Norman building an ultralight

[wolves200 31]

Don´t know if he is bluffing, but his workmanship it´s not so bad and the design he came up with is also looking ok.... not bad for a backyard inventor or eyeballing the plane...

 

wonder about stress in that fuselage and wings though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

Dimi3

 

[High Country 69]

at least he's chasing his dream I guess. is that a broken off spark plug at the end of the first video. hope he has dual ignition

[1avidflyer 1983]

I wonder if he can fly it with that small of an engine.  11 HP I think it was.  My other thought was there are lots of nice proven designs that a first time builder might be better advised to build.  Himax and Minimax come to mind.  Course I put about 150 hrs on a Himax so maybe I'm prejudiced.  Jim Chuk

[akflyer 1427]

interesting wing design.. I am thinking he is going to need to be flying it pretty fast to get it off the ground.  Chase your dreams, but I hope it does not lead to an early grave.. but if it does, he chose his way to go so what more can a guy ask for??

 

[EDMO 1078]

7 hours to the Bahamas - in an Ultralight?   I thought Ultralights could only carry 5 gallons of fuel and be flown not farther than a few miles from the home airport?

 If he can get past the FAA rules and the ADIZ and the Coast Guard, then he has a good chance of being shark bait.........Hope it floats!

EDMO

Edited 4 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

ultralight gas capacity depends on the weight of the plane to begin with.. it has to less than XXX pounds, but not a fuel restriction.  You can fly an ultralight cross country if you can hit the fuel stops.  No restrictions on miles away from an airport.  There are several guys that routinely fly ultralights coast to coast.

 

[EDMO 1078]

I guess I haven't kept up with the new rules.   No gas stations between Florida and the Bahamas?

EDMO

[1avidflyer 1983]

Ultralight has to weigh 254 lbs or less.  Also only 5 gallons of fuel capacity allowed.  Jim Chuk

[akflyer 1427]

well we got some outlaws around here then.. 8 gallon seat tanks in quite a few of the ultralights that used to buzz around here.  As long as they were under the 254 the rest was taken up in tankage

 

[1avidflyer 1983]

I think most so called ultralights were (are) ill eagle in one (or more) way or another.  Few of the fixed wing ones make weight.  Jim Chuk

[EDMO 1078]

I was fairly certain that the regs said 5 gallon max fuel, and 25 miles from takeoff airport.

EDMO

[Luked 71]

Ed, no limit on how far you can fly, other than how far your 5 gallons gets you. The one requirement that most ultralights are not technically legal on is the stall speed limit. Just Google part 103 to get all the details.

[akflyer 1427]

I guess I should read before I post.  like a lot of things that are common practice up here, we do shit that may not quite be to the letter of the law... I never heard of anyone here getting hit for having too much gas in the tank.  I have even seen them with tear drop tanks on the sides in addition to the 8 gallon seat tank

 

 

[EDMO 1078]

That's why Alaska is so much fun!   Seems like every little Podunk airport down here has 2 guys in suits and ties doing ramp checks!   I think I have figured it out tho - If you land on the small strips that have an X on them, then there are no suits and ties waiting!

I thought it was very nice for someone to mark these strips - Guess it took too much paint to put 'No Ramp Checks' on the runway, so they just used an X.....

EDMO

Edited 5 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[wolves200 31]

I wasn´t aimming for legalities issues, but more like an EYE BALL DESIGN, back yard inventor, this is a sweet little plane.

 

take a look at it, 

1. straight square fuselage
2. bottom side is flat, meaning can be use as a waterline and reference and easy to build in the bench.
3. Cowling is as square as it can be, yet it looks good with the large spinner on it, 
4. wings, SIMPLE, one piece, attached to the rest with an "A" frame.
5. Engine, Honda orinally 14hp upograded it to 30+HP
6. workmanship is not "THAT" questionable

However he needs help like the rest of us, Just a little bit of help and he will be on track, he was banned from a local airport... that´s why he is looking for a take off place...

is a ultralight in definition, and therefore the rules are different, if he would have choose a different design, I don´t think he could get away with many things...

 

either way an A + for his effort, workmanship and enthusiasm!!

 

Regards

Dimitri

[Trackwelder 12]

Looks very similar to a Texas Parasol, if he is actually making 30hp he stands a chance at flying, I wish him luck.

[EDMO 1078]

I thought it was a low-wing.   Guess I better look again.  Oh, I hadn't seen the video - He should have painted a shark mouth on the front, because he may be among them halfway to Bahamas!

What was that old song?  "Oh, the shark bites, with his teeth man, and he shows them, pearly white...."

EDMo

Edited 7 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[1avidflyer 1983]

Mack the knife....  Jim

[EDMO 1078]

I didn't see any flying in the video?

Maybe instead of "Rock 'n Roll", he should be listening to the soundtrack from JAWS!

I really hope he makes his goal, if that is really what he is going to try.

I also watched "Forest Gump" last week, for the 6th time!

EDMO

Edited 7 May 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[marksires 484]

It's only 80 miles from KFXE to MYGF (Freeport Bahamas).  He might make it, but it will take him a long time to get back.  To fly to there from the US, you have to have an FAA registered plane, and the N numbers have to be at least 12" high.  He might get to spend some time in the 'free hotel' if he makes it.

 

Mark

[EDMO 1078]

He better do his homework - hard to outrun Guvment flying machines.

I get nervous every time I have to fly across the Mississippi River - make sure I have altitude to glide across if something happens - like 5000 feet minimums!

EDMO

[akflyer 1427]

swimming in warm water aint as bad as trying to swim in glacier water.  So the guy has a dream, let him dream.. I sure am glad the pioneers didnt listen to the nay sayers who told them that a bicycle mechanic cant make a flying machine.. Or that Igor Sikorsky did not let his first 100 failures stop him from finally getting it right and making a controllable pile of rapidly whirling parts that defy all laws of physics.  I still have dreams of blowing up a Sig Kadet RC plane to 4 or 6 place one day.  The structure would be STUPID simple to replicate out of tube and fabric and it has to be one of the BEST STOL RC planes I have ever flown.  I blew one up to a 15' wing span and flew it with a 3.5 hp chainsaw engine and only rudder, elevator and throttle control.  That plane flew AWESOME!  If I could scale that up I would bet it would make an outstanding 4 place with an 0320 in the nose as far a STOL... but I would be shocked if it flew faster than 80-85 MPH

 

http://www.sigmfg.com/IndexText/SIGRC58.html

 

I have flown them with ailerons and on floats and it is outstanding with only an old K&B .40 in the nose.

 

[EDMO 1078]

Not saying he cant do it - Just very curious How he is going to try it -

BTW:  Love the tri-gear plane - very stabile.

EDMO

[akflyer 1427]

well.. I always built them as tail draggers.. the nose spring that sig supplied was soft and flexible and would turn 90° on you 8 out of 10 landings and break a prop when it went on its back.. But that plane will fly all day long at a speed about that of a slow walk.

 

[1avidflyer 1983]

I suppose I was one of the naysayers, but I just think when you've never built something like this which by the way has the ability to kill you fairly easy,  it might be better to first try a proven design.  You don't know what you don't know and if you don't know better, you might think something is fine when it isn't.  Jim Chuk