Re: Christen-Eagle Re: Eagle Value

[woodt...@aol.com]

Most Eagle kits were sold in the early 80's.  They sold 300-400 kits in about 5 years.  By the mid 80's the kit sold at a rate of just a few a year.  The price of the kit in the early 80's was around $25K WITH the engine and prop, if I remember correctly.  Since most Eagles on the market today are kits that were sold from the early 80's, the value was established long ago by the early cost of the kits.

 

A kit sold in the last decade will never return what was paid for the kit, not even half of it.  Not to mention the builders time to build it.  This is and has been true of most kits and planes sold though out history.  Similar reason a 2014 Cessna 172 is over $400,000 but a 1982 one is worth about $55K.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul <plsch...@bellsouth.net>
To: christen-eagle <christe...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Jun 16, 2014 6:20 am
Subject: Christen-Eagle Re: Eagle Value

Agreed.  Won't buy anything from them unless I have to.  Few years ago at SnF I saw Bill Finagin standing around at the Aviat display.  I walked up and introduced myself as an Eagle owner - the only thing he would say to me is "buy a Pitts".  Haha yea that's funny...continued trying to talk to him, he stood there with his arms folded, waited until I was done talking, said "buy a Pitts" again, and walked off.  I suppose I should have chased him down and "bought a Pitts" just for the privilege....

On Monday, February 17, 2014 12:01:30 AM UTC-5, pappy wrote:

I am having a hard time understanding how our Eagles are valued.I was talking with Aviat the other day and was told a new kit is worth $175,000.00. I had to ask twice .So why do our Eagles sit between $50,000.00 and $75,000.00.

It doesn't make any sense to me .Comments appreciated.

Regards,

Greg

( gotta say I'm not really impressed with Aviats service.)

Sent from my iPad

--
Christen Eagle II Website:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christen-Eagle/255637221740
http://musclebiplane.blogspot.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Christen-Eagle" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to christen-eagl...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to christe...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/christen-eagle.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Ron-Debbie Harmon]

Any way of knowing what kit sales have been in the past 10 or 15 years?

[Dave Gillespie]

My experience with Aviat at Oshkosh is they just didn't want to talk to me about the Eagle.They were just rude and ignored me. I believe they are asking astronomical prices for the kits to discourage any one from buying one and hope they buy a Pitts instead.

Well I had a Pitts S1 and S1T and S2 and my Eagle is a much nicer airplane. Eagles are the best value in aviation today.They are worth it at twice the price.

[Lynn Ojala]

When Denny and I built our first Eagle in the early 80's the price of the kits then came to about $35,000  from Christen Industries minus engine and prop. Our second build was about the same. 

35 years ago when Frank Christensen designed the Eagle and sold the kits...the Eagle was the only airplane the company was marketing. Since then, the company has changed hands twice and moved from Hollister CA to Afton Wy. The focus for many years now has been the Pitts and the Husky which is where they make money. The demand for and the manufacturing of the Eagle kits is nowhere near what it was in the 80's. 

I think the Eagle builders are still looking for the company that was back then and are looking for factory reps that know something about the Eagle. When I hear the comments about the lack of support and lack of interest in the Eagle, they are valid, but for the most part because the perception is that anyone who works an air show like Oshkosh with an Aviat shirt on their back, must represent the Eagle as well as the Husky and Pitts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those guys are not Aviat employees. They are dealers for the Pitts and the Husky and are there to sell airplanes. 

If you ask about the Eagle, they are not going to be able to answer your questions or offer support of your Eagle  aircraft. I know because I have spent years with them at Oshkosh with my Eagle during the show. Most of them refer questions to me if I happen to be there at the moment but that isn't always the case. I spend the week at the Oshkosh Airshow, and I try to spend as much time as possible during the show answering questions about the Eagle, but the days of Frank Christensen and factory reps are long gone. 
Lynn OJala Eagle 13LD & 23LD

Sent from Lynn's iPad