Homebuilt
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Wikipedia-Article "Homebuilt"
Also known as amateur-built aircraft, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by one or more persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits. Although the aircraft is constructed by an amateur, the finished product is often of good quality. Contrary to common belief, because the builder is usually also the pilot, the saftey record is generally better than average, due to better and more careful maintenance.
In the United States, such aircraft may be flown as Experimental Aircraft under FAA regulations, provided that the owner has done at least 51% of the construction work her or himself.
The first aircraft to be offered for sale in this form was the Ace Baby Ace in the late 1920s. Homebuilt aircraft gained in popularity in the US in the 1950s with the formation of the Experimental Aircraft Association and with a large demand for light aircraft created by ex-military pilots after World War II.
Homebuilt aircraft are typically small, one- to four-seat sportsplanes, and employ simple methods of construction. Fabric-covered wood or metal frames and plywood are common in the aircraft structure, but increasingly, fiberglass is being used. Engines are often converted from automobile engines, with Volkswagen air-cooled flat-4s proving popular. This helps to keep costs down, but some builders use dedicated aircraft engines which typically give better performance. There are some newer aircraft engines becoming common, such as those from Rotax, that use modern technology to keep costs and fuel burn down compared to the small Lycoming or Continental engines.
A combination of litigation, which has discouraged general aviation manufacturers from introducing new designs, and cost has led to homebuilts outselling factory types by five to one.
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History
One can trace the history of amateur-built aircraft almost to the beginning of aviation itself. Even if the Wright brothers, Clément Ader, and their successors had commercial objectives in mind, the first aircraft were amateur-built, constructed by passionate enthusiasts whose goal was to fly.
Early years
Aviation took a leap forward with the industrialization that accompanied the First World War (1914-1918). In the post-war period, manufacturers needed to find new markets and introduced models designed for tourism. However, these machines were affordable only by the very rich.
Many U.S. aircraft designed and registered in the 1920s onward were considered "experimental" by the then-CAA, the same registration modern homebuilts are certified under. Many of these were prototypes, but designs such as Bernard H. Pietenpol's first, 1923 design were some of the first homebuilt aircraft. In 1928 Henri Mignet published plans for the HM-8 aircraft, as did Pietenpol for his Air Camper. Pietenpol later constructed a factory, and in 1933 began creating and selling partially-constructed aircraft kits.
The year 1936 saw the creation in France of an association of amateur aviation enthusiasts. Many types of amateur aircraft began to make an appearance, and in 1938 legislation was amended to provide for a Certificat de navigabilité restreint d'aéronef (CNRA, "restricted operating certificate for aircraft"). 1946 saw the birth of the Ultralight Aircraft Association which later in 1952 became the Popular Flying Association in the United Kingdom, followed the next year by the Experimental Aircraft Association in the United States.
Technology and innovation
Until around the late 1950s, builders had mainly kept to wood-and-cloth design. Borrowing from improving technology in the manufacturing side of aviation, homebuilders showed great creativity in introducing innovations. Metal construction in kitplanes was taken to a new level by Richard Van Grunsven in his RV series, while Burt Rutan pioneered composite construction and introduced the canard design to the homebuilding world. Standardized components from production aircraft, such as autopilots and more advanced navigation instruments became common as well..
Litigation during the 1970s and 1980s caused much stagnation in the production small aircraft market, forcing the surviving companies to stick to older, proven designs. In recent years, the less restrictive regulations for homebuilts allowed a number of manufacturers to develop new and innovative designs; many can considerably outperform certified production aircraft in their class.
A prime example of high-end homebuilt design is Lancair, which has developed a number of high-performance kits. The most powerful is the Lancair PropJet, a four-place kit with cabin pressurization and a turboprop engine, cruising at 24,000 feet and 370 knots. The only production aircraft of similar size and performance, the Extra 500, is still undergoing certification in the U.S. and will cost $1.5 million.
A small number of jet kitplanes have been built since the 1970's, including the tiny Bede BD-5.
Aircraft Types
Wood and cloth
This is the oldest construction, seen in the first aircraft and hence the best known. For that reason amateur-built aircraft associations will have more specialists for this type of craft than other kinds.
The most commonly-used woods are Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir, which offer excellent strength-to-weight ratios. Wooden structural members are joined with adhesive, usually epoxy. Unlike the wood construction techniques used in other applications, virtually all wooden joints in aircraft are simple butt joints, with plywood gussets. Joints are designed to be stronger than the members.
After the structure has been completed, the airplane is covered in fabric (usually aircraft-grade polyester) using typical aircraft methods.
The biggest advantage of this type of construction is that it does not require a lot of complex tools and equipment, but rather such commonplace items as a saw, plane tool, file, sandpaper, and clamps are sufficient.
Amateur wood/cloth planes include:
- The Ison miniMAX
- the Jodel models including the bébé D-9, D-112, and the more D-18, D-19, and D-20
- the Piel CP-30 or Émeraude
- the motorized glider Fournier RF-5.
A more modern trend is to build what could well be designated as wood-composite aircraft. The basic material is still wood, but it's combined with foam and other synthetic materials. An example of a wood-composite design would be this IBIS experimental aircraft project, designed by Roger Junqua.
Metal
Planes built from metals use similar techniques to more conventional factory-built airplanes. They can be more challenging to build, requiring metal-cutting, metal-shaping, and riveting. However, full or component assembly kits are relatively easy to obtain. (A component assembly kit has the material needed to build part of the aircraft, such as the fuselage. Such kits are also available for the other types of aircraft construction.)
There are three main types of metal construction: sheet aluminum, tube aluminum and welded steel tube. The tube structures are covered in fabric, much like wooden airplanes.
Examples of metal-based amateur aircraft include:
- The Vans_RV-4, RV-8, and other models produced by Van's Aircraft, are by far the most popular metal homebuilt airplanes. Van's is a U.S. manufacturer whose designs are available in kit form.
- Those built by Chris Heintz's Zenith Aircraft Company
- Jean Pottier's Pottier P-230 Panda
Composite
"Composite_material" structures are made of cloth with a high tensile strength (usually fibreglass or carbon, or occasionally Kevlar) combined with a structural plastic (usually epoxy, although vinylester is used in some airplanes). The fabric is saturated with the structural plastic in a liquid form; when the plastic cures and hardens, the part will hold its shape while possessing the strength characteristics of the fabric.
The two primary types of composite planes are molded composite, where major structures like wing skins and fuselage halves and prepared and cured in molds, and moldless, where shapes are carved out of foam and then covered with fiberglass or carbon fiber.
The advantages of this type of construction include smooth surfaces (without the drag of rivets), the ability to do virtually any compound curve, and the ability to place fiberglass or carbon fiber in optimal positions, orientations, and quantities. Drawbacks include the need to work with chemical products, and the weight, which can be even greater than with wood/cloth or metal models.
Examples of amateur craft made of composite materials include:
- Canard designs such as the VariEze and Long_EZ designed by Burt Rutan.
- all Lancair designs
- the MCR de Dyn'aero,a high-performance craft available in kit form.
See also
External links
- Experimental Aircraft Association "EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, is a growing and diverse organization of members with a wide range of aviation interests and backgrounds."
- Popular Flying Association "The Popular Flying Association is the representative body in the United Kingdom for amateur aircraft construction, recreational and sport flying."
- Réseau du Sport de l'Air (In French) "Le Réseau du Sport de l'Air est la Fédération Nationale dédiée à la Construction et la Restauration d'aéronefs grandeur nature depuis 1947 (avions, planeurs, ulm, hélicoptères, ballons...)" ("The Air Enthusiasts Association is the national federation dedicated to the construction and restoration of heavier-than-air craft since 1947 (planes, gliders, ultra-lights, helicopters, balloons, ...)")
- Igo Etrich Club The Igo Etrich Club was founded in 1987 by to provide a place for all Austrians interested in building aircraft. The association assists it members at the following tasks: own developments; building a copy using a plan; building a kit plane; restoration of an old plane or overhauling of an old-timer.
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