Aviation - Since 1985 aviation has been part of my life, and I've logged over 2,500 hours in over 20 different types of aircraft. I hold ATP (ME), Commercial (glider and SEL), and CFI tickets.

I learned in a Cessna 150, and briefly had possession of a Piper PA28-140 Cherokee.  Coming out of graduate school, I joined the military and spent 10 years as the only Company Grade Ph.D. pilot in the Air Force (as of 2008, searching here shows only 1.4% of the officers have PhDs, and as of Fall 2004, there were 3 PhD pilots).  After a year of pilot training in the Cessna T-37, and supersonic Northrop T-38, I flew the Boeing KC-135, (R model variant pictured above) on world-wide missions under the Strategic Air Command and Air Mobility Command.  While stationed at the Air Force Academy, I instructed cadets in basics of airmanship and flight skills using the TG-7A motorglider.  I flew the KC-135 E-model with the Air Force Reserves for an additional year after separating from Active Duty. I missed aviation, so I joined the Sandhill Soaring Club, flew a Bellanca Scout and Piper Pawnee tow planes, and sometimes did commercial glider hops. While living in California, near the epicenter of aviation research and development, I was involved in personal endeavors such as short tour classes at the National Test Pilot School.

Subsequently, I was took a job supporting the Air Force Flight Test Center, Electronic Warfare Directorate, to establish a Center of Excellence for testing directed energy systems. I performed analysis, architecture design, development, testing and evaluation for high energy lasers, high power microwave, and newly emerging directed energy systems. I worked with customers and program engineers to refine system test and evaluation plans, and develop internal processes that will produce the intellectual and physical infrastructure to support our nation's DE programs during the next decade.

Experimental Home-built Aircraft Comparison - Since the early '80s, I've been involved with the home-built Experimental class aircraft community, and have watched early individual pioneers grow an industry. I worked with Mustang Aeronautics (Midget Mustang and Mustang II) as a newsletter editor, educator, and test pilot. Between work and family commitments, I'm building my own Mustang II ...someday. The RV, Falco, and GP-4 are similar, and I'd be happy to correspond with anyone deciding between them. Then there's the amphibian interests that keep surfacing :-) Perhaps a Volmer VJ-22 could be in my future.

Share with me the slow aggregation of reasons to build one or the other.  My paradigm is that no peer pressure or cost issue should ultimately decide my plane.  With the support of close friends and family, those issues can be overcome.  Buy or build an experimental class aircraft because you want to.  Here's my attempt to sort through the issues:

Regulations, From Whence they Come