Homebuilt, low wing, 5+2 place, mazda powered twin

[AMDguy]

I want to say thank you again for all the advice and support. before i go on, i just want to clarify one thing. while it may seem like i am diving into this project all at once, i am nowhere near even close to completed designs. this project is sort of a dream that i will continue to follow through college and beyond. right now, i am really just in the basic conceptual design and "information gathering" stage. i am just trying to gather as much information as i can (even if it does not pertain to this project)... because of this, i do not expect to start construction until at least my freshman year of collage.

after having done some more research and asking more questions, i do agree that what i said regarding power levels is pretty unrealistic. although, i still stand by what i said about rotaries being my engine of choice, however, i am now also seriously considering an LS2 or LS3 just because of the raw power that they put out. but i think that a wankel might be a little bit easier to adapt... if i could get 325 hp out of the wankels, or 500 out of the LS (if i were to use that), then i would be happy.

as for what Ron said about using a turbine, i seriously considered using this (https://www.pbs.cz/en/our-business/a...gine-pbs-tp100), which would be perfect given that it has 241 hp, but i have read the cost is over 150k, which is way beyond my budget range.

as i said, thanks again for all the help and advice, and please continue to share knowledge...

thanks,
Christian L.

[dougbush]

AMDguy, is your goal to build a one-off plane to carry your family, or to sell plans/kits or factory-built planes, or to prove the rotary engine?

[AMDguy]

my goal is to build a practical, useful plane that can carry my family while having fun and learning a lot in the process...

Christian L.

[Sam Buchanan]

my goal is to build a practical, useful plane that can carry my family while having fun and learning a lot in the process...

Christian L.

The above noted phrase should prompt serious reflection about how experimental this aircraft should be..........

[cwilliamrose]

There's a rule of thumb about using truly experimental engines in prototype airplanes. You'll be doing engine and airframe development at the same time so I don't see the airplane being in any way practical for many years. If you were to substitute 'truly experimental engine' with 'Lycoming' or 'Continental' you might get to the 'useful airplane' part of the adventure in a reasonable time frame.

[Bill Berson]

A book called "Free Flight" is interesting. Mostly about the Klapmeier brothers that developed a five seat experimental with an auto engine. That airplane kit business failed and they continued on with a certified engine in a certified airplane. Something like $20 million of parents money.

[AMDguy]

that book sounds interesting... will check it out

[dougbush]

my goal is to build a practical, useful plane that can carry my family while having fun and learning a lot in the process...

Christian L.

I hope you succeed. My family changed a lot from the time I started taking flying lessons till I bought a Cessna that could theoretically carry them. I say theoretically because, while it has six seats, it's really cramped with that many people on board, and only small people could fit in the back row. Babies and toddlers need an adult next to them, so you can't put them on the third row. Really, nobody wants to sit back there for long, as it's often too hot or too cold. If we did have six on board, we wouldn't have enough cargo space for a trip, so practically it's a four-place and we use the third row for extra luggage. We have usually wanted to bring extra people along on our travels, such as the kid's friends or a grandparent. Our plane is fast, but it would have been handy to have had a lavatory on board sometimes. So, I don't think your jump seats in the cargo bay will ever get used. By the time you get this plane flying, your family members may be physically larger and may not want to sit three-across. Some may not be able to climb up on the wing to enter. They may have special friends or spouses. And you may be surprised at the size of the luggage they show up with.

[AMDguy]

I hope you succeed. My family changed a lot from the time I started taking flying lessons till I bought a Cessna that could theoretically carry them. I say theoretically because, while it has six seats, it's really cramped with that many people on board, and only small people could fit in the back row. Babies and toddlers need an adult next to them, so you can't put them on the third row. Really, nobody wants to sit back there for long, as it's often too hot or too cold. If we did have six on board, we wouldn't have enough cargo space for a trip, so practically it's a four-place and we use the third row for extra luggage. We have usually wanted to bring extra people along on our travels, such as the kid's friends or a grandparent. Our plane is fast, but it would have been handy to have had a lavatory on board sometimes. So, I don't think your jump seats in the cargo bay will ever get used. By the time you get this plane flying, your family members may be physically larger and may not want to sit three-across. Some may not be able to climb up on the wing to enter. They may have special friends or spouses. And you may be surprised at the size of the luggage they show up with.

dougbush,
I want to say thank you for your support. What you mentioned is exactly what our family is facing right now. My dad has a 2 place Grumman AA1B, and is looking into getting a PA-32, but given that our family is 7, and we carry a ton of bags, it would be super impractical. you are probably right about the jump seats, but hey, the space is there, why not put stuff there. but thank you so much for all of the support.

thanks,
Christian L.

[DaleB]

You're in the same boat I was in back when I wanted to start my pilot training. I had a wife and five kids, plus a dog. I figured if we were going to travel anywhere in our own plane, that plane would need to be something I could probably never afford to own, let alone fly. Like maybe a DC-3.

My solution was to wait until after the kids moved out. Actually, that was also the solution to being able to still make house payments and feed the aforementioned five kids.

Two seats works now.