Why the Falconar F11A? Deciding What to Build.

Three factors became the foundation of my decision - cost, skills and time.  The factors are not mutually exclusive and I had to decide what emphasis I placed on each.

COST: 
- Since 90% of builders never finish their projects, I decided to build from scratch.  Why invest tens of thousands of dollars into something that I have a 9 out of 10 chance of not finishing?  Some people may think that "If I sink that kind of money in a project, there is NO WAY I will not finish!".  If your crystal ball is so good as to predict your future health, job status, family status, etc, please e'mail me I would like to discuss stock market investments, and next year's Superbowl.
- My existing tools are suited to wood construction so the investment in new tools is minimized.  Some people may look at this as a negative. ;-)
- I wanted an aircraft where the cost of fuel would not make me limit the use of the aircraft.  I set the engine limit to about 100hp since an engine this size will only consume about 4 to 5 GPH.  To do something you love for $15-$20 per hour is something I can live with. 

SKILLS:
- My level of knowledge and comfort when dealing with metal or composite is not good.  I am comfortable working with wood.

TIME:
- The trade off of time is cost.  A kit built aircraft is always faster than a comparable scratch built but..... see COST.
-  As life events are not predictable, I wanted a construction method that would allow me to invest time on the project on MY schedule.  Wood or metal construction allows the builder to be interrupted virtually at any time but composite construction normally requires a task to be completed.  Wet epoxy does not allow for extended breaks.

The decision came down to a wood aircraft.

I wanted an aircraft capable of:

- Carrying two passengers and reasonable baggage,
- good cross-country cruising, with a 4 hour endurance (about my bladder size),
- mounting ski's or floats so I could enjoy back country areas,
- landing on grass, dirt roads and sand bars,
- flying low and slow like an ultralight, simply to enjoy flying
- Using smaller, fuel efficient engines. 
- smooth steady flight characteristics with NO bad qualities

Not having a pilots license YET, I wanted an aircraft that was docile and had a long and successful history. The Falconar F11A is a derivative of the JODEL series of aircraft.  With about 6000 Jodels and derivatives built to date, the aircraft design is well proven. 

The Falconar F11A fit all these requirements.

Falconar F11A Specifications:

Top Speed, mph........................185
Cruise, mph................................120
Range S.M.................................546
Stall, mph..................................35
Rate of Climb, fpm..................800
Take Off Distance, ft............250
Landing Distance, ft................300
Service Ceiling , ft..................14000
Engine Used...............................Cont, Lyc, Subaru, etc
HP/HP Range.............................85/85-100
Fuel Capacity, gal.....................17
Empty Weight, lbs....................745
Gross Weight, lbs.....................1346
Height, ft....................................6.3
Length, ft....................................22
Wing Span, ft............................27.3
Wing Area, sq.ft........................138
Number of Seats.......................2
Landing Gear type.....................tri or tai