In the twenties, the first aircraft plans offered for sale to the amateur market were for the Baby Ace airplane. There was limited interest for building planes at home during the 30s depression years. The 40s were all about the war, and countless thousands became pilots during World War II. When these pilots came home after the war, many of them wanted to have an airplane of their own to fly. In the fifties amateur aircraft building gained much popularity. In 1953 the EAA or Experimental Aircraft Association was founded.
Up until 1950, home-built aircraft were either wood or steel tube and cloth. Without the regulatory restriction the aircraft manufacturers had to work under, home-built design and construction techniques could be more innovative. Burt Rutan Introduced the canard design, and pioneered the use of building with composite materials. Kit planes were introduced with metal construction by Richard Van Grunsven with his RV series.
The 70s and 80s were boom times for ultralights, and thousands built inexpensive kits and took to the air. There was also much litigation during this time and many small aircraft companies went out of business or consolidated. Today the range is wide when it comes to the home-built aircraft industry, from a tube of aircraft blueprints for a few hundred dollars, to the high-end Lancair Propjet kit that cruises at 425 mph at 24,000 feet. Home-builders of aircraft have a wide selection of designs, construction techniques and material, to build their dream aircraft.
Home-built aircraft can be built from plans where the builder builds every part from scratch. From plans and some ready made components to speed things up, or kit-built. Quick build kits where many subassemblies are ready made or partially assembled to speed up the building process are available for many of the kits. Having a couple of thousand rivet holes drilled and aligned properly can make a quick build kit tempting for some. It's a tradeoff between time and money. There tends to be two types of experimental aircraft builders, the flyer-builder and the builder-flyer. More on these two types in my next article.
Up until 1950, home-built aircraft were either wood or steel tube and cloth. Without the regulatory restriction the aircraft manufacturers had to work under, home-built design and construction techniques could be more innovative. Burt Rutan Introduced the canard design, and pioneered the use of building with composite materials. Kit planes were introduced with metal construction by Richard Van Grunsven with his RV series.
The 70s and 80s were boom times for ultralights, and thousands built inexpensive kits and took to the air. There was also much litigation during this time and many small aircraft companies went out of business or consolidated. Today the range is wide when it comes to the home-built aircraft industry, from a tube of aircraft blueprints for a few hundred dollars, to the high-end Lancair Propjet kit that cruises at 425 mph at 24,000 feet. Home-builders of aircraft have a wide selection of designs, construction techniques and material, to build their dream aircraft.
Home-built aircraft can be built from plans where the builder builds every part from scratch. From plans and some ready made components to speed things up, or kit-built. Quick build kits where many subassemblies are ready made or partially assembled to speed up the building process are available for many of the kits. Having a couple of thousand rivet holes drilled and aligned properly can make a quick build kit tempting for some. It's a tradeoff between time and money. There tends to be two types of experimental aircraft builders, the flyer-builder and the builder-flyer. More on these two types in my next article.
