Build Partner Sought

The Project

Hello, my name is Goff Moore. For the last 10 years I’ve been thinking about building a Europa. Now I want to do it. My wife and I live in Beaconsfield but we are moving to the Jericho area of Oxford City in May 2006. But our new house has no garage and only a small garden.

So I’m looking for a build partner to go 50/50 on the whole project and who has a largish double garage. And who is prepared to turn it into a workshop for the duration of the build, any time between 2 years and 5 years. We’d need to insulate it, ventilate it, light it, heat it, dehumidify it, equip it and generally make it into a comfortable and effective place to spend 2000 hours or more.

The idea would be to build it together and then operate it together.

The plane I’d like us to build is the Tri-gear version with standard (not glider) wings. I’d like to see it well equipped with the latest electronic instruments, and probably the more powerful Rotax 914 engine, but I’m open to discussing the 912 and 912S in order to save money.

I have been a member of the Europa Owners and Builders Club for 2 years and read the daily digest of the members' forum. The amount of things that go wrong, and you can get wrong is amazing. The project both excites and terrifies me. I guess that’s what a challenge is all about. I attended the Europa factory engineering weekend in November 2002 and produced under their guidance a Europa chock, thus gaining an introduction to the processes involved in composite construction. But that’s as far as it goes, I’m a building novice. I have no engineering background. I’ve done limited home DIY.

About me

I’m 59 and retired in 2004 from a career in advertising with Leo Burnett, a major American multi-national ad agency. I am a PPL/IMC/Night with 950 hours. I own a share in a Mooney 201 based at Wycombe Air Park (www.zitair.aviators.net ). I’m a member of the PFA, AOPA, British Airways Flying Club at Booker and West London Aero Club at White Waltham. I’m married to Helen and we have 2 grown up sons.

The Costs

I reckon from start to finish we’ll spend about £30,000-£40,000 each, of which about £17,000 each will be needed in the first year or two. My draft budget looks like this.

Contact me

I’m looking for a partner with a passion to build a Europa, who has a double garage and who lives as near me as possible. We’ll need to get on, be compatible and have the humour and tenacity to deal with all the many setbacks along the way. If you are retired that’s great but if you are still working that’s possible too. If you are already an experienced builder, I'd be honoured to learn from you. 

If you are interested in exploring this idea further email me at goffmoore@aviators.net