Zooming up and over the clouds on sunset flights is glorious, and the big engine means you don’t have to look at your watch to see if anything is happening when you lay on the loud lever. Aircraft Steel; Aircraft Aluminum; Hinge and Pin; Misc Metals; Firewall Forward. That’s much less than the cost of a set of main landing gear wheel bearings for a P-51 Mustang.). I was aware that off-airport survivability drops significantly with increasing stall speed (energy is the square of velocity), so a reasonably slow stall speed was desired. I was 16 at the time, and while I lacked the technical education to fully understand why the Dyke Delta worked, I was impressed by both its performance and radical look. So many airplanes, so little time: over 1000 aircraft to choose from. Until that moment, we had been flying an airplane that on a good day would do 90 knots. “Jabiru is not new to our company; we have used the Jab since 2006 in our Lightning sport aircraft. Some of the details are obscure at best. Here is how I ended up building and flying a Van’s RV-8. If you truly believe light is right, simpler is better and you have no … As you peruse this year’s guide, we hope that you dog-ear the pages looking for your own dream project and plane, just as our authors have found theirs. As one might expect, the space is, shall we say, density sensitive. For some, it’s the only way to get the machine they dream of flying. Tom became a machinist for TWA. I have only minimal nosedragger experience and remain somewhat suspicious of them, an unfounded prejudice of mine, perhaps. I was disappointed, and I did catch Houston trying to hide a silent tear. The Sportsman flaps should be an improvement over the original GlaStar flaps, but require extra effort to make them work. But when the plane came back for a landing, she bounded out of the cockpit and declared, “Wow! An aircraft named Kelli Girl was always going to take flight. “Sid, you flew over 2000 hours in the back seat of F-4 Phantoms. I enjoyed flying the company airplane and needed some way to occupy my hands and mind, so I spent 18 months building one. I grew up building surfboards and had helped a friend rebuild a few VW engines, so when the Q2 came along, I was all over that. After two and a half years and 500 hours of flying, I still marvel at the fact that it was built at home. Dave Prizio (left) and Ed Zaleski assemble a Sportsman flap for their new GlaStar project. Find out why so many people choose to build and fly experimental Van's RVs! A year later, I passed my flight test for my Private Pilot license and started work on my mechanical and aerospace engineering bachelors degree at Cornell. I don’t recall how I became aware of the Titan T-51 Mustang kit, but I do remember suddenly spending a ton of time online reading and studying the aircraft…and what a kit! He flies an RV-8 that he built, an RV-3 that he built with his pilot wife, as well as a Dream Tundra they completed. ), was a key part of my job, and I carried it forward that year to my new assignment as Air Combat Command’s director of safety. That’s when the seed was planted in my mind that took another 39 years to finally take root and blossom. The Velocity is a composite built cross country machine. I am a designer and innovator both by profession and inclination. People should say that because it’s true. Until I stood next to one and realized I’d never fit in an airplane I could step over. I decided this scale tipped in the RV’s favor. Ready To Fly and Kit Aircraft, Made In The USA. The latest engines represent 20+ years of production experience, and the airframe 25+ years. My wife Kelli settled it for me when I asked her if she had anything in mind for her aircraft (if I maintain it, she lets me borrow it). I used the knowledge I gained during the project in my professional life, and I am currently working on the design of the Facetmobile’s long-delayed successor. To me, that meant more support, a better build experience, and, well, a greater odds-on chance that Houston and I would fly the thing. A simple little airplane kit at my age would do nicely. To enhance the GlaStar’s backcountry performance I have invested in some extended heavy-duty landing gear, some bigger tires, and a T3 tailwheel setup. An RV project was simply the right choice for my situation. This project must wait. My previous planes were all built according to the plans, although I did later switch my first GlaStar to conventional gear from its original tricycle configuration. Javascript is required to operate this site, Your browser is not compatible with this website. Now, after several big mods (constant-speed prop, IFR upgrade, dual P-MAGs), we have logged over 550 Hobbs hours in just over three years and are preparing for our third trip to Oshkosh. The world of homebuilt aircraft officially known in the United States as Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft has existed as long as powered flight. Available as Standard or Quickbuild Kit. That motivation is as personal as the individual builder. I had been around plansbuilt sport plane construction enough to know there was no way I was going to survive 6000 hours of that. We had a great showing at The Copperstate Fly … It is also expensive enough that to afford it, I would have to sell my Sportsman, leaving me with a plane—a very nice plane to be sure—that would not be well suited to the cross-country flying that I often do. I knew she would probably like the airplane and was hopeful that a nice, quiet flight and gentle landing would provide a green light. He stops and reads the poster I display with the history of my plane. Aerobatic, 6 G’s, retractable, reasonably nimble, and with an available V-6 “Mini Merlin”! Van’s Aircraft. My kits were delivered in 2012, and I’ve been at it since. Who knows? I have it still. One year it took The Dawn Patrol—Tom, me, Mark Pierce, and Dick Lemons—nine days to get home from an airshow only 108 miles away. I had looked longingly at a Carbon Cub, and I do truly love that plane, but in the end two things moved me away from it toward another GlaStar. In fact, when I’m due for a biannual review, I make sure to remind my flight instructor, Daniel Wotring, not to expect any kind of break, just a descending nose-up mush and the stall horn blaring. I considered the T-51 against the Van’s fleet line (RV-7, -8, -9, etc.). It’s her RV-7A, but if Sid does the maintenance, she lets him borrow it. I will not be your backseat wizzo.” Got it. My advice is to build a plane within your means that does your mission well. The skins didn’t have prepunched holes, for example, and some of the parts didn’t fit as well as they might have. If ever I were going to get another airplane, it would be a Kolb Xtra or a Curtiss Junior, for the visibility. One of the things I really enjoy is flying around puffy white clouds (at a legal distance, of course!). Jabiru J-200 Light Sport Homebuilt Aircraft Desktop Kiln Dried Wood Model Small. Experience and Cutting Edge Technology. I knew my dream of a WW-I plane had to be a taildragger, so it was the natural plane for me to choose. I’ve got the wings and tail done and am skinning the fuselage now. I don’t know. Since our founding in 1985, Murphy Aircraft has seen steady growth in aircraft designs, sales, personnel, equipment, capabilities, and objectives. Sport Planes in Texas, while USA engine sales were taken over by Nick Otterback of Arion Aircraft, in Shelbyville, Tennessee (which was next door to Jabiru North America). For about five years all was well, but a sobering reality soon set in. The Marquart Charger was designed for open cockpit fun. The cost of owning and flying any kind of warbird was totally out of reach for a middle-school math teacher. Revised Listing of Amateur Built Aircraft Kits Paul’s latest completion was the Dream Tundra (below), a bush plane used for exploring the wilds of Nevada. Well…It took 39 years, but the one about flying my own WW-I fighter plane finally came through. He finds building to be both fun and challenging, and he haven’t gotten bored yet. In particular, engine failure analysis was a big part of the discussion. Someday I might own another airplane. Good useful load, good speed, lots of room inside—it just fit me. Amazing STOL performance in a plane you can live with every day. With a baggage area measuring 39 inches long by 42 inches wide, the Jabiru J250’s baggage compartment will hold a full-size pro racing bike (wheels removed) with room to spare. About this time also, I got a demo ride in an RV-12 and was surprised by its superb handling and remarkable visibility. New USA airplane sales were taken over by Scott Severen of U.S. REVISED LISTING OF AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT KITS . I explain the controls (or lack thereof) and what it is like to fly. Alternator RealityIn the wiring diagrams in the article "All About Avionics: The Electric Airplane"... Dave Martin samples one of the three PiperSport LSA models introduced at the Sebring Expo, and finds it to his liking. That said, if there were a contest for two-seaters to see which one holds the most popcorn or ping-pong balls, the Jabiru would win hands down. I kept abreast of the T-51’s developments as I dreamed on. The company has had its ups and down, but it’s still here. When it comes to choosing the right airplane, there are many considerations. The UK’s top-ten most popular kit manufacturers based on new kit-starts registered with the LAA between June 2016 and July 2018 are as follows: 1. My heart sank and I saw the future unfolding with a steamed wife and evaporated Rocket dreams. The 4-Place Bearhawk Bearhawk Aircraft offers the finest, most capable two and four place kit utility planes to the homebuilt aircraft community, at prices that make our products the best value among kit planes. Find Experimental/Homebuilt Aircraft from LANCAIR, VANS, and GLASAIR, and more. We have also taken over the service work as well. Around that time I discovered www.VansAirForce.net, and Paul Dye and Louise Hose were discussing the construction of their RV-3B, and this got me interested in that airplane. Armed with the list, our search for a suitable aircraft commenced. I would not bother with the aftermarket tip tanks; it can do around 1000 nautical miles on just the mains. These planes cruise at speeds around 170kts and only burn about 5 gallons per hour. That has been more expensive and more technically difficult than I expected, but experimental aviation is all about education and recreation. In both cases I came away more knowledgeable and with a healthy respect for the factory guidelines. The next step was to go to one of the big experimental aviation shows, talk to the manufacturers, and ensure nothing new was about to change the equation. That was better than sex!”. It's a single-seat aircraft. In 16 months of part-time labor, we built two of them for the cost of $2,859 each, ready to fly. Giving you this broad perspective is important; we want you to know as much about your choices as possible so that once you have settled into the cockpit of your new aircraft, the excitement never goes away. For $60,000 (used, in good condition) it’s reasonably fast, affordable, and if cargo space is a measure of utility, the Jabiru 230/250 is the one of the best, if not the best, two-seat aircraft for cross-country flying. If only it were a taildragger! People don’t say that the RV-3B is a thinking man’s airplane, which it most certainly is, at least during the construction. We have many regular contributors to KITPLANES, all of whom have gone through the process of choosing an aircraft to build and fly. People say that the RV-3B handles well. For me it was not worth the effort to simply reproduce what had been done before. I decided to build an airplane. I walk up to him and say, “Wanna try it on for size?”. Bearhawk 5: An Interview With Mark Goldberg. Velocity, Inc. has 35 years of building high performance aircrafts. By my early 40s, airplanes were renewing their appeal, and my wife and I had just barely accrued the discretionary income to consider the long-dormant dream of owning one. In 2008, Van’s came out with the RV-12. The Carbon Cub is rather narrowly focused on the single mission of backcountry flying, which means that it does that very well but other things not so well. It’s an airplane from the ’70s, which means it’s not computer designed. • “No surprises,” she said, to which I asked for further clarification. I live near Portland, Oregon, and one Dick VanGrunsven was building a small but successful business nearby. I’d spent a lot of time at Oshkosh watching airplanes go by. I ordered info packs for three different airplanes ($5.00 to $8.00 each…I really had to think about that) and tore them open eagerly when they arrived. Nigel Speedy chose to build an RV-8 because it met the criteria that were most important to him: tandem seating, cruise speed, range, aerobatics, cost, and solid support for the type. I had grown fond of our bush plane’s short-field capability and appreciated a strong climb rate. When Kend Rand designed his KR-1 in 1972, he also pioneered a state-of-the-art foam-and-fiberglass composite construction method which has now become standard in homebuilt, commercial, and military aircraft. Also, the FAA does not approve kit manufacturers. A confirmed convertible freak and yet to be deflowered romanticist, I didn’t mind sitting outside, either. I finished that airplane and made the first flight on December 26, 1993. That left the RV-7 and -8. Day in and day out, I get 177 knots TAS burning 7.7 gallons per hour. A chap there with a Sirocco (imagine a wooden RV-8, or as he likes to say, “The RV-8 is an aluminum Sirocco.”) tells me, “You need to start building now before you get married.” Hard to argue with that logic. And as for a project, I did, admittedly, enjoy building aluminum airplanes, having had the construction of one as a college job. Figure out what you’re really going to do with an airplane, find one that does it, and get to work. Fisher Flying products produces components for 14 aircraft designs that pay homage to the fun little aircraft that let us experience low and slow flight. The rest is history. The build time had to be short enough to fly prior to my hair commencing its migration, and metal was preferred. Naturally, I suggested another airplane. But if all things weren’t equal, maybe not. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but it is a good theory. No. My regular flyer since March 2014 has been a Jabiru J250-SP. With our old Falconar Avia Maranda, this really did mean flying around them. This is something every engine manufacturer should do. With standard empty weight of only 170 lb (77 kg) - 225 lb (102 kg) it satisfies the Part 103 requirements; Its maximum speed is only 50 mph and its cruise speed is 35 mph. Risk management, in all its forms (fiscal, safety, mission, etc. I tell folks that the RV-8 is not the best at any one thing, but it is very good at most things—at least the things that are important to me. I knew which aircraft I wanted to build…the T-51. At his urging, I bought the pretty well beat-up 1946 C-120. However, one of my fellow USAF officers introduced me to his Van’s RV-7A project. Magazine; Buyer's Guides; 2019 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory. © 2021 Kitplanes.com. Obviously, the 1320-pound LSA maximum gross weight limit and CG considerations are determinative factors as to what you can and cannot haul, weight-wise, but the sheer volume available opens the door (literally, there’s a separate cargo door) for a number of items that would be impossible in most LSAs. At every show we’ve been to since then, a scenario similar to this one repeats itself: I’ll be sitting in my folding chair beside my canvas falcon when an airshow attendee walks up. I may still build a Carbon Cub somewhere down the road, just not today. There is a long silence while he looks over the plane, then the other shoe drops. Over the next couple of decades, I partnered with Ken Krueger to build an airplane he designed, a small VW-powered single-seater we called the KK-1. I want to replicate the tandem seat configuration of the PC-9. On lunch fly-outs, we would be the first to depart and the last to arrive. Some pages or functions may not work correctly. Another very popular homebuilt aircraft is the Whitman W-8 Tailwind two-seat light plane. And you have to trailer it to airshows…Why did you build it?”. In 1994, Barnaby flew the Facetmobile to Oshkosh and it appeared on the cover of EAA’s Sport Aviation. To provide a better user experience, EAA uses cookies. With its O-540 Lycoming, it climbs at 2500 fpm, cruises at 150 mph, and has a 350-foot takeoff roll. There are certainly many aircraft that are more capable in any one area (STOL, cost, speed, aerobatics, range, economy), but. I remember thinking after I flew it to Oshkosh that even if it never flew again, it had all been worthwhile. A few years later, I was in the USA, and one of my classmates in a test pilot course was talking about the rudder kit for an RV that he was building. But then I remember the 350-foot takeoff roll, the 2500-fpm climb, and the immediacy of being out in the sky rather than passing through it. People say that the nice thing about the RV-3B is the quality of the social experience, knowing that it’s a single-seater. Murphy’s 50,000-sq. So far, factory builder support and replacement parts availability have been excellent. It first flew on December 26, 1993, and Ken still owns it. When Houston and I visited Paul “Bugsy” Gardetto, two of his sons showed Houston and me how to shape, work, and rivet Alclad…our very first aircraft pieces. † Sinoaustral Aviation Technology PTY LTD, purchased all rights, interests, and ownership of production and sale Building it is both fun and challenging, and I haven’t gotten bored yet. Then Carl Battjes took me out in his Chard 6, and suddenly I understood what all the RV zealots were raving about. Back in the day, when I still wore a uniform, I had the opportunity to do a flying instructor course in the Pilatus PC-9, a 1000-hp tandem-seat turboprop. It was a sad development for him but gave me the opportunity to pick up a project with a lot of high-quality work already done at a good price. One guy who seemed to get it right was Bob Barrows, designer of the four-seat Bearhawk. Well-Engineered, Proven Aluminum Construction. (Photo: Courtesy of EAA). In any case it was a mess, looking like it was hurriedly built in a dark room by a guy welding without a mask and upholstered in an upstate Nevada sporting house, plus it had spent the last seven years standing motionless in a tin shed hangar. It didn’t take long for the F1 Rocket to come to the top of the list. It is also affordable enough that I did not need to sell my current plane to purchase the kit and components. Let’s just say I am getting an education now in hopes of some future recreation. A bolt from the blue. To review EAA's data privacy policy or adjust your privacy settings please visit: Click here to upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge. So, instead of answering if I would build it again, I’ll change the question to, “Would I buy a Jabiru again?”. '” After deep thought, I figured a ground loop counts as an Oh sh%$ moment, so a taildragger just wouldn’t do. RV-8. I received builder number 20207. I started sketching delta-winged light-plane concepts and used my newly acquired engineering knowledge to analyze their performance. It’s worth the effort, and you’ll thoroughly enjoy the end result! Popular Homebuilt Aircraft The Kitfox has been a very popular design that is sold as a complete kit, with engine, and has folding wings. Aircraft Spruce supplies components for a wide variety of homebuilt aircraft including the Lancair, Vans Aircraft, and Cozy, as well as factory built parts for Cessna, Piper, Beech, and Mooney. The company offers pre-molded kit planes giving customers have access to customization, builder support, flight training, and conditional inspections. He’d climb for about 15 or 20 minutes, shut down that motor, and soar. As I stood nervously on the ground, they took off. The GlaStar seemed to be a good compromise between backcountry and cross-country capabilities. I had toyed with the idea of building a Starduster Too, but the impracticality of an open cockpit bi-wing airplane turned me in another direction. The how and why of that acquisition was detailed in “To Launch a Light Sport-Redux” in the May 2015 issue of KITPLANES, so I won’t go over the details here, except to say that it was built by Bob Fritz, who started the “Home Shop Machinist” column.
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