Need purchase advice on an Aviator

[Abrumley]

Found one of the three mutt aviators that were produced as forest river pulled the plug on the electra and wright flyer. Got the dealer to 24k and almost pulled the trigger until i was told it comes with zero warranty zip zilch nada. One of my pulls towards this tt is the durable fiberglass roof. And yes i know these are cheaper inside but i wanted bunks as i have kids. Thought i had it all figures until this happened. Should i save 10k and buy a cheaper unit with a tpo roof thats warrantied? Why isnt forest river supporting what they produced? Was it a horrible lemon? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Abrumley]

Pic

[schrederman]

Which model is it? They only produced 2, the Electra, and the Wright Flyer. You say it's cheaper inside... what does that mean? It appears to be one that was to have the full-body paint but was never painted.


These were supposed to rival Airstream and were VERY expensive when they hit the market. They just didn't sell at the high price being asked, so FR stopped production at about 70 or so units, if I remember. I was very interested in one but decided I didn't want an orphan. I still think they are the coolest travel trailer ever built. If you are very handy at fixing things and have the time and tools, I say go for it... I'm still a bit tempted, myself, but not without a warranty.

[Abrumley]

Technically they made three models the Electra the Wright Flyer and the 28BHS. From what I've gathered after forest river halted production on the Electra and the flyer they had a few left over bodies and outfitted them with cheaper interiors. They ditched rounded cabinets, the big windows in the front. Put in bunk beds. Only three of these were produced so you won't find an NADA or really anything about them.

[Abrumley]

Interior pics

[Abrumley]

Front bedroom pic "yes the window is covered over"

[Abrumley]

Anyone? Pretty please? This is killing me

[schrederman]

I've read on these forums that once all the bugs and leaks are found... they're awesome trailers. Go for it or tell me where it is...

[Abrumley]

Originally Posted by schrederman

I've read on these forums that once all the bugs and leaks are found... they're awesome trailers. Go for it or tell me where it is...

I know where all three are located as all three are still for sale. Two in Missouri and one in Wichita KS

[KenHwy61]

I know what you are looking at. I called the salesman out of curiosity when I first saw them. I would say to make sure the floor is still composite and the walls are aluminum and Azdel. You already know the roof is still fiberglass. You may not get the features of the originals but if you can verify the rot-proof construction it is worth a serous look. As far as no warranty goes, if you are handy I wouldn't worry about it. All RVs have issues but most are minor and easy to fix. I have had no major issues with my Aviator. Just make sure everything works before you pay for it. Feel free to ask more questions.

[wana65stang]

ALSO REMEMBER that all the major appliances and other components carry a manufacturer ( of that item) warranty of one to three years , your call !!!

[KenHwy61]

There are actually now a few used originals for sale on RV trader. There wasn't any for a while. Strange for the RV world, the price keeps going up and are listing for quite a bit more than the last of the new ones sold for. If you can, consider looking at a used Wright-Flyer. It is hard to beat bunks if you have kids but the WF has a nice sleeper sofa and the table turns into a very large bed as well.

[ToyBoy]

I know these units very well as my WF was up there getting service 2 times. These units were an attempt to get the costs of building these units drastically reduced. Everything was cheapened including the frame work and the axials, tires, etc. The head of FR hired his home remodeling contractor to attempt this project. He is a young guy with good ideas but the budget was killing him. I actually have some pictures of the units being built. And yes these units have a wood floor and wood structure. The only resemblance to the original Aviator was the body, and those walls and front and rear caps where leftovers from the original builds. Basically this unit is a Pilot as he use components from the pilot plant across the street.

In my opinion, find a used one and enjoy it. I have seen the way these new units were built and would say "Run Forest Run"!

The original unit was very good as I did compare it to an Airstream, as I originally was going to buy an Airstream. Today, since Thor bought Airstream, it is junk as Thor has cheapen it dramatically but they still hold the price and people buy them because it's an Airstream.

FRs problem with the unit is two fold, in my opinion, they are not set up to market higher end product, it's all about a price point with FR and marketing to the masses. Second, with a few minor floor plan changes the unit would have been more acceptable.

I think FR is a company that if a product doesn't take off the first year and make money, they dump it. Plus they started making the Aviator when the market was soft. If they would have stayed in, today they would have trouble keeping up with orders as the RV market is booming and price doesn't necessarily rule the purchase.

I throughly enjoyed my WF, and yes it had issues which FR repaired to my satisfaction with no questions asked. It was my entry into the RV world and glad I did it. I am the type of person that doesn't like "Me too" product, especially when your spending this kinda money. The last thing I want is to be assigned an RV site only to pull up and see the same unit I have in the spot next to me. With the Aviator, this is highly unlikely and if it does, that would be cool!

My unit was the 19th unit to be built and I was buyer #6.

At the time FR had a gentleman named Brian Moran running the Aviator Div and handling customer service. This gentleman was absolutely all about customer service and made it his personal goal that every Aviator owner was happy and satisfied. I must say his magic worked for me as he was the most pleasing person in this industry I have ever met. His heart was truly into making the Aviator RV fly! Unfortunately FR didn't give it time enough to really get its wings.

I wish today I had kept mine just as a collectors piece as some day it will be sought after like old Airstreams are today! Once you see one going down the road, you never forget it!


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[ToyBoy]

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[ToyBoy]

Notice in the photo how thin the side wall is and the wood framing in the front.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[KenHwy61]

Thanks for sharing that info ToyBoy. As an owner, I find the Aviator story interesting. The pictures are great for seeing how they put together the three leftovers. You can really see the differences between the originals and these. I didn't realize they had so little in common and they did not use composite and aluminum in the structure. Post anything else you got!:

[Abrumley]

Yes please more pics would be great thank you for such a thorough response

[oxcamper]

If you had the $ down to 24k, and you're looking to save another 10k on something cheaper, what exactly are you looking at to get a new 24 - 30 foot TT for 14K? Am I missing something here?

[Abrumley]

Ten grand is an exaggeration I've seen other new bumpers pulls for $18ish on close out with tpo roofs.

[Blackhat6mike]

The more I see and hear about other TTs, and the more time I spend doing mods on my WF, the happier I am we bought this great unit. Yep, it had bugs as all new units do, but what you get in innovative construction materials and design far surpasses the nit-pick upfront problems.
This is my 4th RV and I couldn't be happier now that I've gone full solar with inverter. The DW is even happy.....and that is saying a lot!!! She fell in love with it on sight and like me, is still learning all the neat things it will do, not to mention it's a dream to tow, just tongue heavy. [4 x 125 amp hr batteries up front]
FR did stick garbage Tow Master tires on it, but since all 4 of them have now exploded and been replaced with "E" rated tires, we are good to go. I'd buy it again.