I'm may have to sell my plane - need advice

[TahoeTim]

I respect everyone here and have been really struggling with my feet for two years now. I am at a place where I may not be able to finish my plane. The long hours on the concrete are bad. I can't even drive my truck for more than an hour without my right foot starting to hurt.

Plantar Fasciitis is horrible!

Anyway, all that's left is covering so I weighing my options:

1. Finish the plane in Oratex to minimize the floor time per day. Do a little bit of covering as I can until I knock it out.

2. Pay a pro to cover and paint my plane

3. Sell my project and take a bath on my investment



I am depressed over my condition. The steroid shots into my heel are not fun. The only bright spot is my therapy is going well for the past couple of weeks and I am selling my gutter company to save some of wear and tear on my feet. I'm keeping my electrical business and am going after bigger jobs to cut down that time too.

I am not too concerned about flying the plane. The rudder pedal work is not constant so I will be fine. Although, it is nice to fly my Ercoupe around (no rudder pedals).


If you were in my shoes, pun intended, what would you do? If I sell it, I would probably trade up to a SLSA from the factory or trade it for a finished kitfox but I am leaning toward getting some help to finish it.

[Esser]

Hey Tim, first off, sorry to hear that your health issues are slowing you down so much.

I just perused through your build page. I would have to say at this point how far along you are in your build, you shouldn't sell. The panel, engine, cowlings etc are all mostly done (It takes longer to do the cowl than to cover the fuselage)

I'm not sure how much your condition is slowing you down but I would say there are two options.

One, you can try to slowly pick away at the covering. If you did one panel of fabric each day you worked on it, it would be slow but only a couple hours of work. ie. Put the bottom piece on the fuselage and call it a day, next time do one side etc. It would go slower but you could pace yourself. You could probably wing lace on a stool (not sure if that helps your feet) if your wing was vertical and you had two people. I would say if you cover yourself, hire out the painting after.


The other option is to pay someone to cover. This thread talks about someone who did that not too far from you:

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=7045&highlight=covering+fuselage

I think even if you paid a premium price for someone to cover for you, you would still be ahead financially than if you sold your project and bought an SLSA.

Hope this helps.

[avidflyer]

Hope your feet get better. I went through that for a while last year with my right foot. Ended up wearing one of those boots that pull your toes up while you sleep for a while. It seems to have gone away on it's own now. Seems like your case is way worse than mine was. I would say, don't do anything in a rush that you may regret later. Hope the feet improve, it's no fun. Jim Chuk

[Dave S]

Hi Tim,

First off, rather than dwelling on what a person can't do, or do as fast as a person could in the past, consider the journey you have already been on.....how many people even start to build an airplane? You have already gone further on the journey than most earthlings who never even tried. Nobody and nothing can ever take that away from you. Likewise, your Ercoupe is a wonderful aircraft and not only have you built up your kitfox to it's current state of near completion; but you have a great airplane to fly...without rudder pedals.

A lot of truth in what Esser has communicated...that's solid thinking.

An experimental that is not complete traditionally will only go for a fraction of it's value as a completed aircraft. Even if you don't fly it, if you take the time you need to complete it you will likely recover much more of your investment. In the process, keep the remaining construction basic and do it in a manner where the finished product will have as wide appeal as possible to the cast of potential buyers.

You know, I think we all run into challenges in life...and unrelenting pain is bearcat ...the only variable is which challenges and when we run into those challenges. Back to the solid thinking....none of us do this to become zillionaires....we do it for love of activity.....maybe a good way to assess challenges like this is consider what would make a person happy, consider what would not....then go with the positive one - so often I think it is easier to decide if a person objectifies the extremes.

Good luck with your situation and decision process; and, always remember the journey you have been on no matter what you decide.

[HighWing]

Private email sent.

[Marvk7]

Get a second opinion on your feet, this is a curable issue. Good orthotic s and good shoes really make a difference. Also a lot of time as in my case is the floors you walk on, if you have tile at home don't go barefoot, if you work on cement floors try to get some padding. I had severe pain for years then finally found the right foot doctor and have been symptom free for years. I hope this helps.

[TahoeTim]

Thanks to everyone. Lowell has a great option for me that might work out perfectly. My plane is "complete" except for covering. engine, panel, wiring are all done. I will talk further with Lowell offline and may go that route since he is so close to me. It's a good feeling to have friends in the group. I hope I can pay it back some day. I have made a few 3D printed parts for my plane. I guess I should make some for you guys while I'm sitting on my butt!


As far as the foot goes, my career forces me to make numerous stops each day, walk up and down hills or 3 stories of stairs and then do it all again every two hours. My wife is a nurse and she has had to have surgery on one foot. I have braces, $500 inserts, special shoes, etc. Nothing has worked until I started therapy. It's a strange situation. I went to the Copper Classic and expect to pay big time but no pain that week. I went to the Charlotte Nascar race, no issues. In Idaho, I was in pain. Three days with stick and rudder wasn't too bad overall but I was hobbling at night. Some days it just kills me. My left foot cured quickly but the right has been a *****. I will admit that I fell into depression because I'm a garage weekend tinkerer and it sucked having to sit around all weekend. That damn brace gave me insomnia so I have gone downhill on my sleep habits too.

I am doing a little better this week so my spirits are up. Thanks again for the encouragement.

[jmodguy]

Hang in there Tim... Getting old aint for sissies!
Remember the old Marine slogan that pain is weakness leaving the body....
If I were closer I'd lend a hand.
Cheers
Jeff

[avidflyer]

I don't know if it helped or not, but my foot was bothering me when I went down to Gulf Coast Al. for two months last winter. I walked on the beach barefoot quite a bit. Maybe it helped, I don't know, but I'm back to spending quite a bit of time on a concrete floor without any problems so far this year. Jim Chuk

[av8rps]

That is really a bummer. My wife recently has developed the same problem and I feel really frustrated as there's nothing I can do to help her. Seeing her struggles with it really makes me appreciate what you are dealing with. After some serious internet research on the subject she is now using a tennis ball to roll her foot over in a back and forth motion so as to stretch the tendon. Believe it or not, of all the things she's tried that has worked the best for her. In fact we walked a lot tonite at a greehouse after she put in a 10 hour day at work and she walked normally all night. But when she got home she put the ball under her foot in the kitchen for about ten minutes again as she said she could feel it tightening up a bit. If you've not heard about the ball method of stretching the tendon I just wanted to share.

Finish your Kitfox any way you can. You are so close. Even if you can only work on it in short bursts because of your foot, it will probably be better for your well being to have a project (challenge) in front of you than if you give it up now only to realize you need something to keep you motivated to keep moving. And if Lowell is willing to help find a way to get it done with you, that would not only be the most cost effective solution for you, but it might also be tbe most fun for you working together (Lowell's a great guy that will be fun to work with). I had the time of my life helping a friend complete his airplane. It was way more fun working together. And while I think the old Ercoupes are cool airplanes, you're gonna like your Kitfox a lot more.

One last note....stop working so hard with your business. Life is short. Let that foot have a little time off.

[jiott]

I totally agree with Esser's thinking on this. Paying someone to help you finish it up is financially better than selling and buying an SLSA. You will have your own work to fly and be proud of, as well as being your own repairman and inspector. I hired out my painting and am glad I did. Good luck with this; we are all pulling for you.

[Peteohms]

I had Plantar Fasciitis many years ago. Orthotics cured it nicely. Good luck.

[Paul Z]

I concur with Pete, I wouldn't say cured, bit I would say make it bearable. I just can't stand for long.

[WWhunter]

Concur with the opinion that you keep it. Been through similar scenarios and have sold a plane only to later regret it. Once it is gone the chance of getting 'back into the game' are greatly reduced. Even the spousal unit didn't want me to sell this particular plane, I did anyway, sure wish I had that plane back.

If it has to languish for a year or more in your storage, so be it, it is still yours and will be waiting for you when you are able to finish it. You know what you have and how you want it to be when finished, that in itself is a big deal for me.

Good Luck and I hope things get better.

[bholland]

Tim,
I also had PF for an extended period of time. I was an avid runner, I am a Firefighter and I own an electrical contracting business. My problems started while standing for up to 16 hrs. a day doing electrical work. When getting up in the middle of the night to respond to calls the pain was excruciating. First in the left foot which took a 1 1/2 years to get over then after about three months of freedom I got it in the right foot for another 1 1/2 years. I tried almost everything which nothing worked. I even had to completely quit running. The thing that seemed to fix it all was getting off my feet as much as possible and not standing for such long periods. I also bought a pair of those supper tight socks that are sold to treat PF. I agree with the others about the not working so much especially on your feet. After changing my work habits I started feeling better within a couple months. I was even able to go back to running. Whenever you feel the tightness coming back stop what your doing and relax. I would also agree with the advise of everyone else and not sell your plane. If you have to get help, work on it an hour at a time or just take a break for awhile, keep it!! I have met many people with the same condition and all of them eventually recovered. Hang in there and keep us updated on your progress.

[TahoeTim]

I'm also an electrical contractor. I own it so it's an all day event in and out of my truck. The new therapy that I started two weeks ago is working good.

I flew the Ercoupe this morning and had a blast, letting my feet rest. :)

[Paul Z]

Work for an hour, sit down drink a beer, work for a second hour, sit down and drink a second beer, work for a third hour, sit down have another beer. Then get up and go to the rest room you'll need the relief. Then go out to the shop look at what 3 hours of work got done. However, don't do anymore work, your feet hurt, and you've drank enough to be relaxed. Don't let it get you down.

[ken nougaret]

Now that' good advice!

[Peteohms]

I concur with Pete, I wouldn't say cured, bit I would say make it bearable. I just can't stand for long.


Sorry to hear that Paul. In my case my problem was cured and never returned. I used the orthotics for a year or two and not since.