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I have an idea, what do you think ?

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Pops

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
13,222
Location
USA.
So the JMR Special is finished except the flying off the 40 hrs. The VW pipe ( sand, mud, etc ) buggy is about ready for the final coat of paint and then bolt it together to be finished. That means I have nothing to work on and winter is getting here. Been thinking ( Caution, Caution, or danger, danger Will Robertson ), thinking about building another SSSC ( Single Seat Super Cub) and doing videos on seeing how low cost I can build a nice flying single place airplane with a VW engine. I have enough parts to build several engines, left over 4130 tubing for the engine mount and landing gear, stash of hardware ( pulleys, turnbuckles, bolts, etc ) and 4-- 1"x4" x 20' of Douglas fir boards and can buy aircraft grade Yellow Poplar at a local high end house molding factory from their outlet store at the plant. I always start with building the wood ribs and then the wings, wing fuel tanks. Then the tail surfaces and then the fuselage. Engine can be built somewhere along the other work. I always do a W&B as the last thing to work out the length of engine mount so the W&B comes out where I want it with me in the cockpit ready to fly.

What do you think? Want to go along with a cheap flying airplane build from beginning to end ?

Looking at my records from the build of the SSSC that I finished in 2007, I had $1594.94 in material in the fuselage & wings, and $1795.84 in the 1200 cc, 40 HP engine and $187. in the paint and covering, $237.08 in the hardware for a total of $3814.86 for expenses for material in the airplane for the first flight.

After 35 hrs I removed the 1965, 1200 cc, 40 hp engine and built the 1835 cc , 60 hp engine and new bigger prop.

Free supplies donated from friends
1-- Spruce for the wing spars and fuselage longerons ( left overs from the old Baby Ace factory).
2-- Seat belts and shoulder harness from next door neighbor.
3-- Airspeed from neighbor IA on field.
4-- New Slick Mag and harness from old friend in PA.

I'm sure the cost will be substantially more now.

When building the SSSC, I bought a wrecked Koala 202 for $200 to get the plans and burned the wood. The prototype Super Koala is stored in the hanger next door where I could see the construction. So the SSSC is a Super Koala construction built to the dimensions of the Koala 202, but with different control system, all 4130 steel fittings, landing gear, engine mount. Not one part is the same as either airplane.

Dan R.
 
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