It wasn't soon after I started flying that I dreamed of one day owning an airplane. I trained in a Cessna 172 and had flown the Piper Arrow as well as a Citabria. I knew I wanted something modern with advanced avionics and was very interested in the Cirrus and the Columbia (now Cessna 350/450), but I also loved flying low and slow. Getting my tailwheel endorsement in the Citabria also opened my eyes to the joy of landing on grass strips and short runways. What I wanted was a plane that could still cruise fast but land short. It would also be great to have something special, not a plane everyone had.
Maybe I could buy an old Cessna 180 and update it. Maybe a Maul, or some other tail dragger that had speed and G1000 panel. The more I looked, the less I found in the certified category that fit the bill. I also realized that I wasn't going to take three other people flying with me. I can barely get anyone in my family to come ( just my daughter is interested) so do I really need 4 seats? So, it's really just for me and a buddy now and then. That's when I started looking at the Sportsman.
The Sportsman has it all. Speed, flexibility (trike or conventional gear set up) and a panel that is better that most certified planes. Compared to new certified planes, the Sportsman can be had for a lot less money with greater performance and a more advanced design. And look at that panel! But could I take two weeks off to build one? That looked like so much fun and as an engineer, it would have been a great experience. I took a trip out to Arlington and seriously consider it. But, I started thinking that just getting it to taxi, while a huge time saver compared to building one at home, was still just the first step in getting a airworthiness certificate, test flying, painting, etc. So I put the idea off and thought maybe I find one for sale. One that has low time, professionally built and a great paint job. Maybe.
Sure enough. I hit the jackpot. Now, realize that these aren't the best of economic times and I had lost a lot of money in the market over the last six months, but this plane is one beautiful bird! I always looked on Controller.com, Trade-a-Plane, for a Sportsman but found N9GZ on ebay ( a great site to see some neat planes). I had seen pictures of it on the internet so I knew of it before, but I was shocked to actually see it available! Could I actually own this great looking plane?
For those of you who have ever bought an airplane (especially an experimental), you probably know what I went through. The doubt, the questioning of your sanity, the thrill, the worry, the unknown, etc. Is this really the right time to buy a plane? Ahh, screw it. I began to realize that I liked the plane, and if I didn't do it now, I probably would never do it. And there are many reasons not to own a plane, but I flew every week and I wanted the freedom of flying whenever and wherever I wanted. And this plane had everything I wanted; the big engine, the full glass panel, the tailwheel kit, a cover, and float mounts ready to go. And that paint job. She's a real looker.. It's hard to walk away from this one.
The guy I bought it from was a great guy who was meticulous. I flew done to Asheville, NC to look it over and was not disappointed. It was everything I expected and more. Even though I had only an hour or so in the company plane out at the factory, I had no problem adjusting to flying the plane. At first, I flew from the right seat because I was so used to flying with my right had in the Citabria, but I eventually got comfortable flying in the left when I flew it home. The only other adjustment was figuring out the Advanced Flight Systems EFIS. Again, the flight home gave me plenty of time to work on that. The plane is easy to fly, with little adverse yaw and no surprises in a stall (it's very gentle).
I used AIC title service which was great. They handled everything and the seller was very helpful throughout the whole process. I can't say enough good things about him. It was tough for him to sell his baby but I told him it will get the kid glove treatment from me. The deal was done and a month later, my friend Lou and I flew it back on May 31, 2009.
