skybound
Active Member
I've read through a number of threads about trying to make an aircraft that uses a trailer instead of a hangar. And the only conclusion I really saw drawn is that the folding or removable wings are complex, expensive, easy to damage, not meant to take the loads of being hauled in a trailer, and at the end of the day the time and money spent making wings fold could just be spent on a hangar.
So that kinda eliminates a plane that isn't based out of an airport. And right now, with the cost of hangars, the possibilities of moving around and all that, maybe having an airplane isn't too practical for my life right now (I'm not abandoning the project, I still am gluing ribs nightly. But it's a lot easier to find an apartment the fuselage can sit in the living room of, or a storage unit to hold parts and work in than it would be to find a hangar, especially an affordable hangar)
But then I thought about it more, and thought more of weight shift trikes and powered parachutes. Both seem to lend themselves a lot more to being based out of a trailer, or possibly the bed of my truck. And if I have to move, it's just a trailer I gotta tow somewhere, and trailer parking seems a lot easier to find than hangars for rent/sale.
So how practical are these solutions?
Powered parachute
Pros:
-lower cost
-No having to re-learn "backwards" controls, or unlearn it when my plane finally flies
-Smaller- no 16' folded wing.
-Breaks down into cart and chute by default, no additional disassembly to trailer
Cons:
-Not much in the way of xc, pretty slow
-Parachute means taking it is out of the question- limits where it can fly?
Weight shift
Pros:
-Faster, could do some short xc flights with it
-Cooler (I think so at least)
Cons:
-Costs more
-Big wing means bigger trailer or storage unit, or basically a bigg thing to store. Also, gotta fold it which is a good bit of work and pieces.
-"Backwards" controls
Another practical point of one of these, if I'm on a road trip somewhere I can take it with me, no need to find some place to fly if I wanted to, or get checked out in a new plane, none of that. If I'm going somewhere cool I wanna see from the air I've got an easy to transport way into the air.
Any thoughts on this? Are any of these sold in kit form of some sort? (Well, I'm not interested in a kit to the level of sewing a wing, but a e-lsa would be nice so I can do my own maintenance/inspections.
So that kinda eliminates a plane that isn't based out of an airport. And right now, with the cost of hangars, the possibilities of moving around and all that, maybe having an airplane isn't too practical for my life right now (I'm not abandoning the project, I still am gluing ribs nightly. But it's a lot easier to find an apartment the fuselage can sit in the living room of, or a storage unit to hold parts and work in than it would be to find a hangar, especially an affordable hangar)
But then I thought about it more, and thought more of weight shift trikes and powered parachutes. Both seem to lend themselves a lot more to being based out of a trailer, or possibly the bed of my truck. And if I have to move, it's just a trailer I gotta tow somewhere, and trailer parking seems a lot easier to find than hangars for rent/sale.
So how practical are these solutions?
Powered parachute
Pros:
-lower cost
-No having to re-learn "backwards" controls, or unlearn it when my plane finally flies
-Smaller- no 16' folded wing.
-Breaks down into cart and chute by default, no additional disassembly to trailer
Cons:
-Not much in the way of xc, pretty slow
-Parachute means taking it is out of the question- limits where it can fly?
Weight shift
Pros:
-Faster, could do some short xc flights with it
-Cooler (I think so at least)
Cons:
-Costs more
-Big wing means bigger trailer or storage unit, or basically a bigg thing to store. Also, gotta fold it which is a good bit of work and pieces.
-"Backwards" controls
Another practical point of one of these, if I'm on a road trip somewhere I can take it with me, no need to find some place to fly if I wanted to, or get checked out in a new plane, none of that. If I'm going somewhere cool I wanna see from the air I've got an easy to transport way into the air.
Any thoughts on this? Are any of these sold in kit form of some sort? (Well, I'm not interested in a kit to the level of sewing a wing, but a e-lsa would be nice so I can do my own maintenance/inspections.
