I'm not exactly a new member. I've been on here since March 2008, but thought I should introduce myself and what I'm thinking of at the moment.
I've been thinking about designing and building my own plane for probably 7 years now, and I'm only 21 years old. In that time I've been sketching designs like the Long-EZ, Quickie, and my favorite, the BV-141. Currently I am a senior in an aeronautical and mechanical engineering program and finally feel like I am starting to develop an understanding of how these things work.
I worked for Cessna for a summer as an intern and got to see the mockups of their Citations. One thing that stuck me was how nicely the aircraft were finished (and the pilots each had 2 cup holders in the cockpit). It may sound kind of dumb, but when I finish with my design and finally build it, I'd like to have a cup holder and a nice interior. I know that will add weight, but it's my design. I can do what I want.
I'm leaning towards a design similar to the BV-141. To keep it simple I'm going to forgo flaps and retracts. I'm thinking a single seat, possibly powered by a Rotax 582 or similar engine (I'd like a 4 stroke but also would like to use the smallest engine I can). I'm think I'll go as minimalist as possible with the instruments (maybe an allowance for night VFR)
I'm leaning towards a single seat and the LSA category, but that may change to a non-LSA with tandem seating. One of my main concerns about a 2 seat aircraft is that I would be risking an additional person's life and I'm not sure I could do that. My main worry about a single seat is that I would get bored not being able to take up friends (but I guess thats what rentals are for).
As far as building materials go, I would prefer an aluminum structure since it is a bit more able to stand up to being left outside, however, I would also consider wood or steel tube construction.
My main goal is something that looks unusual and turns heads at every airport I land at. I want to be able to take it to Oshkosh and have people interested in it. At the moment I am leaning towards an asymmetric design.
As I will be graduating and starting my life in the next few years, I am in no rush for this to be finished. I am looking at 5-10 years designing while I slowly accumulate the money to be able to build it (and find a place to start to settle down). Hopefully the build doesn't take more than another 5-15.
I've been thinking about designing and building my own plane for probably 7 years now, and I'm only 21 years old. In that time I've been sketching designs like the Long-EZ, Quickie, and my favorite, the BV-141. Currently I am a senior in an aeronautical and mechanical engineering program and finally feel like I am starting to develop an understanding of how these things work.
I worked for Cessna for a summer as an intern and got to see the mockups of their Citations. One thing that stuck me was how nicely the aircraft were finished (and the pilots each had 2 cup holders in the cockpit). It may sound kind of dumb, but when I finish with my design and finally build it, I'd like to have a cup holder and a nice interior. I know that will add weight, but it's my design. I can do what I want.
I'm leaning towards a design similar to the BV-141. To keep it simple I'm going to forgo flaps and retracts. I'm thinking a single seat, possibly powered by a Rotax 582 or similar engine (I'd like a 4 stroke but also would like to use the smallest engine I can). I'm think I'll go as minimalist as possible with the instruments (maybe an allowance for night VFR)
I'm leaning towards a single seat and the LSA category, but that may change to a non-LSA with tandem seating. One of my main concerns about a 2 seat aircraft is that I would be risking an additional person's life and I'm not sure I could do that. My main worry about a single seat is that I would get bored not being able to take up friends (but I guess thats what rentals are for).
As far as building materials go, I would prefer an aluminum structure since it is a bit more able to stand up to being left outside, however, I would also consider wood or steel tube construction.
My main goal is something that looks unusual and turns heads at every airport I land at. I want to be able to take it to Oshkosh and have people interested in it. At the moment I am leaning towards an asymmetric design.
As I will be graduating and starting my life in the next few years, I am in no rush for this to be finished. I am looking at 5-10 years designing while I slowly accumulate the money to be able to build it (and find a place to start to settle down). Hopefully the build doesn't take more than another 5-15.
