Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
8 July 2014, 15:05,
#11
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
How did you get your office interested? Going on a wee talk I had with them last year about prepping, I think my colleagues would freak out at the idea of doing anything remotely "adventurous", let alone building a plane.
Reply
8 July 2014, 16:53,
#12
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
The practicality of a light aircraft is not good....you need a strip of at least 400m min and you need to know that wherever you may want to go has the same available.....avgas will be probably much harder to source than straight petrol , aircraft are susceptible to rough handling and being kept outside....now a microlight that's a whole lot simpler...easier licence to attain , easier to store , easier to aquire fuel/parts , simpler take off/landing requirements.
Nothing is fool proof for a sufficiently talented fool!!!!
Reply
8 July 2014, 17:29,
#13
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
(8 July 2014, 16:53)Midnitemo Wrote: The practicality of a light aircraft is not good....you need a strip of at least 400m min and you need to know that wherever you may want to go has the same available.....avgas will be probably much harder to source than straight petrol , aircraft are susceptible to rough handling and being kept outside....now a microlight that's a whole lot simpler...easier licence to attain , easier to store , easier to aquire fuel/parts , simpler take off/landing requirements.

Technically we're opting for a motor-glider with a biplane wing set-up. Much less than 100m take off distance, slow flight speed (35 miles an hour max), easily available fuel supply, etc. I've steered the project in such a way that it would be a useful thing for prepping. We've done the research into the project on those parameters.

(8 July 2014, 15:05)Jace Wrote: How did you get your office interested? Going on a wee talk I had with them last year about prepping, I think my colleagues would freak out at the idea of doing anything remotely "adventurous", let alone building a plane.

I'm glad we don't work in the same office!

One of the lads has already got his pilot's license. I'm taking lessons. The other guy is just starting to entertain the idea of lessons. Everyone else is just up for a laugh. It's really just a proof of concept kind of thing, then we'll go from there to see where we can take it to. So it's not massively adventurous.
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
Reply
8 July 2014, 17:35,
#14
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
sounds more microlight/ultralight than light aircraft , sub 500kg , range isn't going to be huge with a 35 mph cruise , that's very marginal performance.....I'm failing to see the use other than as an observation platform
Nothing is fool proof for a sufficiently talented fool!!!!
Reply
8 July 2014, 20:59,
#15
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
with that kind of performance it's going to be spending more time on the ground waiting for a good weather window than flying.....I see the point if you live on a small secluded island....what's its mauw/endurance /vne?.....I've seen low powered aircraft take off on the runway and climb virtually on the spot into a brisk headwind and then have to land elsewhere because they had insufficient power to make an approach(40 hp early piper cub)
Nothing is fool proof for a sufficiently talented fool!!!!
Reply
9 July 2014, 13:34, (This post was last modified: 9 July 2014, 13:50 by Scythe13.)
#16
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
Mauw. I don't know what this is and am too lazy to look it up. I'll probably look it up afterwards though.

Endurance. This will depend on the size of the fuel tank and the weather conditions.

Vne. I think. with the small speed already spoken about, this will not be a problem. I'll say 35mph (30knots ish). But just because that'll be the maximum performance of the engine.

Just looked up Mauw. Not 100% sure. It'll be one of the variables for us to play around with.

Considering we're just looking at the mechanicals and the alike.

To increase Mauw, we'd get a stronger engine and increase lift from the wings. Pilot boy is sorting that out.

I just came up with the idea.
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
Reply
9 July 2014, 14:35,
#17
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
mauw is maximum all up weight(you/passenger/aircraft/fuel load and cargo) vne is velocity never exceed(max speed in a dive)for getting away from unwanted attention ie other aircraft/groundfire being observed etc then endurance/range usually calculated at optimum cruise speed plus an emergency contingency of 45 min's flight time for diversion's/poor weather......I'm still not seeing it as a survival/prep thing but its a great hobby and you will love it.
Nothing is fool proof for a sufficiently talented fool!!!!
Reply
13 June 2015, 08:56,
#18
RE: Crazy Project...Aeroplane!
Flying lessons going well. Getting a flying lesson for the wife's birthday, so when the project takes off (pun intended) she'll have an idea of what to do if need be.

Still struggling to find a decent enough engine at the low price point. It's almost exactly a year, and no further forward. Because we'll be designing it around the engine's dimensions, we really need to get that sorted first. I think this is a hugely 'back burnered' project. If the engine comes into play, it'll be go-go-go. Until then, it's just a lot of planning :-(
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)