Hello everone

[Guest dunner runner]

Hello there everyone, my name is Clive and I am new to all of this aviation scene of trying to build an airplane from scratch, my problems have probably just begun, but I am determined to give it a damn good shot.:thumb_up:

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Bye the way I had better tell you one of my trains of thought, I am contemplating a scratch build of a semi scale Hawker Hurricane, at this point in time I am confused about what to build this out of; one option is to make it from aluminium, I have never built a plane before and it is a metal I seem to think of with aircraft, the next option is timber, and it seems to be popular, and last is one I have not had much to do with,ie I have only heard of it. I am looking for the maximum strength with the minimum weight, of course, and because I am new to building, I am not sure what scale to use, and worse of all I only have some model plans to work with. they are 1/5 scale and I don't know if upscaling them would work. So as you can see I am very new to most of what some of you may consider a normal event. I look forward to being lead astray, Cheers Clive.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Welcome

 

Dunner Runner, sounds like you've left without waiting for an answer

 

Whilst I commend you on wanting to build your own plane, I'd suggest you give it a lot of thought first. It's all very well wanting a replica fighter (I want a Westland Wyvern) but........

 

If you build it, can you fly it. If the answer is no, then get your certificate first as your ideas might change along the way.

 

Do you have any engineering qualifications or experience? If no, don't try to design your own. Buy a Hurricane kit, now available in Europe.

 

Squadron Leader - Aerei ultraleggeri Note, these may not be legal here.

 

Whilst there are some very knowledgeable people with these forums, don't expect much technical advice, see my thread "How to design and build an ultralight" You may get moral support(or not) but it appears to me that folk are afraid of legal action if they were to suggest something which in the long term fails. ie, who's ultimately responsible for the design.

 

I am still pursuing my design and have had to change it many times since it's inception. I will continue to do so, and will post updates from time to time. I will also enjoy the modeling experience and the research that is necessary to achieve my goal. What others think of my design doesn't phase me, this is what I want at this time in my life, so I'm following my dream.

 

Follow yours, but be very careful.

 

 

[Guest Decca]

Hiya Clive, :welcome:welcome to the forums. I admire your enthusiasm.

 

Where are you at in your in your flying endeavours? (Aircraft type, flying hours, etc).

 

As Deskpilot points out there are traps for young players in this game, but you will get plenty of suggestions, and good advice and experience here.

 

Enjoy, regards, Decca.

 

 

[Trevor]

Welcome to our world Clive , I am sure you will enjoy this great site. Have you considered any of the many aircraft kits available ? In my opinion they would be much better then building from scratch and at least you know it will fly - as long as it was built correctly of course. All the best which ever way you go. Trevor

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Hi guys I am sorry I can't stick around too long, I have a bit of a look on the computer and get ready for work. I am a boilermaker and I am on permanent afternoon shift, and working 5 12 hour shifts and 1 8 hour for my week. I have been learning to fly in a Cessna 172, and I have chalked up 10 hours so far. I have fallen in love for flying and i have admired it for many years, some freinds of mine have told me to give ultralights a go, so I will when I find somewhere near here. I was advise to have a look at this forum by the RA Aus and I usually go anywhere i am advise so here I am, I am not sure how I will go with the idea, so I am having a serious look at it, I may even end up buying a kit in the end but if I don't have a look at least then I wouldn't be me.:0

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

I forgot to mention that I have been building model planes with a wing span of up to 90 inches for years now and I have just been thinking this will be a similar type of adventure:blush:

 

 

[facthunter]

Scaling Down.

 

Some aeroplanes that fly well enough, become almost lethal when scaled down. particularly tailwheel types that can be tricky enough in their original form. Your first aeroplane (like your first house) that you build will be a learning experience enough but designing it as well, you are really going in at the deep end and probably taking on too much. I would suggest something like a Corby Starlet. It's very pretty and flies well with few vices and a well-proven design. Wood too which is a very versatile medium. Nev.

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

This is probably one reason I beleive that forums are are the best thing that people can join, i am a member of a few now as my interests are fairly scattered, I will have a look at some of the kits available, but I must confess i am still going to look for something that looks like a warbird, I have taken everything on board that has been said and so i will look into it. I will get into it one day, i get the impression i am to try a kit before i try a scratch build, I was having some concerns about control surfaces and their affect on a different scale and in particular an ultralight, but i will see what is available. Thank you people i will be in touch. I may get other ideas from someone elses project, before mine is underway, and who knows I may get idea from others after I have started.

 

 

[Yenn]

Welcome Clive.

 

A lot of good advice here from previous posts.

 

Have a look at HomeBuiltAirplanes.com - Experimental Aircraft Discussion a US based site specialising in homebuilts. If you serch through it I think you will find others building a Hurricane.

 

Scaling can drasticlly alter the characteristics of a plane, increasing the drag especially.

 

 

[nashy]

Re building.

 

Hi Clive.

 

I also came from large scale modeling, ( still into it ) Have a look at (mini max) and (fisher ) aircraft, they are both very much like model building. I built a mini max from the plans and they are quite easy to build.

 

Nashy

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Hi all,

 

I also am still flying my models and think they're damn good fun, I have also had a look at some kits from the USA, called Loehle, They have some interesting looking kits and the weight is within the limits set out in my info pack, I just have to go over things to see how they may go in the kit build section, I need to think about this rather carefully because of the percentage thing I was reading, and I really don't think the missus will like the yard being full of flying garden gnomes.(hehehehe) the idea appeals to me though, I have been in gliders and had a ball in the old Jantars over Cooma, my first flight in the Cessna 172 in Mount Isa had me fairly well hooked for life and now I am going to give these ultralights a try and hopefully they are as much fun as the other means of flight I have tried, sometimes I think it is in my blood, right down to being Air Force born (RAF Wroughton, Swindon Wiltshire) to be exact. Anyway it is great to hear from you all and I have a little more research to do for now, Cheers:thumb_up:

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Hi DR, we seem to have something else in common. Swindon was a hunting ground for me when I was stationed at RAF Yatesbury, no long in existence. Many happy days of miss spent leisure time during grueling technical training.

 

You might as well get used to the 'new' term for ultralight, they're now referred to as recreational aircraft or RA for short. That original name had a bad image attached to it so it was dropped, in general, a couple of years ago. I guess these days, one only associates it with aircraft like the Thruster and Drifter. Minimal aircraft, sort of. No offence to those of you who fly these great planes. I refer to my own design as an ultralight as it's 'supposed ' to be very basic in it's construction. However this is rapidly going out the window and I have to force myself to keep it simple, for simple people to build.

 

 

[farri]

You might as well get used to the 'new' term for ultralight, they're now referred to as recreational aircraft or RA for short. That original name had a bad image attached to it so it was dropped, in general, a couple of years ago. I guess these days, one only associates it with aircraft like the Thruster and Drifter.

Doug,What you say,man?

 

There`s things that fly then there`s real aircraft like the Thrusters and Drifters.;)

 

 

[facthunter]

Definition of real plane.

 

"Ones that get struck by birds from behind"? Nev.

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Unfortunately I am in no position to comment as I am not aware as to what these planes look like yet, but I will find out shortly though.

 

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Well I am going to be gone for a few days, off to Bundy airshow, gonna have a lot of questions to ask when I am there, never know what kind of mischeif I can get into.

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Well i am back, I had a great time, but it did not have to much in the RA types that I am looking for, I am starting to look at some of the overseas items to see if they have some better ideas, I have nothing against the different types of planes but I am maybe a bit too fussy, I want something that looks like a great plane. I am sorry to say I have not been taken by the large array of planes, because I like the old WW2 planes, and I want something that resembles them, and I may speak foul but my favourite plane is not the Spitfire, even thogh it is a great plane, nut my plane is thee Hurricane, but I am still looking.:thumb_up:

 

 

[jabpilot]

Hi DR,

 

The advice you have received so far is great. I hope I haven't missed this somewhere else but the only other thing I would suggest is that you join an aero club. Members experience ranges from ex-RAFFies, commercial jocks thru to those who have built their own aircraft. It's then easy to con rides in different types and you can pick the brains of the builder.

 

Also get to Narromine one Easter for the RA-Aus flyin - Natfly. Truckloads of experienced builders to talk to. Cheers.

 

 

[facthunter]

Other suggestion.

 

Join SAAA. They do a lot of the stuff that you are considering. Nev.

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

I have been looking around and looking under a lot of stones, my biggest problem I think is because I have never thought of it before, I have to find my feet; I realize they should be at the end of my legs, I just can't see them through the mud just yet, I have been looking at kits even to try and find something. I am caught up in a little dilemma about what to do, one side is telling me to stick with my original plan and yet the other side is telling me to build a kit first. The idea of building from a kit as mentioned before is a tried and tested option, however the idea of my own design says I get maybe what I want, I just don't know if it will fall into the guide lines I have to work with. and because of some information I have been given, I don't even know what to make it from if I did start with the idea of timber, then I was informed aluminium was another option, then chrome moly, now I am more confused than ever,i realize that the term ultra light has changed but for me I am looking at something that is very light and to a big degree has STOL abilities. I guess I will have to keep walking through the mud until I find the clear water.

 

 

[facthunter]

Ponder.

 

The longer you take, the more likely you are to get it closer to right. RV's are great kits, (good quality and complete) They sell well too.(They are not STOL) Why do you want STOL? Have you spoken to people who have/do, own stol aircraft? ...Nev..

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Some of the planes I have looked at are capable of taking off in less than 50 metres and this to me at least is a STOL aircraft, what use to be ultralights usually fitted in here, the reason I am looking at this is simply because. in a lot of places I would like to go, there isn't much room for an airstrip, and I would like to be able to simply trailer the plane if need be to some paddock (with permission of course) and fly off, as I am told that using an airfeild is not always allowed, and it may cause some issues with storage if not portable. this is why I like what use to be called an ultralight, it just seemed to be the answer to a lot of my dreams, and so I am going to try my best to get a nice little plane and have some fun, I have my music, and my motorbike for enduro's, I have my 4x4 for camping, and my boat for the water. I mean to say I have a lot of toys, and now I want 1 more.( greedy little bugger I am) I just want to try everything. somehow the model planes are damn good fun to fly, the gliders were a real buzz, the C172 was even better, now I want a little plane of my own, the other flying experiences have left me with a big hole to fill, every time I see a plane fly over me; I just want to be there.

 

 

[facthunter]

Continuing

 

50 meters is pretty STO. Why do you think that you cannot use airfields? Only the controlled ones are not used by us and may be available in the future, (with conditions). The Australian Aircraft Kits "Hornet" with big wheels is pretty STOL.. I always thought that a STOL would be the GO, but I have spoken to a few people about their experiences with this type of aircraft and they have found them pretty easy to damage in gusty conditions. Cruising speed suffers too. I would consider 400 meters to be a good field length to aim for. (Ball park short field) Bit extreme with going under that realistically. (My view, others may differ, but we don't live in Alaska). Nev.

 

 

[Guest dunner runner]

Well I have decided to go with something that can work on a short field because i intend to visit my family from time to time and speed is not a key to my flying. so I am looking at a lightweight plane that can land in a paddock and i can then come back home. I am considering the Leohle 5151 as it has a good short field ability, but I am trying to find a bit more info before i decided