Buying a Project Plane

Some tips on buying a Project Plane:

(1) Buy a plane made in the great post WWII airplane boom...1946 was a great year for light planes.  Thousands of sturdy, docile little civilian planes were produced at this time.  They all followed the same formula: fabric covered taildraggers with plenty of wing, sturdy wing struts, no electrical system, and powered by the famous, classic, super reliable Continental A-65 engine.  Piper, Aeronca, and Taylorcraft are some of the better known brands.  Through the years these wonderful old airplanes have been extremely well maintained, as an aircraft must be, and thousands are still available at very modest prices.

I recommend the Taylorcraft (Photo 1).  The T-Craft is a great bargain.  Although prices are trending upward, project planes are currently selling for less than $10,000.   (I bought an all-there T-Craft project two years ago for $8000 that included a 0-time Continental engine)    The Taylorcraft is known for its docile, beginner-friendly flying qualities and its simple low-tech construction is ideal for home shop restoration.

(2) Buy a non-flying project.  You'll be tempted to buy a flying-but-needs-restoration bird...but you'll pay twice as much for it and get maybe a year or two, at most, of flying before you have to tear it down for rebuild.  Get a plane that's been in storage for a few years and use the money you save to give her a first class restoration!

(3) Go get it yourself.  Don't attempt to have your project shipped to you.  A car trailer can easily transport a light plane with the wings off.  (Photo 2)  If you're only going a short distance, you can even tow the plane on its own wheels. (Photo 3)  You'll save a bundle by acting as your own trucker, and when you go to pick up your project you can be certain to get ALL the parts.

(4) On any given day, dozens of projects are available online at eBay, Barnstormers and at Trade-A-Plane.  Also, a good source of project planes are type clubs like the Taylorcraft Foundation and local EAA chapters.

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