Most people entering experimental aviation face one decision before any other: build from a kit, build from plans, or buy a finished amateur-built aircraft. Each path leads to flying, but they differ enormously in time, cost, skill, and legal rights afterward. Choosing wrong wastes years or thousands of dollars. This article compares the three honestly so you can match the path to your actual goals, budget, and patience.
The Three Paths, Clearly Defined
Kit build
You buy a package of pre-formed parts, often with pre-punched holes, jigs, and detailed manuals. Popular kits can be finished by a first-time builder because much of the engineering and fabrication is done. You still do real work: assembling, riveting or bonding, wiring, and finishing.
Plans build
You buy drawings and build the aircraft from raw materials, cutting and forming nearly everything yourself. This is the oldest form of homebuilding. It costs the least in materials and gives the most freedom, but demands the most skill, time, and shop capability.
Buying a finished experimental
You purchase an already-built, already-flying amateur-built aircraft. Fastest route to the air, and you can inspect a known machine. But you did not build it, which has a specific legal consequence discussed below.
The Repairman Certificate: The Hidden Deciding Factor
Here is the detail that surprises buyers. Under FAA rules, the person who built the majority of an amateur-built aircraft can apply for a repairman certificate for that specific aircraft, allowing them to perform its annual condition inspection. This authorization goes to the primary builder, not to the airplane.
If you buy a finished experimental, you generally do not get that repairman certificate. You can still do most maintenance on your own experimental, but the annual condition inspection must be signed by someone holding the repairman certificate for that aircraft or an appropriately rated mechanic. For many owners that means paying for each inspection. Builders who complete the work themselves keep that right. Weigh this against the years a build takes.
Comparison Table
| Factor | Kit | Plans | Buy finished |
| Time to fly | Months to a few years | Often many years | Immediate |
| Skill required | Moderate | High | Low to build; ownership skills still needed |
| Up-front cash flow | Staged over the build | Lower material cost, spread out | Full price at once |
| Repairman certificate eligibility | Usually yes, if you build the majority | Usually yes | Generally no |
| Customization | Some | Maximum | Fixed as built |
| Main risk | Underestimating finish work | Not finishing | Inheriting a hidden defect |
A Real Scenario
A working professional with two kids and limited shop time dreams of a plans-built classic. He orders drawings, builds a beautiful rudder, and then reality hits: at his available pace the full aircraft is a decade away. Meanwhile a hangar neighbor buys a well-documented, flying kit aircraft and is flying that summer. The plans builder was not wrong to want the classic; he mismatched the path to his life. Had he chosen a kit, or bought finished and flown while slowly building later, he would be in the air. Honest self-assessment of available hours per week is the most predictive factor in whether a build ever flies.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Underestimating finishing. Wiring, upholstery, paint, and systems can consume as much time as the airframe. Budget for it from the start.
- Ignoring the repairman certificate. If self-maintenance matters to you, buying finished may cost you that right. Decide before you shop.
- Buying a finished aircraft without a pre-buy inspection. Hire an independent expert and review the builder’s logs. An experimental is only as good as its builder’s discipline.
- Choosing a plans build for the savings, not the passion. The money saved is real, but only if you actually finish. Unfinished projects sell for pennies.
- Believing kit marketing hours. Advertised build times assume experienced builders and ideal conditions. Expect longer.
How to Choose: Action Steps
- Count your realistic build hours per week, then be honest and cut that number.
- Decide whether performing your own annual condition inspection matters to you.
- Set a true all-in budget including engine, avionics, and finishing.
- Visit builders on each path through your EAA chapter and see real projects.
- For a purchase, arrange an independent pre-buy inspection and read the logs.
- Match the path to your goal: fly soon, build a skill, or own a specific dream.
Conclusion and Next Step
There is no best path, only the best fit for your hours, budget, and reasons for flying. Your concrete next step: write down how many hours per week you can truly commit and whether the repairman certificate matters to you. Those two answers alone will point you toward kit, plans, or purchase. Then visit your local EAA chapter and talk to someone who chose each path.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get the repairman certificate if I buy a completed homebuilt?
Generally no. It is issued to the primary builder of that specific aircraft. As a buyer you can still perform much maintenance, but the annual condition inspection must be signed by someone appropriately authorized.
Is a plans build much cheaper than a kit?
Material cost is usually lower because you buy raw stock instead of finished parts. The tradeoff is far more time, skill, and tooling. The real cost is the years, and the risk of never finishing.
How do I know a kit can be finished by a beginner?
Look at how many of that model are actually flying, talk to owners, and check builder support quality. A large fleet of completed examples is strong evidence the kit is buildable by ordinary people.
What is the biggest risk in buying a finished experimental?
Inheriting the previous builder’s mistakes. Quality varies widely between builders. An independent pre-buy inspection and careful review of the build and maintenance logs are essential.
Can I build slowly and fly something else meanwhile?
Yes. Some people buy a flying aircraft to enjoy now and build their dream project on the side. It costs more overall but keeps you flying and building at once.
References
- FAA Advisory Circular 20-27, Certification and Operation of Amateur-Built Aircraft.
- Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), building and buying resources.
- Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91, and repairman certificate provisions in Part 65.