ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An Abilene student pilot has started the process of building his own plane completely from scratch and is believed to be the first student in the Key City to do this.
Precision, the right tools, and a bunch of patience are three things Raymond Jornd is planning to use every day in his warehouse with this lofty goal in mind.
“I thought, ‘Hm. I’ve always wanted to own an airplane. Why not build one?’ Plus, I get to customize it,” said Jornd.
He has begun the process of building the tail of this airplane in a warehouse he built in his backyard.
This 54-year-old student pilot started aviation school in 1994 but did not complete his certification.
“My son was born, and I had to put flying on the shelf for a number of years, but never lost my love. I never lost my love of flying,” Jornd explained.
Jornd shared he is building a plane because it will be about one-third the cost of buying one. The plane he chose to build is an RV-10.
“It is their only 4-seat aircraft in their entire fleet,” said Jornd. “I have my wife, and my two daughters, and then plus myself.”
Once the airplane tail is complete, he will move this project across the street, where he plans to complete the plane.
Chapter president of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 471 in Abilene, Jeff Clement, shared that he also built a plane as a student pilot.
“Let me clarify, it’s not nearly the undertaking that Raymond’s taking on. This is a lot bigger project than what I had,” Clement explained.
Clement said even though many pilots build planes, it is rare for a student to do it.
“It’s unique here. Let’s put it that way. It’s unique in Abilene,” Clement said.
Jorns will be documenting this process on his YouTube channel, Check Six Aviation. Although he does not know how long it will take, he added that he is determined to get his flight certification before it’s built.
Clement shared it can take anywhere from one to five years to build a plane, but he has known people who have taken more than 20 years to complete it.
