Pietenpol/Loehle Sport Parasol-New member pursuing the dream!

Good morning all. My name is Fred and I am beginning research and plans to realize a dream from my earliest
childhood. I earned my Private in 1986 and flew off and on through the early 90's. Career, life, family and a thousand
other things put flying on the back burner for far too many years. The fire, however, never died. I don't know
why, at this late date, it has been rekindled with a vengeance, but it seems like it is here to stay! So, time to
get some bills paid off, and time to order a big box of wood.
Any advice/experience with Loehle Sport parasol or similar enthusiastically welcomed! Fred

My father owned a Pietenpol that was just beautiful and got a ton of attention everywhere he took it. It was a fun, fun airplane. My advice is that if you want an airplane of that type, go for it! Oh, and post lots of pictures! :D

Go here for inspiration:
www.westcoastpiet.com

Pietenpol support is hard to beat. A very good discussion group is at www.matronics.com

Greg Cardinal
Pietenpol NX18235

Hi Fred! Welcome to the journey! The Piet gets my vote...I'm building a Tailwind, but I'm thinking of buying a Pietenpol from a friend...

Hi Fred - I am building a Piet - I am about the same as you - flew a long time ago, and the fire got relit recently. If you like to make stuff, and don't have visions of doing long, fast cross country flights, the Piet is great. There is a ton of support, and the plans are simple, with wood, metal, fabric, electrics (maybe) and engine skills learned along the way. But you have to share your progress along the way!!
Find someone with a Piet and talk to them - you will get a ride and be convinced!! There's no life like it!!
Good luck!!
Mark

The Piet gets my vote too... for the reasons the others have said.

Chad, a Tailwind, eh? I've often thought that the Tailwind might be my next project... a nice looking x-country machine. Look forward to seeing your completed.

It'll be a bit...working on the spars this weekend!

Are the Tailwind spars solid wood or fabricated I-beam type?

Solid wood main and rear spars.

The Piet is a wonderful plane. I SO wanted to build one until I moved to Texas and saw how much wind is out here. I just didn't see the low wing loading and that much wind working well together, so I've opted to build a Sonex instead. Maybe someday the Piet will still get built. I'm keeping all my information, plans, etc., just in case. As someone who had built and flown both a Pietenpol and a Grega told me- build the Piet, build the fuselage out of wood, and use the long version. The Piet is also a great platform for a Corvair engine, if you like it.