On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:13:41 -0800 (PST), William Hung
I agree with you to a certain point. I think that there arepeople out
there who are better off having 'one made for them' than to have them
make it themselves. I know people will say, 'so let them get a
certified one!' Well... just well...

Wil

No doubt. I helped a friend about a year ago pick up a Glasair 2S kit
that had been partially built by a very untalented builder. What we
couldn't see during the inspection was that every single layup the guy
did was unsound. The entire project had to be delaminated and then
re-laminated. It ended up being more work than if it had been a new
kit. If he had finished it, it could have came apart in the air. The
previous builder must have done no surface prep at all before any of
his laminations. Even though it's called for. Buyer beware as they
say. I've also looked at finished projects at Lakeland and OSH that
were pro built, and I wasn't impressed with the glasswork. But pro
builders can't waste time perfecting things, or they'd take too long
to finish it. So the more hurried work shows in areas if you know what
to look for. Plus, pro builders make more money charging as they go,
rather than if they had to finish it with their own money, then sell
it. Most owners I've talked to that have had their planes
professionally built end up with more invested than if they had just
bought one outright, finished and flying. For a Glasair 3, it's
usually over $200K to have one pro built, for a plane that's sold on
the market in the $150K range, give or take depending on how nice it
is. So for the owner, he'll always end up upside down in his plane if
he writes a check to have it built. I guess it's worth it to some to
have it done the way they want it, and to remove the mystery of the
construction quality.