New Job

[Old Rider]

Congrats ! just remember not too celebrate with a cigar at work 

[ribbert]

I am finally back to being employed.......

Fred

Well done Fred, being out of work can be tough mentally as well as financially, it must be a great relief. I see an FJ mod buying frenzy in your future. 

Noel

[red]

I think my days of actually working on aircraft are over. The industry is too volatile as I an getting closer to retirement age.
Fred

Fred,

Did a lot of aviation work in my day.  It's not an easy change to anything else, but a guy has to be realistic, and I have to agree with your choice.
My own switch was to bikes, which was always a big interest for me, and with retirement, now I can take the time to get things right.

Ever think of flying, as a hobby?  Sailplane clubs (NOT commercial businesses) can get you airborne nicely for less money than you may think.
Personally, besides the FJ, I fly ultralight gliders for fun.  No license, no medical (beyond your own common sense), no inspections (on the same terms),
no insurance requirements, and no hangar fees.  Flying at eagle airspeeds will mean that you can fly with the eagles, quite literally.
Mike Sandlin's AirChairs are legal ultralight gliders, and the technical drawings are all free downloads.  There are more AirChairs, from other sources.
A payout winch in a pickup or on a trailer can let you off tow at a mile high, which is by far the cheapest airtime hours that I know.  Search for the Yando GOAT.
The Sandlin AirChairs are designed to be built with only common hand tools, with no welding or machine work, in a one-car garage.  We have a Forum too, to help.
http://m-sandlin.info/
https://groups.io/g/airchairgroup
.

[Waiex191]

Sailplane clubs (NOT commercial businesses) can get you airborne nicely for less money than you may think.

Soaring (which is to say flying sailplanes) is the only true flying there is!  And it's a suitable sport as we age.

[andyoutandabout]

Goodness, just looking at the build website, got the heart rate up. What fun.

[giantkiller]

How much about, to build one. And how easy for an inexperienced idiot like me to crash and destroy it. 

[red]

How much about, to build one. And how easy for an inexperienced idiot like me to crash and destroy it. 

Giantkiller,

You mean for a Sandlin AirChair?  Maybe US$3k~$5k, depending on your Google-Fu skills for finding good materials.  Prolly a few hundred hours, realistically, for construction time, but you start small, building the sub-assemblies.  Build the wings last, when you have acquired good fab skills, and because they are large.  Instead of expensive (hazardous) aircraft paints, latex house-paint works just fine, on an AirChair.  I'd recommend a chop saw and a bench-mounted belt sander, with metal-cutting blades and belts, to make short work of the parts and pieces.  A drilling guide (Portalign) helps, too.  I scored all of that gear at the thrift shops.

Sailplane lessons (from a soaring club) will get you flying for the least money.  I recommend a PC flight simulator program, with a digital joystick and digital foot pedals, for continuing flight skills practice while you build, before and after flying (soaring) lessons.  If you like independence, a payout winch is a salvage-yard DIY project.  You won't need a pilot with a Dragonfly to tow you up then, just a good driver.  It's all straightforward stuff, with lots of knowledge online.  As for damage, since you made each piece, you can replace anything damaged in short order, for the cost of materials.  Most of the aluminum tubes are short pieces.  Prepare to become obsessed,
   
because flying with the eagles is a dream-come-true for many humans, especially MC riders.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled mayhem.
.

[giantkiller]

Crap! Now I have a new thing to obsess over...I must resist...I must resist.  

You know I bet I could put a more powerful motor on it........