I've designed a small propeller plane (4 seater) and would like to see it built. how can I go about this?

Question

thanks in advance

Answer 1

It's hard to answer your question because you don't tell us how much education you have or how well qualified you are to design an airplane.  That is crucial to the process.

So your first step is to have an aeronautical engineer evaluate your design.  You could pay an expert about $5,000 for a preliminary evaluation, or you might try contacting the engineering faculty of a university that has an aeronautical engineering program, and see if they will use it as a project for a student or a class.

That way you can find out whether it looks like it will fly, and what kind of characteristics it will have.  After that you can worry about the cost of building a prototype.

Let us know how you come out.

Answer 2

The easiest and cheapest way to have it done is to build it in X-Plane or a similar flight simulator program.  They are pretty easy to use and other than the cost of the program it is very cheap.

The other alternative (if you really want to fly it) is to build it under experimental rules.  An FAA inspector will have to inspect it and for a first design there will be some additional hurdles to jump through, but it will still be far far cheaper than building it as a certified aircraft.  (I'm assuming you live in the USA, I'm from Canada myself).  Even a well designed aircraft will usually require some modifications before first flight and the test flights will probably reveal some other problems or performance shortfalls.

Contact a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for more information and to get a good directions to take your aircraft from paper to flight.  They have many resources available to members.

Answer 3

It takes a lot of money and resources to take an airplane from preliminary design through engineering, construction, flight testing, modification (if needed) and final certification. Typically, for a small propeller-driven 4-seater , the cost is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. Because of the cost, most designs go through proof-of-concept as either scale models or through computer modeling first.

I'm guessing you only have a basic design for your airplane, such as size, shape and general layout. It requires a lot more than that, including such things as detailed structural analysis and aerodynamic calculations. Depending upon complexity, a typical design takes hundreds or thousands of man hours to figure out all the details. For every airplane flying, there are thousands that never made it off the drawing board. I don't mean to discourage you (quite the contrary), but unless you've come up with something totally extraordinary in terms of design, performance, or low construction cost, few people will be interested in even looking at it. Can you post a link showing a basic drawing so we may see it and comment on it?

If you're really serious about designing and building an airplane, check out this website and read some or all of the recommended books: http://www.aircraftdesign.com/books.html This is an excellent website for someone interested in designing small planes.

Answer 4

The easiest way is to just build models from clay or so.  This gives aerospace engineers an idea of how exactly you want it done.  Then if it is legal in all of FAA's rules it just might be become an actual plane.  This requires a lot of money as well.  Also get a pilot's license if you want to fly your piece of work, theres nothing in the world than playing or flying YOUR design.

Answer 5

First, get an aerospace engineer, with desgin background, to tell you if it's feasible to build - from the standpoint of whether it will actually fly.  Then, have lots of money, and time.  Allow for a place to build it as well.  Get your A&P certificate, then start.