Avid A fuselage, what's it worth?

9 posts in this topic

Posted

My good friend gave me his old A for helping him get his Kitfox engine installed, wired, and running.  I can't find the time to work on it and need to get out of my hanger.  I've listed it locally but don't really know what it's worth, I can't find comparables.  I've been offered $1000.  Any help is appreciated!

John

775-777-6081

 

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Posted

I would offer you 1500-2000 if you were close by.

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Posted

I paid 1500 for the "C heavy hauler" that was in worse shape but had a full panel and a 582 in it.

 Not sure I would offer more than 1000 for it, but I am a cheap bastage at times.  :BC:

 

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Posted (edited)

I sold an Avid A model project that was almost a flyer, got it with no motor, and threw in badly wrecked phazer snowmachine that ran backin Dec for $3g. 

Edited by Buckchop

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Posted

Ok, thanks for the info!  I think I'll keep it and start rebuilding it   I'm new to the forum so it may take me awhile to figure the best place to post questions.  Where is the best place to get parts/supplies for the Avid?  Can the front windshield still be bought?  Does anyone have plans that I could purchase to repair the wings and ailerons?

Thanks again,

John

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Posted

Hello John;

The airframe you have dates back to the middle 80's. Avid has not been in business for years. The jigs have been sold/resold, and sold again. To my knowledge nobody is making parts, at least for the early stuff. That's the bad news/

The good news:

1. There is nothing on that plane that you can't make in your garage if you have any metal and woodworking skills at all. The plane is .035 wall 4130 steel tubing. The spars are .062 wall 6061T6 aluminum. PLywood is aircraft ply, 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch nominal. The windshield is fabricated from a flat sheet of Lexan. Not difficult to do. There was never a pre-fabricated windshield.

2. The gross weight would be 950 pounds. Maybe 851.

The plane would fly well enough with a Rotax 503 DCDI. It might originally have had a 532, but the liquid cooling systems are a nuisance.

3. In the Technical section of this forum, there are available for download, all the build manuals. Also available on the net are plans for the "RAVEN" which is a Chinese copy.

4. This Forum is as good as it gets. There are others, but they are not very active. Most of the information is here. You may have to dig a bit, but it is here.

 

Bob McCaa

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Posted

If you are rebuilding this one to keep for yourself, then its worth it in every way. If you are rebuilding it in hopes of reselling it, then you might want to reconsider it. Very few if any ever recoup their cost in materials alone, labor isn't even involved. Parts and materials are getting expensive now days. If you enjoy building and have the time, by all means go for it. Sit down one rainy day and figure up (as best you can) your rebuild cost compared to aircraft value and decide. If you are a true aircraft nut, cost doesn't matter anyway. Just a sickness we all came down with!

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Posted

Raven plans are available on the net, but it appears that all the work is done that would require them.

see PlansforU.com

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Posted

I've decided to keep it!

The flaperons need repair as well as the wings.  I think I need plans for this.  I will look for them in the Technical section of the forums.  I will dive into it next month when I get back to the hanger.

Thanks!

John

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