Need free ultralight plans, and guidance

Hi, i'm searching for free ultralight plans that look like the plane below. I am looking for a compact, reliable, single seater, that can be flown with little instruction. I am also on a very low budget, so I will be scavenging a lot of the parts, so I need flexible plans. My email is Rocketmaniac2@gmail.com. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

- Mike

Also, it would be great if someone could name what "type" of plane that picture is, I am not looking for a full fuesalage, just a part way one.

Thanks again,

-Mike

It's a CGS Hawk in the picture.

Originally Posted by manicor

... that can be flown with little instruction.

No such animal. Any and every airplane (even an ultralight) needs proper flight instruction. Ultralights generally need less flight instruction than say, a Piper Arrow or somesuch, but you need to get a sufficient amount of training to safely fly your particular type of aircraft. Nobody but an instructor can tell you if you're good enough to fly an airplane by yourself.

No matter what your budget is, factor in money for flight training. For ultralights, go see the USUA web page (www.usua.org) and look for your local clubs and instructors. They should be able to give you a figure for which you can budget.

Does anyone know were I can get plans though? I've changed my mind, if need be I will pay for plans, but it needs to be a U.S. certified ultralight.

Thanks,

-Mike

Well, there is no government certification for ultralights. It's not required by the regs, nor is any provision actually made for certifying them.

I'm rather fond of the SkyPup, myself. Usually I hear good things about it, even though it's an older design.

Another one that's spoken of often here is the AffordaPlane. I've heard mixed results about dealing with the proprietor, though - in general, the gist seems to be to order the plans electronically and not on paper. Some people who have ordered paper plans have reported delays in receiving them. I ordered a set of the electronic plans out of curiosity about the design (at $25, it was worth it just for that purpose) and they were promptly delivered within 24h.

Of the two, I'd probably build the SkyPup myself, but that's just because I'm a little more comfortable with working wood than metal. Your mileage may vary on that.

Neither of these is in the pod-and-boom pusher configuration that you'd originally mentioned, but I don't happen to know of any ultralights in that configuration that are available as plans.

In either case, you mentioned needing "flexible" plans. As with flight training, there really isn't any such animal. What's done on the plans was generally done for a really good reason, even if that isn't immediately obvious. This also applies to the materials chosen. Scrounging is fine, so long as you're scrounging for exactly what's called out on the drawings. Don't substitute. Your life is on the line, literally.

Hi,
One of the planes you might want to investigate is the Spratt103. There are a number of things about this plane which might appeal to you.

1. First, plans are available for it at only about $100 if I remember correctly
2. It is CHEAP to build. The designer claims that you can do so for under $5k. Build time about 200hrs
3. It is extremely simple to fly - more so than most - because it can't stall.

You can find out more about it here: http://spratt.103.free.fr/spratt103_english/welcome.htm

Its only "disadvantage" is that it is a European design, not American. Here's a picture of it.

Regards,
Duncan

Thank you very much, i have also been looking up an ultralight called the Fighter, from plansdelivery.com. It would come in a digital form, and looks like a nice flyer, but I also like the looks of the Spratt103.

Thanks for the help,

Mike

I have looked at the affordaplane a lot, and it looks nice, but I have heard that the plans come very vague, and being my first ultralight, I personally would like to get complete plans. It looks like a great plane though. I'll keep thinking

Thanks,

*Very Confused*

Mike

Mike,
"Very confused" is how some of us guys get through life. I know this is true of me most of the time anyway.

Join the club.

Regards,
Duncan

Originally Posted by manicor

I have looked at the affordaplane a lot, and it looks nice, but I have heard that the plans come very vague...

I looked through the set I bought and they looked quite complete to me. But then I wasn't actually trying to build the airplane, either.

I think you'll find some ambiguity in any set of plans. The difference between "good" and "bad" is a matter of degree. My best advice is, if you like the AffordaPlane, go ahead and drop the $25 and look through them yourself. If you end up liking it, great. If not, $25 is a small price to be sure you made the right choice.

And yes, all of this stuff can be very confusing. Just keep at it. You'll get where you want to go.

I got the affordaplane plans, and they look pretty good, but my main concern is that this thing is RIGHT UP to the top empty weight limit, so it would be hard to add anything else. Is there anyway to lighten the load a little, without sacrificing structural support? Also, any advice on how to build ANY plane would be helpful, considering I have never acually built one myself. Anyways, thanks for the help.

Mike

Looking through my own set right now, I think you could lose a few pounds by:

• Doing without the little windshield, pilot fairing, and cowling. It all appears to be cosmetic - near as I can tell, all of it is non-structural. Definitely check me on that, though.
• The plans call out "wheelbarrow tires" and, I assume, wheels. Very heavy. Go to Aircraft Spruce and get real ultralight wheels and tires. You'll pay more for them, but probably lose 2-3 pounds each, or more.

Note that all of the things I mentioned are at the front of the plane, however. You could remove them only to the degree that the center of gravity remains within the specified limits with you aboard and using the engine you choose. Your engine choice will affect the weight the most, but again, you have to make sure the airplane balances at the right spot, no matter what engine you choose. Your choices, therefore, are a bit limited.

I wouldn't even remotely recommend altering any of the structure of the airplane to reduce weight, unless you happen to have a qualified structural engineer (who knows airplanes) handy to check the consequences of your changes. There's just too many things that can go wrong, and most of them can hurt you pretty badly.

And really, there isn't much you can "add" to an ultralight in the end, so while I don't know what you had in mind, keep your desire to put more things onto the airplane to a bare minimum. Burt Rutan is quoted as saying, about parts to be put on an airplane: "Throw it up in the air. If it comes down, it's too heavy to be on the plane." He was only half-kidding. Anything you add will probably reduce climb performance and increase your sink rate if the engine should fail. Neither effect is something that you want.

I have seen the use of cables for the conrol surfaces. I think that would save alot of weight. I've seen the bottom rear square tubing with holes drilled through the side every 6-8 inches. I think that's a very bad idea.

the legal eagal looks very similar. check this out http://youtube.com/user/HartAero

[quote=Topaz;24301]Looking through my own set right now, I think you could lose a few pounds by:

• Doing without the little windshield, pilot fairing, and cowling. It all appears to be cosmetic - near as I can tell, all of it is non-structural. Definitely check me on that, though.
• The plans call out "wheelbarrow tires" and, I assume, wheels. Very heavy. Go to Aircraft Spruce and get real ultralight wheels and tires. You'll pay more for them, but probably lose 2-3 pounds each, or more.

Note that all of the things I mentioned are at the front of the plane, however. You could remove them only to the degree that the center of gravity remains within the specified limits with you aboard and using the engine you choose. Your engine choice will affect the weight the most, but again, you have to make sure the airplane balances at the right spot, no matter what engine you choose. Your choices, therefore, are a bit limited.
quote]

Good suggestions, Topaz. The Builder's manual actually states exactly what you say here: the cowling, cockpit fairing & windscreen are strictly cosmetic, not structural.

I've already opted for Azusalight wheels. Now to find the right size tundra-type tire.