Open Source Aircraft

who cares if it's real? the more important points of the article are:

1. lots of people build their own airplanes from kits and fly them
2. some airplanes cost less than most cars
3. implied: many pilots and aircraft owners are not google executives, they are your friends and neighbors
 
JHW said:
who cares if it's real? the more important points of the article are:

1. lots of people build their own airplanes from kits and fly them
2. some airplanes cost less than most cars
3. implied: many pilots and aircraft owners are not google executives, they are your friends and neighbors
Click to expand...

Well that's true, it is good publicity for experimental aircrafts and general aviation.
 
to be fair I did test fly an aeronca-like homebuilt a few years ago that the owner claimed to have built for ~$14K in material. He fabricated everything himself and used a corvair engine. You can build something for nothing if you don't count your time, and if it's entertainment to build it then that cost is real.

Similarly, a couple of teenagers i know who bought a partially-built piet for a couple thousand and are finishing it. I also steered them toward corvair power. They should also come in under $15k. I have some fabric I've been saving to donate to their cause.
 
JHW said:
to be fair I did test fly an aeronca-like homebuilt a few years ago that the owner claimed to have built for ~$14K in material. He fabricated everything himself and used a corvair engine. You can build something for nothing if you don't count your time, and if it's entertainment to build it then that cost is real.

Similarly, a couple of teenagers i know who bought a partially-built piet for a couple thousand and are finishing it. I also steered them toward corvair power. They should also come in under $15k. I have some fabric I've been saving to donate to their cause.
Click to expand...

You can save money by scratch building from a set of plans, but not all of us are that mechanically inclined. I can do a kit (plan on doing a kit), but building an aircraft from scratch, not my forte.
 
I say good for them, and any positive interest in aviation is a good thing. But -- I'm skeptical of their price point for anything more than a 2-cycle engine on an ultralight. It's not like expensive "closed-source" plans are the cost-driving problem with GA being too expensive.
 
Tarheel Pilot said:
Honestly I'm skeptical of the $15k price tag.
Click to expand...
Actually $15k sounds achievable for the cost of materials, if you compare with, say, LongEZ or other plans-built airplanes. The probem is how many work hours would it take? They'd be lucky to have a 3000 hour build, I meat it is plans composite after all.
 
zaitcev said:
Actually $15k sounds achievable for the cost of materials, if you compare with, say, LongEZ or other plans-built airplanes. The probem is how many work hours would it take? They'd be lucky to have a 3000 hour build, I meat it is plans composite after all.
Click to expand...
I wonder. If they can find a way to do a lot of 3d printed stuff and make the assembly easier, they might just find a way to cut down the man hours.

Ryan
 
It will save the aviation world, just like Java saved the programming world:goofy:
I do applaud their gumption.
 
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