• 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!

Airplane Guy Needs Education: 103 Viability

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

Toobuilder

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
6,603
Location
Mojave, Ca
Disclaimer: I'm an active "homebuilt guy" through and through. I was at OSH in '81 and '85 during the explosion of the 103 market. My dad thought it was the renaissance of personal flying and judging by the activity at the ultralight strip, it sure looked like it. Fast forward to the present and while I hope 103 will continue its very liberal, wide open way, and I hope the FAA continues its "don't ask, don't tell" attitude, I have no personal interest in 103 flying at the present. Some day, maybe, but not for a long time. The following is simply an opportunity to educate a fellow airman.

It has been years since I've seen an ultralight in the air and frankly, I thought the segment was completely dead. So it with no small amount of legitimate confusion that I see the issue debated so much on this forum. I understand the wants and desires of some to try get various perameters "tweaked" to suit their mission, and I also understand those that try bend the existing 103 rules to try stuff a product through the grey area. This is not about that.

Question: for those that intend to persue a "legitimate" and "legacy" 103 experience, why not just buy a Weedhoper or Eppler MX off Craigslist rather than designing something new? My confusion lies in the fact that the 103 guidelines define the mission of the craft. It can only go so fast, so far and carry one person. Within that significant boundary, the only possible variable that "new technology" can influence (as far as I can see) is manufacturing cost. So, aside from the ego boost of designing your own, what possible reason is there to "reinvent the wheel", so to speak? Or more succinctly, if a 45 year old Easy Riser meets 103, what is the point of designing something new?

Thanks for indulging my curiosity.
 
Back
Top