First post, Hopefully First build coming soon.

[helifrek]

Hello all,
First of all I will introduce myself. I am a 26 year Blackhawk helicopter mechanic, I have expierence with building radio controlled airplanes and helicopters as well as some real life stick time on both. I am slowly on my way to having my hang gliding certificaton as well. Flying has been a dream of mine my whole life and I am getting sick of sitting on the ground looking up.
I have always been interested in building an ultralight and I finally have a house with a 2 car garage, time, and a little bit of money (not much). I will be able to buy a little bit at a time so I will have to go with something built from plans, no kits because I cannot come out of pocket that much up front. I will also have to buy all my tools, compressor, glues etc.... so my question to you more expierenced guys is "What should I build?"
My favorite ultralight so far is the J3 Kitten but after reading about how hard it is to get it to meet the part 103 rules and being that I am a first timer I should go with something easier. I am liking the Legal Eagle XL, looks fairly easy to build, I can buy a little bit at a time and it is not a very expensive aircraft. let me know what you guys think. thanks.

Brandon

[rosiejerryrosie]

I loved my MiniMax! The only reason I replaced it was I wanted to share the fun and needed an extra seat. It was a fun airplane to fly and looked great. You need not buy the entire kit at one time, but can get the tail kit, then the wing kit , then the fuse kit, etc as the funds become available. Since it is all wood construction, the new tools you'll need will be minimal. Do yourself a favor and check it out before making a decision.23212322

[Sam Buchanan]

Brandon,

I have scratch-built both a MiniMax and Legal Eagle XL. Both are fine airplanes and your decision between the two would come down to which materials you want to work with and whether you wish to fly with a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine.

Best wishes for an enjoyable project!

[helifrek]

You have definitaly sparked my interest in the minimax! No welding would be a big bonus to me, it is something I could learn to do and I know a few expert welders but I am more comfortable working with wood. also, the low wing looks a little sportier than the high wing. From the few things on the internet I have found it sounds like the wing is fairly easy to remove? I would like to be able to store whatever I build in my garage that way I would not have to pay for storage so easy to remove wings is another bonus. It also looks like there is more support behind the minimax than the legal eagle. I am off to look for more information on the minimax and watch a few youtube videos. Thank you very much for the suggestion of the minimax.

Thanks again,
Brandon

[helifrek]

Hey guys,
I was browing the JDT website and in the FAQs one of the questions is "why do you give your plans away for free"

http://www.teammini-max.com/more-information/faqs/

Where does one find said plans?

Thanks
Brandon

[rosiejerryrosie]

Hey guys,
I was browing the JDT website and in the FAQs one of the questions is "why do you give your plans away for free"

http://www.teammini-max.com/more-information/faqs/

Where does one find said plans?

Thanks
Brandon

I didn't know that they were giving away plans for free but, I would suspect that if you emailed JDT and asked how to obtain their free plans, they'd give you the best answer. They have a "Contact Us" link on the page you linked to.

[Sam Buchanan]

You have definitaly sparked my interest in the minimax! No welding would be a big bonus to me, it is something I could learn to do and I know a few expert welders but I am more comfortable working with wood. also, the low wing looks a little sportier than the high wing. From the few things on the internet I have found it sounds like the wing is fairly easy to remove? I would like to be able to store whatever I build in my garage that way I would not have to pay for storage so easy to remove wings is another bonus. It also looks like there is more support behind the minimax than the legal eagle. I am off to look for more information on the minimax and watch a few youtube videos. Thank you very much for the suggestion of the minimax.

Thanks again,
Brandon

The MiniMax wings are reasonably easy to remove but it requires two people and is much too involved to do every time you want to fly. If you are considering wing removal for seasonal storage it is fine, but not for every flight. Because ultralights are best enjoyed in very light winds much of your flying may be on short notice when favorable weather conditions appear. You want a plane that is prepped and ready to fly when you arrive at the hangar so you can take advantage of the last hour of daylight on those beautiful summer evenings.

I'm not sure how support for the two aircraft under consideration compare, but builder support for both is adequate so don't let that determine your decision. You also need to decide what engine you want making noise in front of you. I have a couple hundred hours of 2-stroke time and have decided that is enough, the failure modes are just too sudden and unpredictable. I really like the sound and predictability of the 4-stroke on the Eagle, but that is a personal preference. I also enjoyed getting up to speed on welding and that was a nice addition to the skill set, wish I had done it many years ago. The Eagle wing is inspired by the MiniMax wing so that was familiar and gave me the chance to return to wood construction.

[rosiejerryrosie]

I don't want to get into a peeing contest here, but the MiniMax wing can be removed and installed by one person (I've done it). It requires a support to hold up the wing tip end of the wing while you unhook the wing root end from the fuselage. I had a padded roller supported by two uprights that I attached to the trailer used to move the MiniMax to the airport. It required repositioning the airplane for each wing but it can be done as I have done it - many times. I'll admit, that if you have a helper, it is much easier and much faster, but not necessary. Posted in defense of the MiniMax.

[Sam Buchanan]

I don't want to get into a peeing contest here, but the MiniMax wing can be removed and installed by one person (I've done it). It requires a support to hold up the wing tip end of the wing while you unhook the wing root end from the fuselage. I had a padded roller supported by two uprights that I attached to the trailer used to move the MiniMax to the airport. It required repositioning the airplane for each wing but it can be done as I have done it - many times. I'll admit, that if you have a helper, it is much easier and much faster, but not necessary. Posted in defense of the MiniMax.

No need to take my posts personally. I built a MiniMax from plans (back when it was supported by TEAM, great bunch of guys, shame they got slammed) and thoroughly enjoyed the plane. It is a great little flyer, so I also will "defend" the MiniMax. :)

I had an opportunity to remove the wings, literally "in the field", when the 377 seized and put me down in a small farm lot, but wing installation isn't something I would do every time I wanted to fly (if I was flying often). I installed the Legal Eagle wings single-handed with various props when rigging the plane but I consider it a two-man job even though it has similar attachments to the MiniMax. My concern is a prospective builder might get a misinformed impression when seeing the "wings easily removed" comment on the Minimax website.

Every plane is a compromise, we just have to decide which compromises best fit our mission profile.

[helifrek]

Thanks again for all the support guys. I have e-mailed the minimax guys to see about the "free" plans, hopefully they come through :) if all goes well I will print them out this weekend and start a list of tools and equipment I will need. On the old jdt website they have a minimax lite and Aeromax lite listed (http://www.jdtmini-max.com/?page_id=36) I love the look of the aeromax but to keep cost down and to keep things as simple as possible I want to stick with an UL and then maybe move up to a LSA later on in the future. So, if I could build a Aeromax lite that would be awesome. Either way I know I will be happy just to get into the air.
My Main concerns when choosing an UL are

1. Safety. I want the safest, most well designed aircraft with the most reliable engine I can put on it with a great reputation.

2. Cost. Not so much overall cost but initial cost or upfront cost. I can come out of pocket a little at a time, say $500 a month or so. I went to the local airport and some guy suggested an ultralight, I looked it up and it is a $20,000 kit..... that is a bit high for me :)

3. designer/manufacturer support. I want to be able to call someone with questions, concerns etc......

4. Popularity. Something that is recognized by the UL community as a great flying safe plane.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment. So far the Minimax is my top choice, i like the all wood design and that it is fully covered. Being able to remove the wings isn't a huge deal, just for transportation to the airport and winter storage really. I don't plan to take the aircraft home after each flight.
As for engine choice, I just want what is safe and reliable. Cost is not a big concern, if the airplane gets built and has to wait 6 months for an engine, that is fine. I don't take flying lightly and I do not take my well being lightly. Thanks again for all the help guys.

Brandon

[rosiejerryrosie]

I think you'll like the MiniMax. As to engines, I'll have to turn the floor over to someone who is much more experienced than me. There are a number of possibilities out there and I don't have the experience to suggest any one over another. Rotax has been in the business a long tome....

[helifrek]

I got a response from the Minimax team, They say their plans will be available in the next week or two. in the meantime I will work on building my 4x16 workbench and getting tools and such together. Does anyone know of a tool list floating around for the minimax? I understand I will need the basic stuff plus a bandsaw and tabletop belt sander but is there anything else I should keep my eye out for? Thanks again guys. cannot wait to get the plans and to get started on the build. Heck, I might take a week off of work for the first part of the build!

[rosiejerryrosie]

No need to take my posts personally. I built a MiniMax from plans (back when it was supported by TEAM, great bunch of guys, shame they got slammed) and thoroughly enjoyed the plane. It is a great little flyer, so I also will "defend" the MiniMax. :)

............ My concern is a prospective builder might get a misinformed impression when seeing the "wings easily removed" comment on the Minimax website.

Every plane is a compromise, we just have to decide which compromises best fit our mission profile.

OK Sam, got your point. Nothing personal, just didn't want helifrek to be disuaded from a fine little airplane because he might need help ataching and removing the wings...:)

[rosiejerryrosie]

Congrats, helifrek! Please keep us posted as you progress. Take your time and enjoy the experience of building - the fun of flying will come later and it will be much more fun if you know you've done everything right.

[helifrek]

well so far I am just waiting for the plans for the minimax to be available on the downloads page of the minimax website. Also drew plans for a 4X16 workbench and have cleared the garage. I want to join the east tennessee lonesome buzzards group but there site gives me an error, something along the lines of registration is closed for this forum. Does anyone have the administrators e-mail address? thanks again guys.

Brandon

[rosiejerryrosie]

I haven't visited the Lonesome Buzzards for quite a while now, but today when I clicked on my shortcut for the site I got a "link broken" message. Sorry I can't help. Have you tried googling "Lonesome Buzzards"?