hello Guys,

Has anyone ever fiddled with the idea of a homebuilt plane... either from a kit or plans based?

All kinds of people are building this things... I imagine it would be a lot easier to do if you had access to a CNC hot wire cutter, cnc router and/or cnc mill.

thanks
Fernando

Fernando,

Are you meaning model planes as in RC or full size planes ??

Tweakie.

full size planes. there are several kits out there. and a few built from plans. most of the from plan builds are composite which use some foam cores and fiberglass/foam sandwiches in a technique Burt Rutan came up with.
you can google some of the planes names, here are a few:
cozy mark 4 www.cozyaircraft.com/
varieze
long ez
vision and freedom www.pro-composites.com/
to name just a few

Hi Fernando,

The Burt Rutan planes are something else and always seem to explore the edges of known technology and science - I think you would be taking on a lot to attempt to follow his lead without having expert aerodynamic knowledge.

A guy who would be good to talk to is George Race - His homebuilt Zenith CH-701 was just expertly constructed, he also documented the build with lots of photos and comments etc. What he doesn't know about homebuild is probably not worth knowing. 
http://www.mrrace.com/index.htm

Tweakie.

Thanks tweakie,

Well... I am not looking into designing a new aircraft from scratch... actually the Cozy, and the long ez are based on designs from Burt Rutan, If I am not mistaken, they were licensed by him.

I have seen many kits built... and even hundreds of made from plans like the Cozy and long Ez (if not thousands). Most of the builders rely on hand molding, and buying some of the parts.
I just think that our community relies on a lot of skill and resourcefulness that would help the build be easier.

Have a great week
Fernando

Hi Fernando,

Sorry but I forgot to mention that George Race is a member of this forum so you could PM him for his input.

Tweakie.

Would you believe this  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L75ESD9PBOw&feature=player_embedded
This man has real courage.

Tweakie.

WOw,
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