My name is Harry Artsvelian and I like to welcome you to our Van’s RV-14A construction site.

Here’s a little about me so you can understand why I am involved in General Aviation and why I am building an aircraft which in most people’s mind is a crazy idea and that it would make more sense to purchase one instead of building if I want an airplane.

Ever since I could remember I had a unique interest in airplanes. At a young age, I was building and flying model airplanes and participating in various championships. I’ve always liked building and repairing things.

When I was older, to everyone’s surprise I did not pursue any carrier opportunities in aviation. This was kind of unexpected to people who knew me well as they later admitted, but at the time no one hinted their surprise or expectation. I went into tech industry and became an IT administrator and a software engineer. I have no regrets about my carrier choice as it served me well and put a food on the table.

However, my interest in aviation never faded away and although I tried to drop the subject once and for all, the thought was always haunted me. I just learned to ignore it and get on with my life.

One day however all that has changed. It started when as a surprise birthday gift my wife setup a demo flight for me out of Burbank airport. I never flew in a small airplane before. When I was told about the gift I had a storm of emotions that were impossible to contain. I am usually not a guy that shows a lot of emotions (anger excluded 😊). But this was too much. I was happy, excited, but also scared to give place to complex emotions I tried so hard to suppress over the years. For the longest time, I tried really hard to bury my feelings about aviation for number of reasons; expense, being away from home, hard to maintain family life, not the right time, dangers… but the truth is, all those were just excuses. I was terrified of the commitment. Getting into aviation is not just a carrier or a hobby. Even if you get into General Aviation as a hobby, it is not like a weekend bike ride that you can go for once in a while. It is a way of life. A lifelong commitment. A serious stuff, where you alter not only yours but also the life of those around you. To be a safe pilot, both for you, for the family and for the general population you own them a consistency. You owe them to continuously learn and improve your skills through reading, club and community meetings, FAA safety seminars and of course frequent flying. It’s a joy, don’t get me wrong, but still, a commitment regardless.

Moving forward with the story, the day of the demo flight came. I went to Burbank airport along with my wife and our then five-year-old son. I’ve never been in the cockpit and just seeing Cessna 152 up close was already an excitement beyond any words I can describe with. After the instructor completed the pre-flight we took off. Once we were airborne he handed over the controls, pointed to general direction of the mountains and said “That way”. I looked at him and thought “either this guy is crazy or suicidal. What was I thinking to get on this plane with a complete stranger who’s name I can’t even remember?” But I got to tell you the experience was incredible. The view was breathtaking. Mountains were ahead of us; the city of Burbank was right beneath us. I was really excited when we turned and headed toward Pasadena. Once my initial fear was gone I was dreaded for the moment when he would say it’s enough, let’s go back. I was enjoying every second of it. So, I welcomed any chance to lengthen our flight. It was mind-blowing to fly over Pasadena and Rose Bowl (now I know why it is called Rose Bowl). Then we turned around and flew over Griffith Park and Hollywood sign, over LAX and down to shoreline. Flew over Malibu and Santa Monica. I’ll say it again, the view was breathtaking, the experience was unmatched. It is hard to describe the feeling to anyone who’s never been in a cockpit of a small plane. There is a world that you can’t see any other way besides out of GA plane’s cockpit. The large commercial airliners are great for moving us around, but their small, round windows over 35,000 feet altitude don’t really paint the picture.

Needless to say, after this experience I could not contain my love of aviation anymore. Although it still took a while for me to get into flying I was working toward it. Finally, fall of 2011 my friend Vahan and I took the Ground School at Glendale Community College in Glendale, CA. Then we went on and took the flight lessons at GCC’s hangar with the two Cessna 172’s they had at the time. I believe they expanded their fleet by one more plane now. Taking the flight training at GCC was a great choice for me because I wasn’t rushing to get my license, but semester long course allowed ample amount time for the information to sync in. Finally, a year later I had my brand new Private Pilot license. I joined JPL’s flight club and have been flying since.

Soon however I noticed that something is still missing. True, flying was great but part of me still wanted to put together my own airplane. Why? Well, beside the fact that I like building things and enjoy the process (this is probably the primary reason) there is also financial/safety aspect of it. This sounds crazy but stay with me for a sec and I’ll explain.

True that you probably can purchase an old but fairly good Cessna 172 for half or maybe even 1/3 of the price of the kit. But there are two issues with it.

1.   You are not allowed to do a maintenance on your airplane (well, besides very limited list of tasks outlined in FAR) and all equipment on the aircraft must be certified which is much more expensive. And I have to tell you the maintenance is not cheap. Even if there is nothing wrong with an airplane you are still mandated to do annual and 100-hour maintenance. These are the minimal maintenance requirements but there are even more depending on the equipment you have on board and what you use the aircraft for. The A&P charges an arm and a leg for each of these maintenance (rightfully). And if A&P finds something wrong during the maintenance, which they usually do, now add the cost of the parts and labor. By the way in most cases you can’t fly without the identified completion of work because most probably now your aircraft is deemed not airworthy and grounded. So, although your upfront cost was low, you annually pay a lot more and most probably in few years you will find that the cost of ownership outweighs the joy it brings. The aircraft you were so excited about during the purchase becomes a burden and you will end up getting rid of it soon.

However, when you build your own aircraft, you will be the “manufacturer”, allowing you to get repairman’s certificate and you can do your own maintenance and you will determine yourself based on your limitations on what you can do versus what you should allow A&P to do, instead of regulations dictating it.

2.   The second issue is the airplane you purchase is probably very old and ran down. The airplane you get for 30,000-50,000 will not be a new one. It will probably have old, sometimes mismatched avionics and generally unwelcoming aircraft. Add to that not knowing the history of the aircraft. Did they had any rough landings or incidents that are not reported? How much was the aircraft abused?

By the way, all these are also true if you rent an aircraft. You don’t really know what you get into when stepping inside of a rental aircraft.

Building your own aircraft will be brand new and customized to your taste. From the choice of the engine, down to the last avionic switch you will install in your cockpit. Do you want leather seats? XM Satellite radio in your aircraft? Knock yourself out!

3.   And of course, there is always the bragging right. And what a right it is! You can’t go around and find too many people that have aircraft parked in their garage that they built with their own hands. So, when you complete building your own aircraft and take to the first flight, I dare you not to have that proud grin on your first landing and when exiting that cockpit.

Now, with all these said, why RV-14A? Click here to find out what was I thinking.

Blue skies everyone!