Next project

[jbjennings]

Re: Next project

Sounds like a "Darwin Award" in the initial stages to me. I did however, see on TV where the guy with the boat speed record bought some surplus jet engines and built one the first jet boats in his yard by his house. COOL!
As to the plane, I wonder if you could get your hands on an old P-51 mustang, British supermarine spitfire, or Corsair. I'm sure you should be able to get one cheap and re-do it. Probably only a few million max. Sure would be fun to fly. I'd have to get the machine guns and a little ammo thrown in for target practice, though.
I do have a nice 12.5 hp Briggs and stratton I'd sell you cheap!

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Next project

HAy SgtMaj , dont get down by these nay sayers, If you want to do this you sure can , to build one where you carrie passengers you have to get and pass inspection , it is do-able , it might be cheaper to by a used one , and there still not to cheap !! but a ultra light you could do for the 5 grand !!!
My step dad has told me that he had to set down a few times , motor problems, and I do know you have to have the motor rebuilt after so may hours !! another thing that is a nay , is the price of gas its like 5 bucks a gal, !!!
So of the ultra light do carrie two people !! my dad sure does love it , mom even tried to get her license she didnt make it , never really did hear that hole storie ??? lol I know dad has been talking about finishing one when they get back from florida , So if he can do it I am sure you can , He's 80 so surely do it !!!!!! John

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

Well it'll be at least a year before I even start on it. The boat project has to get finished first before I even begin to start on the next project.

I think it'll be pretty easy though. The only part I'm worried about is the brakes on the landing gear... that will take a lot of work to machine from scratch, so... maybe just for that I'll use landing gear from a cessna. I don't know though, it will have to depend on price.

I think I'll set myself a limit of 5k, just to make it even more challenging, because clearly it's not challenging enough.

And don't worry, I'll take out a large life insurance policy the month I finish, just to make sure everything's covered in the event of a mishap. I'm sure that doesn't put your minds at ease, but just know that I'd rather die trying to do something incredible than live forever without doing anything worth talking about.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

The thought occurred to me that a motorbike motor would probably fit the bill a lot better, and be easier to find than a lawnmower motor would be.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Next project

I got a 1982 vintage 650cc Yamaha sitting in my yard , yours for the sum of $0.00 , just come get it .
This might help you get your project "off the ground" , the trick is going to be KEEPING it off the ground .

 

[v1_0]

Re: Next project

I checked into ground school once, but it was $2700 here; so I just bought the textbook instead.

Well, I'd offer to fund you a bit - call it an investment - but I'd probably get sued by your family later, and open myself up to all sorts of pesky "conflict of interest" lawsuits.

Anyway, if you don't mind - please let me know when you are a couple of weeks away from your first sets of flights. I'd rather like to get a term life insurance policy on you.

-V

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

I got a 1982 vintage 650cc Yamaha sitting in my yard , yours for the sum of $0.00 , just come get it .
This might help you get your project "off the ground" , the trick is going to be KEEPING it off the ground .

What part of the country is your yard in? I might just take you up on that offer if you're close enough.

 

[tommays]

Re: Next project

WELL

My boss flew F-4 fighters and then switched to CG air/sea rescue including landing that big AZZ plane on carriers


When i started working for him in 1975 he had over 8000 hours,And he flew us to many job sights as time went on and he could not get in the hours he felt were nessary to keep up his skills he just stoped flying because he thought it was to dangerous

 

[QC]

Re: Next project

The thought occurred to me that a motorbike motor would probably fit the bill a lot better, and be easier to find than a lawnmower motor would be.

Since it is the only thing I am qualified to comment on as I am neither an Aeronautical Engineer nor a Psychologist, I suggest that you need to read up on horsepower required for the project you are considering. The fact that you are waffling between a lawn mower engine and any motorcycle engine tells me you have totally missed the point of the alternator discussion . . . You need power to make power to turn stuff hard enough (torque) and fast enough (combined with hard = power) to accelerate stuff. Trains, Planes and Automobiles all need to generate at least as much power as that required to make themselves move, and making them move 1 MPH does not mean they will go 2 MPH. Dude, bring this idea in for a slow and safe landing and crunch some numbers before you get too far from the runway again. The first 172s built in 1956 had 145 bhp. That is one monster mother-flippin' lawn mower . . .

Love ya man, but I'm thinking maybe you're a project troll? Hmmmmmm . . . I once thought (briefly) that since Methane is lighter than air, the more natural gas (methane) we jammed into a fuel tank the lighter the truck would get. We all get a little far from the runway at times :redface:

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

Since it is the only thing I am qualified to comment on as I am neither an Aeronautical Engineer nor a Psychologist, I suggest that you need to read up on horsepower required for the project you are considering. The fact that you are waffling between a lawn mower engine and any motorcycle engine tells me you have totally missed the point of the alternator discussion . . . You need power to make power to turn stuff hard enough (torque) and fast enough (combined with hard = power) to accelerate stuff. Trains, Planes and Automobiles all need to generate at least as much power as that required to make themselves move, and making them move 1 MPH does not mean they will go 2 MPH. Dude, bring this idea in for a slow and safe landing and crunch some numbers before you get too far from the runway again. The first 172s built in 1956 had 145 bhp. That is one monster mother-flippin' lawn mower . . .

Love ya man, but I'm thinking maybe you're a project troll? Hmmmmmm . . . I once thought (briefly) that since Methane is lighter than air, the more natural gas (methane) we jammed into a fuel tank the lighter the truck would get. We all get a little far from the runway at times :redface:

Well originally I was thinking something around the 35hp range... how fast it turns is less of a problem, as the prop speed can be modified by simple gears. Now I'm thinking along the lines of 70-80+ hp. While 35hp I think is likely enough to work, it would be on the low end of what would work, so I'll feel better with 50+ at least. The plane itself is not going to weigh a lot, so even an ultralight engine would likely work. But again, the challenge of the project would be to build it cheaper than most any other aircraft out there, so that will have more effect on my choice of motors than the specifics of the motor itself. Besides, I'll have to do a lot of modifying to any motor I get.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Next project

What part of the country is your yard in? I might just take you up on that offer if you're close enough.

I'm at the other end of the state . NW of Nasville .
Figure that motor would be sufficient for a small ultralite , nothing much bigger .
Wether it is practical to put it into an airframe or not , I could not tell you .

Was going to use it for a go cart .

I'm sure you can pull this off , just go ahead and get some actual training before you decide to make like Daedalus .

Crazy ?
May be you are , but , there were these 2 brothers once .....

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

I'm at the other end of the state . NW of Nasville .
Figure that motor would be sufficient for a small ultralite , nothing much bigger .
Wether it is practical to put it into an airframe or not , I could not tell you .

Was going to use it for a go cart .

I'm sure you can pull this off , just go ahead and get some actual training before you decide to make like Daedalus .

Crazy ?
May be you are , but , there were these 2 brothers once .....

Well that's not too far from me... and I do occasionally head that way. Although I won't be headed that way for a long time, next time I do I'll take you up on the offer if you still have it laying around. Thanks.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Next project

I think the good Sarge is having a laugh at yer expense... LOL!

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

I think the good Sarge is having a laugh at yer expense... LOL!

Oh no, I'm not kidding around here, I really do want to build a plane after finishing the boat. There are a couple of things that I am having second thoughts about though, so I may end up using more real plane parts than I had at first anticipated. I don't know though, we'll see when the time comes to start on it.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Next project

Let me ask just one question. In airplanes they dont use the same ingnition system as say a car or lawn mower...Do you know why and what the main differance is ? If you dont you dont have the mechanical savy to even think about building an airplane that you would ride in and not be killed.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Next project

I've got to agree with everybody who thinks you're crazy. But you don't have to let that stop you. I do urge you, however, to reconsider the scope of your project.

I am not a pilot nor have I taken ground school, but I do a lot of reading.

For a traditional fixed-wing aircraft, home-building is acceptable, but you *really* need specific engineering and know-how. This is NOT an area to do-it-yourself! Even then, I believe the FAA would have to inspect and certify your craft as 'experimental.' You would need a pilot license, however.

Now think downsize... Ultralights are a lot smaller, and I don't think you need a license, but even then there's a lot of know-how required to stay alive (and staying alive is a good thing). Even with an ultralight, there's a lot of engineering and design you'd need.

Now think downsize yet again. Google paragliders or powered parachutes. These look like a go-cart (with that kind of engine) suspended from a parachute. I've never done this, but I've watched them and it does look like fun. There's lots of groups around that could give you pointers and help you get started -- I'm sure there's one near you, too.

With any of these, do NOT try to do it all by yourself. If you appreciate the knowledge sharing from this board, wouldn't you appreciate knowledge sharing even more if your life was literally hanging by a thread?

Start small and simple, and gradually move up as your knowldge and skills allow.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

I felt I needed to say... THIS IS NOT ME: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/04/01/0401ofallout.html



EDIT: and just to clarify, neither is THIS: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_interstate_plane_landing.html

Although that last one was from somewhere near me... so much for flight training making pilots that can read a gas guage.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Next project

Let me ask just one question. In airplanes they dont use the same ingnition system as say a car or lawn mower...Do you know why and what the main differance is ? If you dont you dont have the mechanical savy to even think about building an airplane that you would ride in and not be killed.

I presume you're talking about a standard gas turbine engine, and not the plasma jet ingnition systems used for jet aircraft, or turbojet/turboprop (obviously this little home-built will not use any type of jet engine). Also, by "ignition system" I have to assume you mean the starters which are usually a pneumatic (sp?) starter, with an auxillary starter which is usually an electric motor. I assume that you meant the starters because although modern gas turbine engines use a different ignition system than cars, older planes used the same induction ignition as cars.

But, if you actually meant the ignition system itself, most modern gas turbines use high energy capacitor type ignition systems which have a better chance of igniting the fuel/air mixture at reasonably high altitudes. Although, this I am not at all concerned with in this home-built as the highest altitude I'll be flying will be around 2000 ft above ground (or about 3750 ft above sea level), which is still well below Denver's elevation. So when lawn mowers and cars quit working in Denver, then I'll be worried about using an induction type ignition system in my plane.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Next project

I felt I needed to say... THIS IS NOT ME: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/04/01/0401ofallout.html



EDIT: and just to clarify, neither is THIS: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_interstate_plane_landing.html

Although that last one was from somewhere near me... so much for flight training making pilots that can read a gas guage.

OHH man they were both lucky !!! Kind of sounds like my step dad !!! He's told me he has to put it down more then once in some poor farmers field !!!!! We wont ride with him any more !!!
Mom and dad are staying down in florida for a air show on the 8 ... there bring my new puppies back with them , the kids have been telling them the air show has been cancled !! lol John

 

[arboldt]

Re: Next project

Sgt Maj, that brought back a memory...

Many years ago, on spring break my sophomore year in college, a buddy had his pilot's license, so we rented a plane and flew to Florida for the week. I am NOT a pilot, nor did I have any of the training, or I would have really objected about some things. Little did I know. On the way back from Bimini to Miami, I was flying right seat when we ran out of gas headed to Opa Locka(?), I think. We ended up landing on an abandoned airport runway. Jeff (my pilot buddy) also erred in thinking Opa Locka was a designated port of entry. An interesting spring break, that was.