not taken the time to
research the FAA accident archive. Does anybody know how many were built,
accidents etc? Any BD-4 builders/operators out there?

What's involved in getting a cirt for your own design? What would stop
me from basing a design on the C-172? How different must it be to escape
copyright infringment?

Any pointers would be helpful.

--
Andrew