Tim – I have rented at a FBO and been in a flying club. I always found scheduling to an issue. I hope owning a plane (or half an airplane) will allow me fly a lot more. Financially I am not sure this gig makes sense, but a hobby never does. Being in the flying club I was able to see the maintenance costs for certified airplanes, yikes. As for the cost of ownership of a certified airplane this webpage and blog has some interesting calculations. Aside from money, everyone on the homebuilding forums says to only build an airplane if you enjoying building. I really enjoy building which is good since scratch building is another level of crazy. Dan has done the Lion’s share of work due to my epic landscaping job.