It’s my dream to build my own design one day and fly it but it seems rather pricey…

How do you guys afford it? What do you do for a living?

Anyone got a good link for a way to make the large radius bends for leading edges on horizontal/vertical stabs?

The CH640 is homebuilt four-seat aircraft that never really gained popularity. I have a legally owned set of plans that I am never going to build from.

Be aware that Zenair has essentially discontinued support for this aircraft; see http://zenair.weebly.com/ch-640.html. This is going to have to be a scratch-built plane because Zenair no longer offers parts.

I still think this aircraft has an ideal set of specifications and still dream of flying one someday, but my life has turned toward wife, kids, mortgage, and other such matters and I am no longer able to chase this dream.

I am in the Ft. Worth, Texas area for anyone who would like to inspect the plans before committing to them.

I don't know where to look, and I don't know where else to ask besides this sub, since I know most of y'all have an experience with plans, and where to look for them. I keep finding plans for an RC version of the plane, but that's not what I want. I'm looking for the full scale plans. Please advice me on where to find them. I'm completely lost.

Good day all;

Wondering if I kit build a zenith ch650B in canada, could I fly it to the United States? What would be required to do so?

Or conversely, can you buy a ch650 as a factory built option?

I see there are several manufacturers of experimental aircraft aluminum floats that offer completed assemblies and kits however I don’t see any that offer plans for scratch built. Does anyone know of scratch built aluminum floats plans that are available? I’m looking for a buoyancy of anywhere from 1500 to 2500 lbs. Thanks in advance!

I'm looking at getting into building a kit, and looking at the different options. My first go to was an rv-12, but with everything going on with Vans, I'm not sure, and that caused me to look around at other options. Things like the Zenith ch650, the Thorpe S-18, and similar models. The first thing that jumped out at me was the drastic difference in price for the airframe between the rv-12 and the others, it's over twice the cost for the rv-12 kit compared to the ch650, for what looks to be similar size and spec planes. I'm guessing it's around ease of build and/or quality, but I was curious if anyone had more details?

Hello!

I'm helping my dad touch up the painted lettering and N-Number on his plane. Fabric covered with construction completed ~2000. Some characters are chipping around the edges but there is a distinct outline of where they were, so I'm fairly confident I can free hand the small areas missing. We have the same paint used for the letters but I'm wondering what kind of prep to do first to prevent more chipping since scuffing isn't really a possibility. I'd like to avoid removing the remaining text if possible.

My thought process was to use scotch tape to gently lift any areas that aren't currently adhered, wipe the area with alcohol to remove and oil/debris, then do thin coats to build up/level the chips in the paint before doing a full coat over the full character. I'm also aware that my brush bristles need to be compatible with the paint type.

Does that sound reasonable or does anyone have any recommendations or links for more direction?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

looking for advice on which floorplan I should have built. Does anyone have experience with arbor homes ironwood vs chestnut plans?

I need to find a supplier to order clear plastic from.

Any leads would be appreciated.

Thanks

Max

Does anyone have any experience with building, owning, and operating a Murphy Moose or operating and maintaining M14 radials whether it is attached to a moose or not? I appreciate the insights!

I'm planning on building in about a year or two and am pretty settled on a Bearhawk 5, but a round nose Moose is a very attractive option as well. I'm just not sure what the reality of building and operating one will be like as there doesn't seem to be much information out there on Murphy aircraft as with other kit build companies. Any help would be much appreciated!

I am looking into designing a ultralight plane for personal use, if anyone could give me any suggestions or answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated.

Where would I begin in designing an ultralight plane?

Where could I find information on plane design?

What materials would be better for what parts?

Are these programs good: xflr5, openvsp, and avl?

Does anyone have any good plans to look at for inspiration or any insight into the process?

What else would be important to know?

Where would I buy the materials (i.e. propeller, engine, wing depending on material, and any other not easily accessible parts)

Hi All,

I'm considering buying a partially build kit from someone and I'd need to get it from the west coast to the east coast. Quotes I've gotten from movers are $4-7K and renting a truck and driving is likely $2500-$4000.

The kit I'm considering has a quick-build fuselage and the wings and tail components are assembled so, it consists of big chunks of the aircraft. I'd estimate that it would fit in a 24' box truck or trailer.

IIRC, kit manufacturers typically charge somewhere between $800 and $1500 to ship a new kit. I realize they might be eating some of the cost and that they likely shipping multiple kits at a time, and at varying distances.

Does anyone have thoughts on the most cost effective way to ship this kit? I'm willing to rent a truck and drive it but that would be time consuming and I'd rather find a shipper at a reasonable cost, if possible.

I'm brand new in this homebuilt aircraft hobby and last year I bought plans for the Pietenpol Air Camper. It combined my 2 loves of aviation and carpentry. The problem is these aircraft were designed with smaller people in mind. I purchased the W&B book developed for the Pietenpol and it's brought up some questions for me. I'm 320lbs, and while I am working on losing weight (goal weight is 250), I wondered if I could increase the size of the aircraft to hold more weight. Would it be the entire aircraft that would need to be sized up or just the wings? Is this even a viable option to begin with? I appreciate the help!

After all these years, I haven't heard they made any flight of their airplane yet. Are they going to fly to Oshkosh to show it off?

This is probably a long shot, but my dad has a fuselage with gear and tail section for what is supposed to be a der jager. From what I've read elsewhere these planes were based off of the stolp starduster, but does anyone know anything else about them? I'd love to possibly build this thing one day, but can't seem to find any prints to finish it. I've been into aviation for a long while, but know little too nothing about home builts.

Hello,

What would you say is a ballpark estimate to recreate the right wing on a B-17 using modern aluminum and techniques? I've seen some reproduction warbirds that used cnc cut aluminum and cnc milled wooden forms for making the ribs, etc. I wouldn't want to use any war era parts as I consider those artifacts and should either be in a museum or preserved for any flight capable aircraft. It doesn't have to be flight rated, but a decent approximation of the metal thickness, construction techniques, etc.

I volunteer at an aviation museum and was thinking that it might make an interesting display if we could reproduce a wing from a WW2 era aircraft. Then subject it to period correct gun fire (at a range and controlled) to create a battle damaged display. Something physical to represent what happens to those aircraft during their service.

Thanks for your consideration!

There’s a saying that if you want to build an airplane, then build. But if you want to fly, then buy one that’s already built. That being said, if you really want to build your own plane but get in the air ASAP, and skip the head-scratching and frustration that comes with building (particularly with first-time builders), can builders assist alleviate the problem?

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Has anyone ever done builders assist? Was it expensive? Did it greatly speed up the process? What was your experience like and overall opinion?

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In my case, I want a Vans, and I realize there are more airworthy Vans air for sale than virtually any other EAB out there. But it can be with any experimental aircraft.

Although there are a few Sling 2’s powered by 914’s, there are none (to my knowledge) with a 915. So unless someone builds one, we can’t know for sure what the performance would be like. But for those of you who have experience flying the 2, what are your speculations? I would imagine it’d be quite the performer at high altitudes.

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Equipping a more powerful engine without making any changes to the airframe doesn’t necessarily mean a big difference in performance. The Sling 4 and Tsi have differences in their airframe despite looking almost identical. Of course, the Bristell B23 and B23 Turbo (915), are basically identical from the fuselage back, so perhaps tweaking the airframe isn’t always necessary. What are your thoughts?

Hi everyone, the aircraft build logs were lost. Is there any way one would be able to recreate build logs? What would the DAR think if you are honest with them, can they give airworthiness based on their inspection? Just not sure what can be done

With the modern advancements in carbon fiber, smaller fadec motors, airframe parachutes, etc… is there not a market for a 1+1 hyper efficient canard style plane?

DarkAero is going to be an absolute missile.

Certain European ultralight companies have great performance envelopes. Risen, Blackwing, etc.

What’s stopping a kit designer from re-balancing and re-engineering the Long-EZ concept but using modern materials and technology? Is it simply that we have no modern day Burt to put in the design hours? Or is there something about fiberglass and wood propellers that can’t be replicated with modern materials?

Tempted by the Celera 500L design, can never afford to buy and know that I can build one to fly for myself as long as I don't offer to sell is allowed under patent law

Curious if anyone else had the idea or am I just day dreaming

Can you share your view on these two the Velocity XL vs. Vans RV10. I know that these are very different aircrafts, Vans RV10 is Aluminum Metal build while the Velocity is composite. But they both seem to fit my mission, I'm looking for a cross country, 4 place place that is fast and efficient.

The Velocity's Canard style adds an interesting safety consideration. I've never flown one, but I'm leaning hard towards the Velocity.

Pricing is similar, but the Velocity's fuel efficiency, safety, and speed are very good.

I would go for fast build, but I want to understand why more people choose the Vans RV 10 over the Velocity.

I am looking for a home built / experimental aircraft owner that would be willing to give me their aircraft and engine specs, and provide measurements and pictures of their propeller and hub. I have 8 years in the helicopter rotor industry as a structural engineer, have woodworking experience, and am exploring designing and manufacturing wooden propellers for home built, vintage, and experimental airplanes. If all goes well I'd also like to explore demonstrating one of my propellers in action even if it's just ground testing. I'd be willing to provide a propeller for free to the person I work with. Let me know if any of you are interested in working with me. Thanks!