Revealing THE TOTAL COST Of Our "$16,000" Abandoned Airplane Rebuild! 

This is amazing. I’m a public elementary school teacher and a student pilot. I’d love to own a small plane like this and show my kids that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

This is a amazing project, and a huge win. You got a flying/airworthy airplane for less than $23k. Where else could you find something like that? I can’t wait to see it detailed! Please keep the affordable flyer theme going! Show how accessible aviation can be! I think you should keep this one and fly it to find the next affordable flyer. JR Aviation….saving aviation one airplane at a time! Well done guys!

Awesome and congratulations! A flying airplane for under $30,000 is really fantastic! You deserve success!

30 years in the aviation industry. Complete logbooks are half the value of an airplane. I enjoy your channel.

Amazing to see it flying again. Keep it and fly it for a few years. It will still be worth a lot when you get ready to sell. I owned it for a few years. I flew it solo cross country to Tennessee and back to Idaho. My last trip was to the aircraft broker in Carson City NV. Now that I have found your channel I will have to catch up on what you do. Good luck.

Great video. The cost you will save training in this thing is crazy valuable. Keep the low cost budget builds coming. Definitely gives some courage to take on one of these projects ourselves!

Love the lower cost rebuild, keep ‘em coming!

Your channels are by far my favorite! As an active pilot with a Grumman Cheetah, plus a Corby Starlet I built from plans, your aviation videos are right up my alley. Plus in my younger days, I rebuilt several cars including a 1978 Datsun 280Z that I dropped a Chevy V8 in from a Camero, your car channel is fascinating also. Keep up the great work!

I'm addicted to this channel and not even that into planes, but now I know so much haha. I do love traveling and flying but your channel is awesome

Fantastic Teamwork ❤️❤️Love the rebuild of your Aircraft ❤️❤️Keep them coming 👍👍

Brilliant work!

Great series! Hope to see it getting new paint and flying!

anything you guys do is fun. keep it rolling im watching while studying for my private pilot ! great job, Cheers

Great series! Great price! Zeniths are great little planes, I hope to see a few more flying adventure videos in this plane! Nice work guys!

Well worth it, great job guys.

You have the best crew, and this plane is a huge win for you! Keep the content coming...high or low it's all good! Fun to watch score is high!

I am not opposed to more cheap airplane rescue/rehabs because they’re interesting to watch. Plus, for folks like me with limited resources, they show what’s possible for not a lot of money. Thanks for sharing this project!

At some point the gains you reap sharing your passion for these kinds of restorations will be there, albeit difficult to calculate. You'll inspire others to follow in your footsteps and they'll return the favor...of that I'm sure of! Thank you for all you do....

Nice work guys. Would definitely like to see more budget builds, deals and flips, etc. I think starting with something that's more attainable for average income aviators makes for good content!

That is a solid deal, plus it will be awesome to cruise around in. Great jobs boyz! 🤙🏽🤙🏽

Dear Bros, Your Zodiac CH601XL SLSA is completely ready to be sold and despite the fact you haven’t added your labor hours you’ve spent to the total costs I think you can make some profit with this plane. Wish you a successful and speedy selling and look forward to your next vlog plus send you love from the Netherlands

Loved this project, well done, all that hard work was worth it and I am looking forward to watching the next one to see how the paint turns out! well wear ☘️ and safe flying!

Very cool outcome! Well worth the investment. 👍

Love the cheap rebuilds. I can live vicariously!

I certainly would have done it! Great deal guys! Yeah I’m a little jealous. Keep up the good work!

I think it was a great buy and really like watching you guys bring it back to life and flying again

Phenomenal project. Well worth it!

JR Aviation: After 42 years being a Private Pilot, your Rebuild reminds me of the time flying a Grumman Tiger! Awesome Video Series Gentlemen; to answer your Question what I believe your Airplane is worth? You took advantage of a great opportunity and capitalized on it. You restored an Aircraft back to its original state even restored the Log Books with Factual information verified, that in most cases would be the impossible. Your investment is rock solid in my opinion and the Value hardly diminished knowing the actual Time on the Airframe and the Engine. Congratulations! And that is my opinion and I am sticking to it... Anyone that wants to disagree pound sand! Lol Good Day... 😊😊😊

What a neat little plane! I haven't flown in years, but this is the sort of aircraft that could get me back into it. Sometimes less is more!

Great job and investment boys! Fun to watch as well! Keep it up!!!

One thing I would love to see is how to find such auction deals on planes, trains, and automobiles. And boats too. I'm nearing retirement and it wouldn't hurt for me to find such projects to stay busy with, and flip for a few extra bucks. But I have been looking around and those sources are apparently not in plain sight, or easy for the average guy to find. And, yes, you have to keep the $2000 ADS-B in the expense list. If you didn't have it sitting on a back shelf, you would have had to buy it, so that must stay in. Good series. Look forward for more!

Great deal. I would love to find a deal like this. Great series.

You guys are awesome. Great deal on it. Love the light upgrade! If you're ever in Jacksonville, Fla buying a plane, let me know...lol. Craig Exrcutive Airport is pretty cool.

I love these, you should make a low budget buy and rebuild series 🔥

Smart move buying it, plus entertainment value watching the process of getting it back in the air. Keep doing this stuff.

Y'all made a fantastic deal. Love the videos. Hope to see more aviation projects.

Awesome deal!!!

This was amazing to watch to, the team worked passionale, about costs...doesn't really matter. It's just fine.

Love watching these videos. Keep ‘em coming. Can’t wait to see the two of you in the left seat

This project makes me want to go get my A&P, despite not really being too good with tools. It’s just to learn the ins and outs of this whole project. This was such a steal and I’m happy you have this!

Fun video excellent project

It was a great project and value !

I build and fly Expiramental aircraft and there is no price you can put on labour for your own plane. It's a passion I have had since I started building with my dad at 15. I currently own and race a Sonerai 2 and the amount of time I have done on upgrades and all that is never considered a price to me. Keep up the good work that plane is a fun plane I have worked on and flown several. I'd work on it for you anytime but I'm in Florida. I basically work on any aircraft that I can even General Aviation. Cool videos and remember anything happens in the air Just Fly The Airplane. Somethiny dad burned in my head.

Great Job

Very Great Deal!!!!! U killed it!!!

Cost wise you guys did great. Considering the cost of a certified LSA aircraft on the market today new or used you got a great flying airplane for a great price. Not to mention the educational learning experience that it was. I would definitely feel proud and have a sense of accomplishment!

Good job.....Great investment for you.

That's the only affordable plane I've seen in the last 20 years. Great deal! Congrats on the W

this is so amazing the plane is so good love it

Very cool, I am local and just starting my training out of KCHD and KFFZ. I would love to meet you guys and see your planes sometime

Haters will hate Jeff. Great job recognizing a possible great buy and then following through to make it a sweet little plane for someone, and a profit for you, so you can buy more jet fuel! lol Stay safe my friend.

We need more videos! Lol. Love the project videos. It would be cool to see your current roster of airplanes.

Awesome deal 😊🎉

great deal and would love to see more, really curious on what your plans are. with it.

Larry is the best! What a great man 👍

It is an acomplishment.. Doesn't matter how much it cost.. This airplane is a work of art... Congradulations on a job well done!! GO FLY IT!! HAVE FUN!!! 👀❤Flying!!!

This was an amazing deal.....just the time you have to pay to get your license from renting an airplane is already staggering , here in canada the total cost for a private pilot license cost 20G in (Canadian funds) but stil if i would have the opportunity to get a plane in flying condition at that total , the cost saving for a license would be almost 9G....so the math . license would end up being only around 11G + no more renting an airplane cost to build up your hours. you were blessed brother. enjoy it. thank you for sharing. many blessings for your future.

That was an awesome deal! Still way cheaper than buying the airframe kit only for a CH650B!

For my .02 I like the mix you have done on this channel. just keep it up!

Amazing ❤❤❤❤❤❤

You guys are the best wheeler dealers great work

I like watching these videos. Everything seems genuine instead of staged. I think you did the return to service properly and came out on top. Logbooks should be important for sale when the aircraft has more areas that cannot be inspected. They should be equal to the value of research and inspection to have an accurate current status of the aircraft. I am talking about a teardown inspection not an annual. If you have every rivet, rib, skin, bolt, etc inspected, replaced as necessary, and documented, then there should be no drop in value, but people don't trust, so it will still carry the drop in value for most. Its value is determined by the buyer's trust at that point, but it's also a point of negotiation. I might be restoring the entire plane to practically zero time it, but I want it cheap. The logbooks mean nothing to me if I plan to put more money into it than it will ever be worth. By the way, I wouldn't recommend using the throttle as a primer unless the starter is turning. I know someone who caught their engine on fire from doing that. Also, you got me with the spiders.

Definitely keep on with the cheap flyer content. The more info and success stories about budget flying the better, I think. Get more people involved. As for me, I have a 601HDS project in my garage. It's at the "90% done, only 90% left to go" phase. Got it from a friend's father who unfortunately had a stroke that put him out of aviation and most everything else, for that matter. I bought the project for $10k including a built Corvair conversion already mounted up. I bought a new Warpdrive prop from another builder for $600. I still need an exhaust system, a radio, and ADS-B. There is still quite a bit of plumbing, ducting, and electrical work left to go. We shall see how I make out in the end. Hope to beat your total!! But it's going to be a lot more hours of work!

Awesome content man! You guys have done well, massive win👍 Larry is a legend he deserves half the profit😜🤣

Congrats. You will have lots of enjoyment with that

Thanks 😊

You now have a air worthy plane that you know intimately,, inside and out. That's worth a lot in my book. Many don't know their planes nearly as well. Trusting their planes, and their lives, to mechanics they don't actually know. Barring any hidden Gremlins that could make themselves known in the future (a possibility with anything that has sat abandoned for years, or been worked on by a DEI Hired mechanic, even what's coming new out of factories these days) which that now replaced canopy latch was an example of. Hopefully any still hiding will be minor and quickly/easily fixed. That said, overall for the cost, you did good. Factor in the time spent with friends, sharing the personal experience of doing this project. And the enjoyment you can now have flying it. That's priceless.

Fun project

Great watching your content. It's very well done. I'm new to aviation, so what is the difference between the FAA and FFA?

That's a keeper 😊

The number I usually hear and see is somewhere around a 60 percent cost reduction due to a lack of logbooks. So you’d have to have a buyer that believes it’s a 60-70k plane to get back to that number, or someone that’s willing to take the risk there wasn’t a prop strike, accident, or some other hidden stuff going on. I’ll say from experience there might be some gremlins that don’t pop up until you start flying it 20-30 hours. It’s a sweet looking plane tho and it would be neat to see you guys take some trips with it or like acrobatic lessons if it’s rated for that

Just curious if you guys got the Letters of Authorization for things like the quick connect in the wings and replacement lights and ADSB out? I was just curious if you worked with Zenith on it?

I always get so excited when I get to watch these legendary videos tbh!!😁😁😁💯 I legitimately have a huge passion for aviation, hands down.😎 Whenever I am watching the videos, I quote literally feel like I'm a part of the experience and that I am there with ya'll.🎉 I sure do hope that sometime potentially I could join on in. I'm not joking I get called an aviation encyclopedia, aviation master, and aviation search engine. Ps. I have to admit I do enjoy cars too.

just found this channel .. love it

Great plane! Im glad you remembered the light display and start up at the end! She fired up like a dream!!! You got a great deal! By the way, I had to type Larrys link to his channel, I thought you were putting a link in to make it easy for lazy old people! I got there just the same! 😅

A risk and reward that went your way because of your knowledge and experience. You did well and I would have done the same damn thing!

I enjoy your Car channel as well as this one. I find it refreshing to see 2 young men, do very well in finding good deals, learning to make calculated risks, learning from the mistakes, and continuing to turn Risky to Semi-Risky Cars and Aircraft into items that can be Flipped, and the finished car or Aircraft is better after you touch it, making the purchase by another person much less of a risk. I guess I should not be surprised there would be those who criticize you for making money. but, we do have far too many in our population who either do not understand Honest Capitalism, or they suffer from worse conditions, such as Envy, or Jealousy, and even Hate. I genuinely admire what you and your brother have been doing since you were in High School. And I am sorry that you have those who suffer one or more of the afflictions mentioned before, who get their enjoyment from tearing you down. I call these people "Fools", but unfortunately, we have far too many of these types filling influential positions in all levels of government and academia; and these folks seem to be able to clone themselves quite easily; Who make someone like you and your brother the enemy, rather than recognize a Positive asset in the community. To answer your question, what would I enjoy viewing next- I do enjoy these Budget purchases more, probably because I can relate to a $16,000 purchase, where if the purchase figure has too many numbers, especially those curvy numbers, I then am Shocked, Stunned and Amazed at the costs of Buying a Jet, Fixing a Jet, and then getting the proper inspections done for that Jet. Doesn't mean I want to view Cheaper vehicles on either channel. but, those Jets! Reminds me a bit like watching a Horror flick that is really scaring you to the core, so you close your eyes, but as soon as the eyes are closed, I crack them open just a bit, because I'm too stupidly curious for my own good! So keep the Jet material coming, but don't forget the occasional cheaper car or Aircraft, to give my poor Heart a breather.

Glad I know of a Varieze out the door ready to go with fresh annual $25k... .makes me happier than all that hassle y'all went through

First, this made you happy. Second, you learned A LOT. Third, you opened a door for you to do something new and move into a new field. It was worth it! If you value yourself and the time you put into it, you’re at around $30,000. The plane should be worth for at least $60,000. So you’re going to double your money. Then you’re going to be able to do this 20x over, now that you know what you know. Keep earning your blessings.

From UK 🇬🇧 again the plane was worth it in entertainment and learning opportunities the profit was a bonus thanks again JRAviation from UK 🇬🇧 UK 🇬🇧

I boldly predict the existing paint can be brought back to a very nice condition. Maybe even without much work! Also, you gotta get a flashing circuit for that landing light. :)

Brillient project

More cheap airplane rebuilds please 😊

if you look at this objectively , you paid $18,000 for an air frame, roughly $6000 for parts, and needed to account for about $10-$15,000 worth of labor. That totals out to about $40,000. That’s probably a low estimate, OK I’m willing to go there. Here’s the thing, you made your money back when you bought the plane. You got it for a song. You have a lot of experience, you have a lot of friends that know what they’re doing. it’s a fair guess that most newer private pilots don’t have the same capabilities or experience. The danger is that a new pilot may go out and spend $16,000 for an airplane, thinking to replicate your success, but may end up spending a lot more than what you did because basically they don’t know what they’re doing.

Let’s see the zenith on floats and watch you guys get your float ratings !

I agree with you and think it was a great deal. Just a quick question, are you going to update the avionics?

Even if the total cost was 40k, your still way ahead!!! You guys Rocked this deal!

I think what I like about the aviation community is that it really is a community, like the moment someone meets another av-geek it's like you've been friends for years just over having one common interests

Very good deal, you did a great job, regarding the log books for that particular Aircraft, and being as you know the important history I do not think it will devalue the Aircraft significantly. I imagine you Guys will ultimately sell the Aircraft?

Interesting design and looks similar to the New Zealand built CT4 trainer. The big bubble top is designed to assist in flying characteristics.

Very cool little airplane for a very good price of $23K a steal !!!

Finally he's back on RU-vid

Great deal and all the fun....

Really want to see a video of y’all obtaining your pilot certificate!

Great deal,

You did not include the new lite weight battery?

When I watched the first video on this plane, as soon as the motor caught, I figured the the total cost to take-off would be about $10,000, so you beat the heck out of my guesstimate!

great deal

I think the cost could've easily skyrocketed to the 40k's if you didn't have all the help you had. So, that said, 24k which includes upgrades is WELL worth it 👌. Thanks for sharing and for your time!!

Great job and great investment, you could sell it right now for a big profit