Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders...

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wulfgarw -> Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 1:08:31 AM)
I was just curious... Has anyone here built their own aircraft? I have joined my local EAA chapter helping them work on a little Merlin and I was started to consider building my own if I want to own my own aircraft. What have other folks here built and what was the reasoning/factors behind your choice? What kind of mods, upgrades, or customization did you include? I am considering a Cozy Mk4, built as a tandem instead of a 4 place as I am not a small guy, so I can have full fuel, maybe a passenger, and myself and still be under gross TO weight and well within the W&B envelope, as well as flying an very efficient uncommon/unconventional aircraft. I will be projecting this to be a 7-9 year project. Others that have appeared on my radar so to speak, has been the Vans RV-8A and the Berkut (for which there's no longer builders support or current plans as well as the Long EZ). Planned mods for the Cozy include downdraft cooling, single point refueling, a EFIS suite and possibly a foward opening canopy all powered by a conventional electronic ignition Lycoming O- 360 or IO-360.

MasterG2kTR -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 6:40:10 AM)
While I am not an aviation enthusiast, I strongly recommend you plan a trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin next August. The first week in August is the annual EAA Fly-in convention, and yes, this is the big one for all the airheads (no pun intended) out there. There you will be able to meet and talk with all kinds of hobbyists, home builders, and pros, with enough info to send you to the moon. I've attended the fly-in myself a couple of times just for the visual impact of variety and wonderment.

anthrosub -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 7:12:55 AM)
It depends on what sort of flying you want to do. I have found that to be the biggest determining factor in what sort of plane to build. In my case it was just being able to fly and also being able to afford it. I started off with hang gliding and graduated to ultralights. Of course, things have changed since I built my aircraft (I built three over 10 years of flying). It used to be you needed a pilot's license to fly and getting the training would cost around $2500 (in 1980 dollars). Then if you didn't own a plane you would have to rent one which would run maybe $75/hr. plus fuel which back then sold for around $9/gal. This was just to fly. So my solution was to get into ultralights. They have also come a long way since then. I built a Weedhopper, then a Phantom, and finally a Hiperlight biplane. The Weedhopper was basically a powered hang glider in terms of performance but the Phantom and Hiperlight were true aircraft. The Hiperlight was fully enclosed and the Phantom had greater G-force ratings than most fighter jets and could actually do aerobatics. Today you can buy a Phantom for around $13K (I bought and built mine for $3500). The Hiperlight is available for $16.5K (I bought mine for $8400). You do not need a license to fly these aircraft but you do need to know how to fly and know all the FAA rules and regulations. If you do not want to get into ultralights, the next step up is a Sport Pilot's certificate and a plane that is approved for that class of flying (mostly short hops during the day in good weather). I have been thinking of getting back into it myself. I stopped after 10 years because flying alone can get boring after a while and as one of my buddies said, "Eventually you get tired of drilling holes in the sky."

wulfgarw -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 9:28:49 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MasterG2kTR While I am not an aviation enthusiast, I strongly recommend you plan a trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin next August. The first week in August is the annual EAA Fly-in convention, and yes, this is the big one for all the airheads (no pun intended) out there. There you will be able to meet and talk with all kinds of hobbyists, home builders, and pros, with enough info to send you to the moon. I've attended the fly-in myself a couple of times just for the visual impact of variety and wonderment. I have meant to get to Oshkosh for at least 5 years now, but real life always somehow managed to rear its ugly head. I understand there are seminars from world class instructors in fields like composite construction, welding (all kinds), woodworking, electrical, avionics and engines. But I'm gonna go next year. I've already asked for the time off. quote: ORIGINAL: anthrosub It depends on what sort of flying you want to do. I have found that to be the biggest determining factor in what sort of plane to build. In my case it was just being able to fly and also being able to afford it. I started off with hang gliding and graduated to ultralights. Of course, things have changed since I built my aircraft (I built three over 10 years of flying). It used to be you needed a pilot's license to fly and getting the training would cost around $2500 (in 1980 dollars). Then if you didn't own a plane you would have to rent one which would run maybe $75/hr. plus fuel which back then sold for around $9/gal. This was just to fly. So my solution was to get into ultralights. They have also come a long way since then. I built a Weedhopper, then a Phantom, and finally a Hiperlight biplane. The Weedhopper was basically a powered hang glider in terms of performance but the Phantom and Hiperlight were true aircraft. The Hiperlight was fully enclosed and the Phantom had greater G-force ratings than most fighter jets and could actually do aerobatics. Today you can buy a Phantom for around $13K (I bought and built mine for $3500). The Hiperlight is available for $16.5K (I bought mine for $8400). You do not need a license to fly these aircraft but you do need to know how to fly and know all the FAA rules and regulations. If you do not want to get into ultralights, the next step up is a Sport Pilot's certificate and a plane that is approved for that class of flying (mostly short hops during the day in good weather). I have been thinking of getting back into it myself. I stopped after 10 years because flying alone can get boring after a while and as one of my buddies said, "Eventually you get tired of drilling holes in the sky." I live in Fargo ND and my dad lives in Anniston AL. So I would mostly do long cross country flying of which the Cozy could make the hop on a single fueling with FAA standard reserves, particularly if I take some O2 with me and find favorable winds between 12,000 ft MSL and FL180. I already have my private license (SEL) but would need to get instrument rated if I equip and TSO for IFR operations in FL180 and FL220 (service cieling for the 4). Thanks for your responses. Maybe we can have a CM fly in one day...

MsD -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 9:40:19 AM)
My Dad not only went to Oshkosh this year, he was invited to speak! As a lifelong aviation enthusiast, the opportunity to talk about one of his favorite planes, the T28, at this esteemed gathering has been top of the list in the highlights in his life. He told me he was honored and humbled by the experience. The fact that he got to take a ride in one again after too many years to count, didn't hurt either! ;-) LOL

PyrotheClown -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 11:31:30 AM)
hmmm,someth'ns tell'n me this might become a darwin award thread

anthrosub -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 2:11:09 PM)
Well I guess I was preaching to the choir then. I haven't spent much time looking at anything beyond the sport category and really haven't looked recently at anything besides the Phantom and Hiperlight web sites. The sport category has opened a lot of doors from what I've read. Have you looked at RANS aircraft? I believe they have a pretty good reputation. If I had the money, I think I would go for a Grob motorized sailplane (best of both worlds). Wish I could be of more help.

hizgeorgiapeach -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 2:38:48 PM)
You were paying a LOT for you fuel - and for your CFI. What area were you flying out of that things were that expensive?? When I took my primary training - '91/'92, and even when I did my instrument training in late '93 - avgas was running about $3.89 a gallon here in OKC, and the planes I was renting (primarily a Piper Cherokee, Piper Arrow, and Piper Tomahawk) were running between $45/hr for the Cherokee to $65/hr for the Arrow. (The Arrow was more expensive because it was both hi performance and retrac - got both those sign offs on my certs in the same plane.) Wulf - Osh is DEFINATELY worth the trip, however you can finagle it. You'll have a fantastic time, be able to pick up tips and tricks, and get an eyefull of some of the Best homebuilts out there. I've had a hand in putting together a couple of experimentals, but have yet to tackle doing my own. No ultralights for me - I prefer to have something a bit more Solid and Substantial around me when I'm up in the air. The plans I've seen for the Cozy are really nice. Good ratios on everything, and (relatively speaking) an easy build, if you know the least bit about what you're doing. (Personally, if I could afford it, I'd still love to get my hands on the materials - and engine - to build a BD10.)

anthrosub -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/6/2009 3:18:07 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: hizgeorgiapeach You were paying a LOT for you fuel - and for your CFI. What area were you flying out of that things were that expensive?? When I took my primary training - '91/'92, and even when I did my instrument training in late '93 - avgas was running about $3.89 a gallon here in OKC, and the planes I was renting (primarily a Piper Cherokee, Piper Arrow, and Piper Tomahawk) were running between $45/hr for the Cherokee to $65/hr for the Arrow. (The Arrow was more expensive because it was both hi performance and retrac - got both those sign offs on my certs in the same plane.) The gas price is probably a little high but it was definitely more than $3.89/gal. There was a lawyer that flew out of the airport where I was taking lessons. He had on old WW2 trainer (I think it was a T6) and he told me it cost him $45/hr. for fuel. That's a lot of money and that was back in 1980. The airport is right next to Hampton Beach, NH. In fact it's called Hampton Airfield and they give a lot of sightseeing rides plus use it as a staging ground for aerial advertising banners. I think the prices for rentals were affected by these things. Plus, New England is notorious for higher prices of any sort of fuel.

hizgeorgiapeach -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/7/2009 9:58:22 AM)
East Coast - that explains a lot. Out here in the central states - Oklahoma, Texas (especially Oklahoma, where the ONLY refinery that routinely produces AvGas is situated, up by Tulsa) - fuel is generally a Lot cheaper. Whether it's AvGas, JetA, or automotive - it's cheap out here. When automotive fuel was well over $2.00/gal out on the east coast (I was living in Baltimore at the time) it was still $1.39/gal here in the OKC metro. When I moved back from Atlanta, gasoline was $2.39/gal in Georgia, and even in Alabama and Mississippi - by the time I reached Louisianna, it had dropped to $2.19/gal average, and by the time I got through Texas and back into Oklahoma, it was still under $2.00/gal. AvGas prices seemed about the same - high out on the coast where I checked, significantly lower in OK/TX. The Cherokee I did all my primary training in cost me $45/hour Wet - fully fueled when I took off, and the price reduced by the amount I paid for fuel if I had it refueled somewhere else due to Xcountry time. My CFI ran between $15 and $25/hour, depending on whether or not we were doing primary, instrument, or commercial training time. Just goes to show - everything is cheaper out here than it is on either coast......

firmlove -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/7/2009 9:17:58 PM)
Jet Pack! We need them!

PyrotheClown -> RE: Calling all homebuilt aircraft builders... (9/9/2009 9:51:59 PM)
I've recently discovered what pulse jets are(and best of all, how to make them 8D), and while I have no intrest in becoming airborn, I have a bad feeling that my ventures into DIY Jet propulsion might give me a bit more of a "lift" then I'd like.....

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