The RV-14A

Van's has been the backbone of homebuilt aviation for decades. More of their RVs fly than almost any other kit design, which buys you a deep community, mature plans, and an answer to just about every question you'll hit at 2 a.m. in the garage. That track record matters a lot when you're betting years of your life on actually finishing.

The 14A is the sweet spot for what I want to do. Two seats, so I can bring someone along. Real cross-country speed, so the airport tour is a joy instead of a chore. Aerobatic-capable, because why not. And the "A" is the nosewheel version, which is the friendlier setup for the mixed-field flying and passenger-hauling I have in mind.

It's all metal, which suits me fine. Aluminum is forgiving, inspectable, repairable - you can see what you built. And the modern kits come pre-punched and heavily documented, which is what turns "impossible" into "methodical."

Same way I approach software. Understand the system, work in bounded steps, verify before you move on, keep an honest record. An airplane is maker-checker taken to its logical end - every step gets inspected, and "looks done" doesn't count until someone signs it off. When the failure mode is falling out of the sky, you run the checklist.

Quick-build or standard, engine, avionics, a real timeline - I'll sort all of that as I go, and document it here. The sub-builds, the mistakes, the tools, the wins. If you've built one, I want to hear from you.