A fool and His Dream

[Norman Langlois]

Building a plane from scratch.
We have all heard this on TV do not try this from home we are professionals. Well were does that leave people like me.I have always dreamed of flying and never had the money to do it.I will never have even now.With but one accept ion. That is to build my own plane. Not being an aeronautical engineer. That would likely mean I must adhere to someone else s design plan. So does that mean I am foolish to attempt the whole thing on my own ? I suppose in the eyes of of at-least some I am.
I had skills many builders have only part of . I didn't like the status of the available plan form.I think I can do better and I also think I may well have done better.
The Ultra light Plan form is the only path I would choose .

I still feel very humbled and meek about what I have done and also unsure. Taking as much care to educate myself as I went along. Still left me uncomfortable to speak with those that know more than I.As well as to confront them with new Ideas. I had one good Mentor in Mark Stull .He was a good source and a comfort to move along with my plan form. He is painfully missed. His invaluable input filled the void where others feared to go .I felt from the beginning that getting information carried liability and sealed the lips of many.Its to bad,but thats the way it is these days.

The main tool I used to achieve my end was to buy a set of plans. Even though I did not build that plane I used the example to define and place . The rest is an evolution of trial and error parts constructed and cast away not because of failure. mostly because being to heavy. The struggle to build light and stay stronger than the typical plan form was and is my goal still.I explored none typical methods .The tube and cable was being avoided . I looked for ways to construct with sheet aluminum and ways to lighten and use geometry to gain an edge on the typical UL plan form

I searched for plans I evaluated the appearances always found the typical UL to be a bit short coming .Even as I found out later that cable make all the difference. At the beginning they did not look safe to me. I concluded that if that were true for me it was also true for the general public,even reflecting the displeasure of general aviation pilots to be less that acceptable to fly.

I set to make a difference in this area, to build a more acceptable plan form .that the GA and the general public would not look upon as unfavorable .
Who am I to be the one to make this happen? Maybe it needs to be someone who doesn't know not to go there .Someone that thinks outside the box. and even though short on funds one that has no limitations. Why is this because I build machines and I can make virtually any metal parts.Machined , formed ,welded As well as machinery to make it happen. that's why the evolution began .I needed no one to say for a plane, no way I m not going to be held liable. I had not only the skills but the work place that allowed me access to the machinery to build my own machinery. As well as the plane.

And so after 7 years I have a plane.I spent the first year making the most crucial item to my plan form this was a roll forming machine. It takes coil aluminum and roll forms it into channel. after that I had to develop other forming tools to work the channel. Originally I intended only to use this channel for ribs my latest work has shown me much more is possible. Another tool was a pressure flare die. It allows deep ashtray like flare that enhances the diaphragms of the triangle mono spar and fuselage boom . The triangle mono spar is the limb I dared to go out on if I may. I will say it is and isn't. I used it wrong on this first plane.A hint that maybe. The spars failing now is resolved with the single flying wire per side it has a 4G plus .The V-tail was an effort to reduce weight one of the only things so far that I consider a failure . the other was an attempt to make the rear floats steerable. On my last taxi Murphy's law came into play and an excess length of strapping that holds the fuel tank found its way into the cable pulley for that steering. With pulley stuck in an extreme turn I had to shut down the engine and struggle to free the system restart and limp back to the launch. With the float system being redesigned it was eliminated turned out to be a substantial weight saving with the float rebuild.

A new tail was designed a horizontal stabilator was chosen . Because I had the design and method to support it,cantilever to boot,and Its lighter than you would believe.
Spring will be here soon. A return to the testing and eventually flight.

For any that never fallowed my build blog in the EAA. forums This is also a huge hurdle.Not yet knowing how to fly
I began my dream build the year before the end of the UL training exemption was to end. For financial reasons I avoided the expenditure to learn to fly expecting that some alternative would be in place by the time I was finished.

That has not come to pass I have had some good advise and I have taken it. being self taught is not the best way to go even with the books. I suppose though i am not the only one take to the sky in this way.

I pose to all of you Am I foolish are any who would dare . ? I personally see any one who sits on a motor cycle as a fool who risks more than I But that's just my view point.

Regards a fool and his dream designer builder of Norms flying boat

[Bill Berson]

I would not say that someone building an original ultralight is a fool.
But doing the test flight without flight training probably is foolish, in my opinion.
I built a homemade hang-glider (Lambie Hang Loose) as a teenager. On the first flight I was stunned and froze and forgot to do the needed weight-shifting for control, I was just "hanging on". Fortunately, I was only about 20- 30 feet and the thing came down like a parachute and I was not injured. That was end of hang gliding for me, I got some flight training and moved on to light airplanes.

[steveinindy]

But doing the test flight without flight training probably is foolish, in my opinion.

I would go a step further and say flying without training (let along flight testing without it) is pretty close to the dumbest thing a person can do in aviation and perhaps is almost borderline suicidal. As you (Bill) pointed out, test flying without an idea of the basics of flying an aircraft that has been proven to be stable and easy to handle is a good way to find yourself in a predicament that causes the "deer in the headlights" reaction. Norm, get some flight training first. In an ultralight, it's not that expensive and it will pay huge dividends not only in terms of safety but also it will help you rationalize choices that have to be made during the design and construction of an aircraft. It can also help you to have the insight necessary to pick up when something just isn't "right" during the construction. Money spent on training is seldom ever wasted so long as one approaches it with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

[rosiejerryrosie]

Norm - I've been following your saga with admiration. You have proceeded carefully and logically, and have produced some work that approaches artistry. But, If you are planning to test fly your creation without some flight training, I fear you have departed from your basic good sense. I made my first flight without any training BUT, luckily I made it in Microsoft Flight Simulator and all was made well by "Restarting" after the crash. That choice is not available in the real world. PLEASE GET SOME FLIGHT TRAINING!!

[Norman Langlois]

Thank you ,All three of you. You are exactly right. I do not debate any of the commentary.
I have little to offer in defense of my intent to fly as my own test pilot with so little. Foolish at least. If I am, so were the Wright Bro's. That is not the real point here anyway.
There are threads in the Oshkosh 365 forums that covered most of what I could reflect on.
If I have anything I have thousands of hours in simulation. But no one gives credit to that. What good would flying anything that was not close to what I built.w
Would it be any better than a simulation. If its not the same its not any more acceptable?There are plenty of threads that comment on the unacceptability of dissimilar aircraft.
None of what I say will make it acceptable. I have little choice but to proceed with extreme caution. I do not like the position I am in . It just is.
Let the comments above be an example to anyone that thinks they can ,Even if you build a kit its still needs test flying. If you are not a pilot with the skills of a test pilot your in another boat but its not any safer.

[steveinindy]

If I am, so were the Wright Bro's.

Not really. They learned through flying gliders and a lot of experimentation as well as talking with folks who had tried and failed (and were lucky enough to live to talk about it). Saying they went in cold is a bit misleading.

If you are not a pilot with the skills of a test pilot your in another boat but its not any safer.

To a certain degree. However, assuming you didn't botch the build and whomever designed it did their calculations correct, it should be flyable in a manner that a pilot of average skill can handle.

If I have anything I have thousands of hours in simulation. But no one gives credit to that. What good would flying anything that was not close to what I built.

The same argument could be made for what difference did Sully's experience with gliders far lighter than a heavily loaded Airbus with two goose-filled engines make regarding the ditching in the Hudson. Unless you're building something truly outlandish, almost any experience would be beneficial. Most airplanes of a similar weight, horsepower and configuration (pusher vs. tractor, canard vs. traditional layout, etc) will handle reasonably similarly. It's why we don't have to get type rated from aircraft to aircraft as GA pilots (although there are a few I would argue probably should mandate a type rating because of their safety records in the hands on under-qualified pilots).

[maxfig]

I see you are decided to proceed with your dream, I agree that if our old guys had those fears in mind we wouldn't have any airplane today. I have had the same dream as you all my life, I just haven't done anything about it do to a lack of money, and I don't feel sure anybody will let me fly on any airpor around this area. the only thing I recomend you is to proced with a lot of caution. firs try your airplane very well on the ground, make sure you can control it. If you notice what most people who try to fly without experience have in common is fear, once they go up they panic, to avoid that first do a lot of what they call grass hope, in other words elevate just a few feet above the grownd and land again, when you have the feelling that you are oke, then try something like just flying a pattern, and try not to go up too fast. In other words try to train yourself before you go too far.

This advice, is what I have always been planing for the moment when I build my own ultralight. I believe for your what you wright that you can do it, but once again a lot of caution and train yourself well.

I wish you a lot of luck, and I hope everything goes well for you.