The other night, I was working on the cabin pressure manifold and realized that I needed an overhauled aircraft part in order to complete this assembly. I checked on a few websites and found the part at a very reasonable price. Once that was successfully assembled, I was able to complete the installation of all the dashboard avionic instruments. I was able to find a TCIS with a really slick looking screen, and I was able to get a brake assembly for cheap as well.
Building an aircraft has been largely difficult, and I’ve clocked in maybe 1000 hours into the build itself. Along the way, I had a small oil leak which I was able to repair within a few hours. I also had noticed that the wing was cracked. Some epoxy did the trick for that one. When I was performing my initial inspections, I noticed that the fuel line had a pressure leak. A little bit of repositioning and a zip tie did the trick for that one. At one point, the canopy release failed and I was stuck in the aircraft for a good 2 hours. I observed high oil temperatures, which I was able to solve with some coolant. I had it inspected by an FAA certified aircraft inspector and we were ready to roll!
Piloting an airplane is an amazing, exhilarating experience that I think everyone should encounter. For those who are tight on budget, buying a build kit is affordable and fun if you have the time to sit down and learn something new.