Building an Aventura II

Looking for a seaplane

I had been flying my RANS S-4 Coyote for three years, and while I really enjoyed it, I wanted to try a seaplane. I had been thinking about buying a Buccaneer for a while, but the various companies which had owned the rights to the Buccaneer had always had financial troubles, and I wanted to buy from a company which looked like it would be around for a while.

Then I saw the Aventura II at the Arnet Pereyra display at Oshkosh '95 and I was hooked.

The Building Experience, in chronological order:

Mid-December 1995 Factory Visit and Purchase

February 14-16, 1996: Receiving the Boxes and Doing the Preliminary Stuff

February 17-March 8: Building the Internal Framework

March 9: Mating the Framework and Hull

March 10-27: Installing the Landing Gear, Rigging the Hull

March 27-April 7: Starting the Wings and Control Surfaces

April 8-May 27: Misc. Work, Rigging the Tailfeathers, Going to Sun 'N' Fun!

May 28-June 2: Test Fitting the Hardtop, Synchronizing the Gear Retract System

June 2-9: Mounting, Plumbing, and Wiring the Engine.

June 10-28: Cutting the Instrument Panel, Mounting and Wiring the Instruments and Radios

July 7: Clear-coating the Sails

July 12-19: Painting the Hull, Mounting the Hardtop

July 20-21: Mounting the Parachute, Installing the Windshield

July 21: Trailering to the Airport

July 22-25: Installing the Wings, Tuning the Engine and Prop

July 28, 1996: Taxi Tests, First Flight!

August 3-7, 1996: Oshkosh Trip

First Water Landings and Other Flying Pictures

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