Has anyone actually constructed an aircraft from parts at a base? I think I want to try it…
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You need a bigger plane before you can do that. The parts weigh a lot.
Oh…good tip…LOL…do the parts weigh relative to the kind of plane you want to build? For instance…if I wanted to build a Twin Otter…would those parts weigh less than a Boeing 727?
That I don’t remember. I didn’t look too closely, I was just skimming around looking at available parts and realizing my 172 wasn’t exactly up to the task haha
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It also looks like you have to consider exactly what type and how many aircraft you plan to build. I think it is $1M to open a factory, then you have to get the parts…so building something like a Twin Otter is probably not cost effective. Probably better to just lease it…particularly if I don’t plan to have AI flying much.
…BUT…there is the whole “quest” of finding the parts and the slow burn of creating something…again, being in it for the “game” of it rather than just being an instant Richard Branson… 
Agreed… The costs to set up and build smaller planes probably doesn’t make as much sense.
At least I did think about making sure the airport I built a factory has a long enough runway for the aircraft to depart from…
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Lol! I hadn’t thought of that.
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So is there any other “quest” involved in Air Hauler other than the REP required to get to bank loans? Are there any other REP related goals to be had or is it simply a “grow the company” once you reach 40 REP?
I’m not saying that is a bad thing - I was just curious why you would continue to do contracts and not just shift to commodity trading at some point (other than the fact that contracts take you to more interesting places!). I do have goals still - bigger planes, and I’m going to rent KPDX someday…
Another question on Construction Facilities. So the manual says:
“Note that construction facilities are large, complex facilities, and will take some time to construct (up to two weeks in some cases). They are not opened instantly and there will be a build time required, even for a facility at a small airport. The larger the airport, the larger the facility required as the longer runway can support the construction of larger aircraft.”
So is there an Air Hauler imposed limit on the size of an aircraft that can be constructed based on runway length? The reason I’m asking is that I’d like to set up my factory at Pullman (I really enjoy that Aerosoft scenery) but want to make sure if I decide to build a big airplane (like a 727) - that I would be able to.
Edit - I would think with 7,000+ feet at Pullman that would support pretty much any aircraft construction…
It looks like to build a construction facility at Pullman costs about 800K. Whew. I suppose I could get a loan for that amount. I feel at the rate I’m pulling in money I can keep up…but we’ve seen this story before.
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So my Company Cash (MAC) is 400K. Combined bases and aircraft leasing costs right now are 60K/mo. I can take out a loan for 600K, kick in 200K of my own money to open a 800K factory. Service on the loan is 21.60% (apparently I need to hire JPow on my board of directors) with a monthly repayment of $10,800…taking my fixed costs to 70K a month. I think I can handle that.
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Alright. I did a thing. (Sorry about the stream of consciousness posting…)
Took out a loan for 600K, added 200K to it - and have opened Mudspike Aircraft X-Factory (MAX) at Pullman (KPUW). Now I get to figure out how to acquire aircraft parts.
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Why not "Mudspike Aircraft Factory / Industrial Activities "…oh what…I think that acronym is already taken… 
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I got MAX at a cheap rate. Boeing paid me to take it.
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So…they gave you an offer you couldn’t refuse… 
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So this is a little bit about how this works. Currently my factory (MAX) is under construction - currently sitting at 2%, so yes…it looks like this will take a few days to finish. I just flew over to Portland, Oregon (KPDX) and this shows up in the airport inventory…so I guess it is a matter of finding parts, affording them, and then somehow transporting or shipping them to my factory base. It appears that the parts list only populates for planes I have imported. So if I want to build something exotic and large…I need to have it at least in the “marketplace” in order for parts to be generated for it.
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It would be kind of cool if we could integrate this plugin with Air Hauler… 
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The idea you could carry that wing in something like the aero commander because of its weight is ridiculous lol.
