Kyle Foley is a 32-year-old Army veteran who has spent his life around airplanes. His father is a pilot which inspired him to obtain a pilot’s license. He has dreamed of owning his own plane, but could not afford to buy one, so he decided to build one in his basement.
Foley was recently chosen as secretary of the Experimental Aircraft Association, or EAA, in Longmont. The group comprises “an eclectic collection of pilots, builders, and people that just enjoy aviation,” according to the website. Some members of the group have built their own planes and encourage others to give it a try.
“We all just have a like interest in aviation,” Foley said.
Foley said he has had an affinity for fixing mechanical things most of his life. His father taught him how to change the oil in a car at an early age and he has always tinkered with projects. As a private pilot, Foley’s father also flew his family to destinations along the East Coast.
“Flying has been in my blood since I was born,” Foley said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Foley was drawn to YouTube videos of bush pilots landing in fields and gravel bars. He decided he wanted to give it a try.
His first step was to try to purchase a used airplane. He soon discovered that the cost of a used plane was beyond his means. It took him several years to research and save but he found an airplane kit that would allow him to build his own plane.
Foley traveled to Kansas to pick up his kit and brought it back to Colorado where he began building the wings in his basement. He estimates that it will take him roughly 800 hours to complete the project. Right now he has invested just over 130 hours.
He said he has almost completed the wings but still needs to build the main pieces of the fuselage before he will move the parts to his hanger at Vance Brand Airport.
A basement seems like an unlikely place to build a plane. While Foley joked that he hopes the pieces fit when he is ready to take them to his hanger, he chose the space so he can commit more time to the project. He works from home which gives him the ability to tinker with it throughout the day, he said.
“It’s moving a lot faster than I expected,” he said. “So far I have done everything related to the tail and the structure of the wings.”
The kit has everything Foley needs to build a plane except a propeller, wiring and an engine.
Foley has a goal to complete the plane by January 2025 at which time he will begin the FAA inspection and certification process, which is rigorous. If the plane passes it will ready to fly, he said.
