So the journey to build an airplane became a reality. I looked at two main kitplane manufacturers; Vans Aircraft and Velocity. Van's was metal, Velocity was composite. Van's airplanes are low wing, Velocity airplanes are low wing Cannard. I visited the Velocity aircraft location in Sebastian Florida during a family trip to Florida in 2005. After looking at their products I decided to go Van's due to the increased cost of their airplane (four seat vs 2 seat), the need for a longer runway (Cannards do not have flaps). and having to deal with Composite.
After I chose Van's the next step was to look at their product line. Single Place, Two Place, Four place. Cross country or Aerobatic capability. After all things considered I ruled out the four place due to higher cost and looked at a two seater configuration. I also ruled out taildragger since I felt more confortable with a tri-gear aircraft. This left the RV7A and RV9A as alternatives.
I went back and forth on the decision between the two over a period of six months. I decided that I did not want to do Aerobatics and liked the handling characteristics of the RV-9 based on what I read. My mission was more cross country than short flights. Although both are capable aircraft for cross country the RV-9 appeared to me as a better choice.
