• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Stopped by the DAR?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Will Aldridge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
997
Location
Northern Utah
I'm learning new things all the time about the process of building and flying your own brand new design and I keep thinking about what I am learning and what I have heard, and there seems to be some disconnect.

As the title indicates I am interested in what is needed to satisfy the DAR when the time comes.

In my EAA chapter there was 1 gentleman who built an original design. Original must be interpreted somewhat loosely as the plane was kind of a mishmash of components from several other designs. This gentleman is now in a rest home and admitted that he suffers from dementia, but stated that he didn't really do any calculations. I guess that since he was using proven pieces of other airplanes and it looked airworthy he got away with it?

Then there is the case of the KRSuper2. According to the website the guy has done engineering calculations. Does he offer them to the builders to show the DAR when the time comes? I mean there are no flying examples to point to and say "There is one already flying and I built mine exactly the same". Admittedly the designer will probably be the first one finished and he supposedly has the calcs necessary but suppose the DAR doesn't buy it? Everyone else building one is probably screwed, right?

Someone just pointed me in the direction of the Polliwagen. The designer died sometime ago(in a Polliwagen) and as far as I could find out there aren't many in existence, so how are the guys who are building them from the plans on the Yahoogroups site going to get theirs past the DAR?

One other thing comes to mind; I know that in England it is extremely difficult to get a new design approved for building. Usually builders have to pay to have an engineer go over the design with a fine tooth comb to see if it was properly designed. One would think that the original designer could supply those calculations? But apparently that doesn't happen very often or the calculations aren't good enough?

These questions have been floating around half formed in my subconscious for awhile but since talking with the technical counselor in my EAA chapter who told me how stringent the process is, they have coalesced and I would like to hear what you all have to say.
 
Back
Top