These are not YOUR airplanes - Was: High Cost of Sportplanes

Evan,

I understand the point you are trying to make and your numbers are not
unreasonable.

However, just for the same of argument, what if the airframe parts, ready to
be assembled could be punched out for under $10,000? This is not
unreasonable considering that Van's can sell a kit for $15,000 and still
make a profit.

And what if the engine could be supplied for under $10,000 too? This too is
not unreasonable, considering you could buy a brand new PZL four-banger for
that much money for a number of years.

So now your total figure has dropped by $15,000 to $46,000. True this does
not leave a lot of profit margin, but you are getting very close to the
$50,000 factory-built airplane.

Regards,

Gordon.




"Evan Carew" wrote in message
...
Gordon,

Based on my back of the envelope analysis of the theoretical base price of
a 2 place aircraft, I think wishing for a plane costing less than 50K is
nothing more than a pipe dream. If you use the following numbers as a
guide, you'll see what I mean.

Airframe + instruments + basic engine + labor = theoretical base
price
20000 + 4000 + 15000 + ( 500 * 45 ) = 61500

Notice that this price doesn't include any profit, overhead costs or
insurance. Add those in, & you quickly get to a point where $80K looks
reasonable & $100K understandable.

As I've mentioned before, until the structural issues affecting cost
(labor & machined materials) are addressed with better up-front
engineering, these costs won't come down.

Evan