Buyer’s market for recreational flyers

Scott Spangler of Jetwhine is reporting that it is once again a buyer’s market for recreational flyers with “homebuilding” (which allows pilot-owners to build an aircraft one section at a time and thus spreads the investment cost over a period of time) along with sport pilot and light-sport aircraft seeing an upsurge not seen since the last big economic downturn in the early 1980s. For example, Scott reports that with Sonex Aircraft, getting a whole kit at once will cost:

$13,995 for the kit and $200 for dual sticks, for a subtotal of $14,195, plus a $150 crating charge, for a grand total of $14,345…. When you add the cost of the five Sonex sub-assemblies and plans, the total is $18,650, and the crating charges add another $525. But you don’t have to pay it all at once. The sub kits run from the $1,750 tail kit to the $6,300 wing kit, prices less likely to need financing.

(However, it should be noted that the $6,495 AeroVee 2.1 engine is NOT included in any of the kit prices)

Meanwhile, for owners who don’t wish to build their own aircraft, Scott also reports that it is a buyer’s market for light-sport aircraft with manufacturers like American Legend offering an “Aeronomic Stimulus” deal on its LSA Legend Cub for only US$99.9k.

With prices like these, now is obviously the best time in a generation to purchase an aircraft and in the words of Scott: “Leave the world’s problems below.”