Hi:  First time responding, but I've been lurking for a while.

I think one aspect is not a lack of interest, but far more accessibility to easier kits with more popular options.  Some kits are flight ready within close to 500 hours and have a more traditional look and feel.  People are more likely to complete a project that progresses quickly (how many partial Q builds have there been?).  There's also a sense of trusting pre-cut and punched aluminum over trusting the less 'digital' approach of hand-layed glass, and I imagine I'm not the only one.  My personal fear is in-flight delam, or over doping and making it too heavy:  Wood and metal are more predictable materials (especially considering my current glassing skills):  Riveting or bolting seem easier than doing a decent layup.

That said, the Q series is a wonderfully unique design, and I love the flexibility of design that composites give.  Where else could you get close to 100 mpg (original Quickie specs)?  I know the Q2 and Q200 lack those kind of numbers, but they fulfill a different mission.

I think the question is if a kit could cut build times down to 500-700 hours, would it increase interest?  As long as it meets the 51% rule, and qualifies for Sport pilots, it might.  If not, it may only be kept alive by the Build It From The Ground Up, Mostly Plan Driven crowd (such as those in this group).

-Robert
Ex-owner 1966 Piper Cherokee C
Sent from my android device.