Wagner found his in Eugene, Ore.

"The guy who had it had been working on it, but it was taking him a long time," Wagner says. "He was burned out, getting older, and I think his priorities had changed."

Not so for Wagner, who flies not just for fun, but for a living.

A self-described "freelance pilot," Wagner has hired out his services to pilot everything from small corporate jets, to fire-retardant planes and crop-dusters.

He used the RV-3, and will use the RV-4, to commute to his contract flying jobs.

His new plane will, however, eventually have a more comfortable seat installed than the basic one that was in his old plane.

"I flew the RV-3 to Houston," where he found a buyer for the single-seat plane, he says, "and about halfway there I knew the RV-4 would be getting a custom-made seat."

It will also be powered by a Lycoming 0-320, a 160-horsepower engine Wagner found with less than 200 hours on it that will allow the little plane to top out at better than 200 mph.