Getting there

June 2000 I earned a Private Pilot License and called an insurance broker for a quote on the homebuilt plane I wanted to build. The quote was nearly $10,000/year. Ouch. The only solution for this problem is either pay the money or get more experience.

Aircraft ownership although expensive is much cheaper if: You fly enough, have some clue as to how mechanical things work and are willing to get you hands dirty.

April 2001 I along with a partner buy a 1953 Piper Pacer. I log 15 hours and my partner ground loops(wrecks) it and it is considered a total loss. I did have the foresight to insure it for $4,000 more than we paid so we actually made money on the deal but still I'm back at square one with no plane.

I go back to renting a Citibria for the next year.

9-11-01 6 AM, I depart the DC Area in a rented 172 for Ocean City, NJ to pick up my French Cousin and Her friend. We depart Ocean City at 8:30 AM and head back to DC. Georgous day, cold and windy but not a cloud in the sky. Due to the headwind it's 1:45 back to DC and coming across the Chesapeake Bay I start talking to the controllers at Baltimore. It's 10 AM, one of the controllers asks an airliner "did you hear what happened?" they respond, "We heard it on the AM, We heard it was an American." Many Airliners have the capability to listen to AM radio. Baltimore controllers hand me off to Andrews controllers and I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. 20 minutes from College park my portable GPS stopped working. I started the timer and maintained heading to College Park. While flying I saw a narrow column of smoke across the Potomac and thought nothing of it. When I landed the airport manager filled me in on the happenings of the past 1:45.

Not much flying for a while.

I fill my time Working on a friend's homebuilt RV-8 learning the tricks of the trade.

March 2002 a new partner and I purchase a 1950 Cessna 170A. This plane cost exactly twice what the Pacer costs. one year later and my taste in airplanes has doubled. Ouch!

This plane turns out to be a real workhorse. East to fly and reliable. Not fast but I'm trying to gain experience here. Hours of logged time mean experince.

December of 2003, While working at the Centennial of flight celebration in Kitty Hawk, NC I fax in my order for the first parts of my RV-8. My friend that had been building for 7 years has finished his and it's time for me to start mine. At this point I have the experience to build the plane but don't quite have the flight time to get reasonable insurance: now the insurance quote is $3500/year. Not bad but still expensive.