Thinking About Selling My Beck

The itch to build an airplane has become a rash, but I will need the cash and the garage space presently being displaced by my beloved Speedy. According to Carey's website, cost to replace would run over $40K, so if I sell it's highly unlikely I will ever have another. Can anyone advise as to present market conditions for a higher-end Speedster? It's nicely done and has fewer than 4000 miles on it. If the market is soft I'll definitely wait and perhaps enjoy another summer. However, that will be tough on me since the airplane thing is now a constant distraction.
Can anyone here talk me in off the ledge?

Absolutely. In two words!

John Denver.

Or Steve Whitman (Whitman Tailwind....Whitman field in Oshkosh named after him) or Chris Beachner (Beachner V-8 special), both killed in airplanes of their own construction, just to name a couple. I entertained the thought of building also but decided to keep my fun in only two dimensions. Much safer.

John Denver forgot to switch fuel tanks and gravity came a call'n ~

Yeah, I guess you're right. 80mph in a fiberglass car with no side impact protection, no airbags, little crumple room is much safer than an airplane. Most light aircraft fatalities are the result of pilot error such as flying in bad weather, flying beyond your capabilities, not doing what you were taught to do, too much air in the fuel tank, etc. Van's Aircraft has a line of well-designed kitplanes stretching back 35 years or so. I have over 650 hours in single-engine airplanes and if my number comes up, well, I'd rather go that way than sitting on the couch. The decision here isn't about flying but rather to give up one toy that I enjoy for one that I really have a passion for.

Rich, I was joking. They didn't make one Speedster and quit! Chances are, you'll be able to get another one with the proceeds from your plane whenever you get tired of it.
If you're kind enough to post build pictures here, i'd sure enjoy looming at 'em!

AH, John Kennedy Jr. Flew into a fog bank going to Martha's Vineyard, not instrument rated, up was down, not pretty.

So does anyone have a feel for the market? Should I hold off for a year until folks feel more comfortable spending money again?

Rich, even though your car won't command as much in this economy, everything is relative.
I'm sure the airplane market is soft as well.

If ya really want to do this, wait 'till Spring and list it on Ebay with what you want as a reserve. There's some people out there spending. For a 4 yr. old Beck IMO you should be able to fetch something north of 20k.

~WB

Rich, I was going to build one of Van's RV series, an RV-4, as I liked the look of it and the mititary seating. I got married, had kids, then bought my Spyder kit and shortly after got divorced. Then I went balls to the wall building it. I still get to drive the snot out of it.

I have thought about the Sonex company, specifically the Waiex, a smaller all-aluminum kit. Kind of like a 3/4 scale RV-6, but with a better performance envelope. It can be powered by a much-modified VW type1 or an experimental Jabiru 6 from down under(it may be certified, can't remember). It all comes down to time. Time to build and also time to fly. You really need to able to spend a LOT of time actually flying a high performance aircraft, even moreso than a production aircraft. Your safety depends on it.

RE John Deutschendorf or whatever his real name was. He did not fuel the plane, after 2 separate individuals told him to. Also, the fuel selector was placed in the rear seat of his Long EZ. He didn't build it, he bought it used. His death was his own fault, he didn't listen to people that were trying to help him, but maybe he wanted to die. We'll never know. The NTSB report is available online if you're interested.

Rich, I am continuing to mod my Spyder and am starting on a 911 project this year to keep my creative/mechanical itch at bay. Good luck whatever you do. If you do build a plane, I would be interested in progress reports and pictures. What are you thinking of building?

Rich, I have followed the Speedster market in the West on SearchTempest.com which allows you to see many CraigsList locations without the usual hassle. Every seller seems to be holding to their price with no apparent sales in months. Ebay and Samba seem to have the same activity level.

Yesterday I lost two dear friends; my dentist and a oral surgeon who was a tennis playing buddy and his 12 & 15 year old daughters when the Oral Surgeon's Bonanza crashed on the way to the Arkansas Razorbacks game in Fayetteville, AR. It was IFR so it was likely a stall/spin deal. Real tragedy for this little town. They don't call the Bonanzas "forked tail doctor killers for nothing!

10 Years ago I totalled a cherry Cessns 172 after 3 missed approaches in IMC at Charlotte. Damned near totaled my wife Alice who spent 75 days in a Charlotte hospital. She is now fine except for some TBI ---I was fine.

I loved flying and flew 2 planes we owner all over the country. Got my license at Van Nuys in 1977.

My toy now is my Speedster and compared to flying, even with the safety challenges of a plastic car I feel infinitely safer driving it than private flying. I drive like I ride a motorcycle---very cautious; no one gets close to me and I take no chances.

Your mileage may vary but I'm just sayin'

Reasons for keeping the speedster as it is the ultimate "multi-function" vehicle:

1) It's like a boat; when it rains, the damn thing fills up with water.

2) It's like a plane; get going fast enough and the front end climbs for the sky.

3) In cold weather you can use it as a refrigerator.

4) In hot weather you can bake cookies in it.

5) It's like a psycho-therapist; In time it will pull every emotion out of you and leave you smiling and crying simultaneously.

6) It's like a mistress; over time it'll cost you a fortune in bobbles and trinkets and your wife will refer to it as the "other woman".

7) ...

I'm looking at the RV-12. It is certified in the Light Sport category which is limited to Day VFR. It is a very (relatively) easy build as there is very little fabrication. Assemble it per the detailed instructions and it automatically meets the requirements for Experimental Light Sport certification. Low stall speed, docile handling, very stable. Unlike the other Vans planes, this is a non-aerobatic, low-performance airplane for low and slow, mostly local flying. As Jack seems to have pointed out, IFR flying and cross-country gotta-get-there flying are the two major sources of fatalities.
I suppose ebay is the way to go. If I don't hit my reserve I enjoy another summer with the car.

Rich-Van's has a solid reputation. I once had the same bug to build one; not practical for me right now. Have you checked out the "STOL"-type aircraft. Incredible... see this - http://www.zenithair.com/ and there are some interesting videos on YouTube on these types (LSAs).

You never, ever get enough out of owning a speedster, I've had 15 and now on my first Spyder. A life long friend recently said:
"You change speedsters like you changed cars and girl friends back in high school". .... I'm guility as charged~

Mr Slater is right. Chris Heintz (Mr. Zenithair) led forums every year at Oshkosh and I suspect he still does. If you like low, slow VFR flying, you might consider checking out his product line.

I

Rich, With a few exceptions cars are soft right now, That is how I was able to score my T-bird for a reasonable price, how that affects the replica market I'm not sure since used speedy's are pretty easy to come by for basically small money..and most likely not affected..
I guess if you need every dime possible for your build now is not the time to try and get it....
Personally I try not to defy gravity...good luck to you...

Zenith is having a bit of a Toyota moment at this time.
http://www.kitplanes.com/news/news/9044-1.phtml

Rich and Danny

Rich - Unless you're retired, or laid off with a lot of money, you don't have the time to build an aircraft. I haven't done it, but a friend did. Can't remember the hours he spent, but it burned him out. He sold it a few hours later and some other fool crashed it. Give this a lot of thought before you commit. It is very time consuming to do it right. I've owned a 172, 182, Maule, and a Decathlon. Flying is fun, but very expensive. You cannot put off maintenance. I remain current by taking a local rental up every 90 days and do my thing. I still get my jollies, but it doesn't cost nearly as much. As far as dumping money into my Beck, well, we just won't go there.

Warren, the RV-12 is the first kit I have gotten serious about. It is pretty much a big erector set involving very little fabrication. Everything is pre-drilled. No jigs required. Pop rivets require little expertise. Very detailed instructions. A number of them are being built by first timers. I had a couple of A&P courses in college, so I do have some familiarity with the processes. The other beauty is removable wings allowing garage storage. No hangar/tiedown fees. You can perform your own maintenance. Unlike the other RVs, this one is not aerobatic but rather is very stable yet docile.
My son could earn his sport pilot license in the plane very cheaply. I don't know that I would fly enough to justify airplane ownership, but the build process is the big attraction and there is a market for these planes to the guy who doesn't have the $120k+ for a certified LSA. I have enough spare hours that I think this is one kit I could/would get done.

Rich - I certainly don't mean to discourage you because my friend got burned out, but I think you're right, his build took many, many hours. Good luck with that project and good luck selling your Beck. Beck's are a great car and yours should sell fairly quick. Post some photos.

Some photos in my profile. OR weather hasn't allowed for any driving or photo shoots lately.