 Steve Hurlbuts RV-7A I would like to share with you my RV-7A, the second Ive finished. Completed in 2006, it flew for two years before being painted. The aircraft has a Mattituck Red/Gold IO-360, horizontal induction, LightSpeed Plasma III ignition and dual alternators. The panel is full IFR with Garmin GNS 430W, GNC 300XL, TruTrak ADI and dual-axis autopilot. It is a pleasure to fly cross country, and Im continuously surprised with its climb attitude. I decided to build my own airplane in 1999 after seeing the Vans Aircraft ad in KITPLANES magazine. (I still have the original article!) Now, I couldn’t be happier. The registration on the aircraft (C-FSIS) is dedicated to my sister (Sis). She passed away recently after having a heart and lung transplant brought on by years of battling cystic fibrosis. Aylesford, Nova Scotia, Canada |
 Randy Wilders SeaRey After four and a half years of on-again, off-again construction, I flew my SeaRey (N678RL) for its maiden flight in August 2007. Wow! What a ride that first flight is in an aircraft that you built! I owe many thanks to my wife, daughter and son for their patience and assistance. And many thanks to the SeaRey Owners Group for their knowledge and support. Now with more than 100 hours of flight time on the engine, the plane is more enjoyable than I had hoped. My wife and I have made multiple cross-country flights and many local flights with family and friends. Landing on rivers and lakes in remote areas or at a beach on a remote island cant be beat. It has a Rotax 912S with a Dynon EFIS-D10 and an AIM-2 EIS. Fleming Island, FLorida |
 Raimo Toivios Europa Soon after my new flying license in 1992, I started dreaming of my very own flying machine. I wondered: Did I have enough guts (in Finnish sisu) to do it? Finally, I realized I definitely did not want to find myself sitting in a rocking chair, almost ready to fly west, thinking I did not build a plane and now it is too late. This inspired me to proceed with the building process.I visited the PFA [Popular Flying Association] Rally in 1999 and met Europas father, Ivan Shaw, and decided to order kit #1, the tail kit. So I started to build a plane, which was supposed to be a straightforward process from task to task. Im happy now that I did not really realize how challenging and time-consuming it would be.Finally, at the end of 2005, my Europa was almost completed. Almost. Now I understand what 90% done, 90% still left means. It was a real airplane with only minor tasks to do, but in 2006 I spent 1600 hours doing those minor tasks. The maiden flight was on June 29, 2007, by Dirk van Oyen from Belgium. He has built his own beautiful Europa OO-145, and I was lucky to get to know him. He visited my project a couple of times and gave me some valuable advice. He and his wife, Chantal, became our family friends.Building a plane is a great adventure and the reward at the end was well worth it. I have no Europa grin, but I am happy I had this wonderful journey in my life. Thank you, my loving wife, for allowing me the possibility to build a plane. I promised you I would never do it again in my lifetime, and build a seaplane next time. Did I? Lempaala, Finland |
BUILDERS SHARE THEIR SUCCESSES
Submissions to Completions should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only-250 words maximum) of the project and the finished aircraft. Also include a good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send submissions to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES Magazine, 203 Argonne Ave., Suite B105, Long Beach, CA 90803. Digital submissions are also acceptable. Send text and photos to [email protected] with a subject line of Completions. Photos must be high-resolution-300 dpi at a 3 x 5 print size is the minimum requirement.
