What is the easiest Kit Airplane to build?

Question

I have been thinking of building my own kit airplane. And using a motorcycle (kawasaki 440 or VW conversion). Budget and safety is of course great importance. I have seen the Affordaplane "aplane" and ragwing's version. Any other plans (from scratch) and websites would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Web sites here are from memory, so don't be mad if the URLs are not exactly correct...

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Best a/c to build depends on how good you are with different media, and what your aircraft mission profile will be... If you are a pilot now, think about how you REALLY spend most of your flying time, and what budget you have for the build. Be realistic about your spare time - can't eliminate family, spouse, friends, etc... What is your time horizon to finish? Bear in mind that most manufacturers' listed build times are wildly optimistic for anyone but a very experienced builder with all the tools & construction jigs, etc, already on-hand... usually 2.5 to 3 times their quoted numbers is an accurate time. Then eliminate designs based on that. I would suggest ruling out the more complex and higher-powered designs altogether for a first-time build - with the possible exception of the newer RV's because they go together so well if you have metal-working experience.

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If you have allergies to fiberglass (and some people develop these during the project build), then fiberglass is not for you. If you have no hangar to keep the plane protected from the elements, fiberglass is not for you. Ditto wood, or tube & fabric designs. Metal planes will be more durable; easier for most people to build first-time out; tolerate outside storage better; generally cheaper to insure; and usually will have a higher resale value.  

Taking the wings off the plane to stow it in your garage is not at all realistic. Many people have that idea at first, but realize it's an un-feasible concept. Don't even think about going there. Better to build a design you can keep tied down outside at the airport without too much worry.

I'd also suggest building a design tat is sold by a well-financed company that has many examples flying.

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The newer RV's are comparatively easy to build metal planes that are good all-around VFR platforms, good VFR travelling planes, good aerobatic planes, and lousy IFR platforms. Van;s aircraft has been around a long time and is a very stable company. But a VW engine won't cut it for those designs.

www.vansaircraft.com

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Some of the RANS corporation designs are easy to build. Several RANS designs will also fly behind a small VW or Rotax engine. The Arion Lightning, and the Pulsar are fairly easy but pricey. The Lightning is a really well thought-out design. Those are all fiberglass designs.

www.ransaircraft.com

www.lightningaircraft.com

www.pulsaraircraft.com

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The Mustang II kit is another metal design, initially cheaper to purchase than an RV. But the M-2 kit was designed in the mid-60's and hasn't been updated much since then. Low-speed handling and stall behavior are tricky; it is not very forgiving on landings; and as an aerobatic mount it leaves a lot to be desired. The plane is what is called a "point design" - made to do one thing well. The Mustang II is very fast and fuel-efficient (comparatively speaking), and a good IFR platform - cg envelope, landing and takeoff visibility, landing and takeoff runway length, useful load, aerobatic handling, resale value not as good as the newer RV series. Insurance is more expensive than similar designs. The company currently selling the design doesn't seem very well-organized and is operating on a shoestring budget. By the time you finish building an M-II, you'll have about as much money in it as an RV...you'll also have to do a lot more of the work of sourcing parts and basic building tasks yourself. The M-II is not suitable for a VW engine. There was a gentleman who installed a Chevy small-block in his M-II, he said it had a sink rate and engine-out glide rate like a rock. He also said if he had to do it again he'd just install a purpose-made aircraft engine and be done with it much faster.

www.mustangaero.com

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The Thorp T-18 and S-18 and Sunderland S-18 - same story as the Mustang II. Very strong and solid designs (like the M-2), old technology, old kits, higher insurance rates, lower resale value. Same handling quirks.

www.thorp-t18.com (or maybe www.thorpt18.com, can't remember)

www.t18.net

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The Sonex series are pretty cheap, easy to build, OK to store outside since they're a metal design, and will fly behind a VW engine conversion safely. They go together relatively quickly but they're not fast enough to be practical long-haul transport. With the larger engine options, they're faster than a Cessna 172 & would probably be OK for travel to nearby states. Sonex useful load is not high. Sonexes are great around the patch, and good for light-to-moderate aerobatics. The Sonex is a very well thought-out and complete kit that comes with thorough instructions. They are a little smaller inside than some other designs -but okay for two not very big people and very roomy as a single-seater. The designer has a few quirky ideas, including hand-operated brakes (!); they also don't support any changes from their design and are quite anal about saying so at every opportunity. But aftermarket brakes are available for the tri-gear version that work like "standard" aircraft brakes and are fairly lightweight. The designer is a very experienced a/c kit manufacturer, and a very well-established and well-funded company. But the Monnet family can be very abrasive to deal with in -person at times. If you choose to build one of their planes, you probably won't have to worry much about that, their kits are very solid and their support staff is very good. Insurance is cheap.

Overall, if a VW or other cheap/light engine is your goal, the Sonex is a great choice. Relatively inexpensive and cheap to build/maintain, goes together fairly quickly, very good kit quality and very complete kit. High chance of a first-time builder completing one. Bear in mind that it is not a speed demon or cross-country heavy hauler. They are a lot of fun to fly, and will accept a variety of engines.

  

www.sonexaircraft.com

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Speaking of engines...

Using a motorcycle engine is foolhardy, like playing Russian roulette with two bullets in the revolver. Most automotive engines are totally unsuited for aircraft use without very extensive and time-consuming modifications... the VW and Mazda 13-B rotary engines are about the most successful auto conversions. Some people have flown with small-block Chevy engines, and a few with Ford V-6's, but once you add in radiators, block, water pump, weight of water, etc - those two are very much heavier than equivalent power A/C engines. Your engine-out glide ratio is going to be like a rock if you fly behind one of those. The AeroVee VW engine comes to mind as a commercial conversion that's well made and has good factory support. That's one that the Sonex can use. Sonex can also use a Corvair engine; a Subaru flat four (not sure about this, those may be too heavy); or a Jabiru four or six-cylinder purpose-made a/c engine (designed recently, not decades ago like most a/c engines).

Answer 2

Look up the AIRBIKE.. simple enough to look at..  

Answer 3

i dont know of any easy kit planes. building a plane from scratch seems hard enough but i know of a person who helps in aviation club who bought a vans rv-4. a nuclear engineer bought it and opened the box read the instructions and closed the box and sold it in an aviation mag. dont know if that is much help.