The RV9 Decision
Heard about the guy that built a boat in the basement? Well it is also possible to build a plane in the basement. It has been done before. Planes have been built in the garage, bedroom, attic, crawl space, or in the back yard. The more fortunate have been able to build a plane in a hanger or workshop. The reason that tens of thousands of people have been able to do this is what has become commonly known as the 51% rule. According to the FAA if a person has constructed at least 51% of an aircraft they can register the aircraft as an experimental aircraft. This allows the aircraft to be registered and flown, with a few exceptions, like any other aircraft. The FAA allows the 51% rule for education and enjoyment. A person cannot build the aircraft for profit. However the aircraft can be sold, as long as it is built for education and enjoyment.
Although a few people design and construct the aircraft entirely on their own, most experimental aircraft fall into two categories. Plans built and kit built. In a plans built aircraft a person will build the aircraft from a purchased set of plans. That way all of the design engineering has been worked out. Planes that were to be built to the plans would have already been test flown. With a kit aircraft the plans as well as the materials are provided to the builder. That way the builder does not have to shop for many odd parts. The better kits will provide the parts mostly ready for assembly.
The three major types of kit aircraft are fabric, aluminum and composite. The fabric aircraft are usually wood and fabric or metal tube and fabric. They can also be a combination of both. Fabric construction is a traditional construction dating back to the beginning of aircraft construction. To build an aircraft, a framework is constructed and then it is covered with a fabric that is usually treated to ensure strength and durability. The resulting structure is then both stiff and lightweight. The second type of construction would be aluminum. Aluminum is also a traditional construction. It is stronger and more durable than fabric is. However it can also used with fabric on a semi interchangeable basis. Fabric wings and an aluminum fuselage or the other way around. Aluminum is most often riveted together, although it can be bonded or welded. The final type of aircraft is composite, or plastic. Composites are made up of molded parts, made of fiberglass or carbon fiber mixed with resin. Composite technology is a new technology. Very few manufactures of certified aircraft use composite technology, and those that do are very young. Composite is cutting edge tech.
There are two types of engines that are used on experimental aircraft. Certified and uncertified, the certified engine is an engine that is currently approved by the FAA for use in certified aircraft. These are typically Lycoming and Continental, although there are others. Certified engines are most always four-stroke engines. There are a couple of manufactures that are trying to certify diesels that could use commonly available and cheap jet fuel. There are small turbines on the drawing boards for certification. The uncertified engine is any engine that can be made to run. There are some manufactures that make uncertified engines that are used by the experimental aircraft market. They are designed for high stress aircraft use, but they have saved the expense of certification. Auto engines are also used. The Volkswagen and Subaru share a similar layout with the aircraft engine and are popular. Some people like the Mazda rotary engine for its lightweight and smoothness. Unlike cars, motorcycles and snowmobiles, aircraft engines spend most of their life near or at full throttle. An aircraft engine needs to be durable and reliable at maximum power. Light weight is an attribute desired by the aircraft builder and the engine is no exception.
Instrumentation can range from the very basic airspeed, altimeter and oil pressure gauge to the cutting edge electronic displays. A radio although not absolutely required is very useful. A transponder is also almost a requirement. A transponder is an electronic aircraft identification system that helps radar positively identify the aircraft. Its use is required in controlled airspace. In addition an attitude indicator and a turn a bank indicator help with controlling the aircrafts attitude. A vertical speed indicator helps with controlling accents and descents. Another useful though not common indicator is an angle of attack or lift reserve indicator. Then of course there are all the navigation instrumentation that is available. Navigation is probably the fastest evolving segment of the industry. It involves everything from the required compass to the still functioning 50-year-old Non directional beacon, or the brand new augmented GPS. The final portion of avionics is in cockpit weather, or real time weather. Along with the Internet it is a happening thing. Instrumentation is wide open. Although no two aircraft exactly the same, there are strong similarities between well-built aircraft. There should be a commonality that breeds familiarity between aircraft, some basic ergonomic principles should be followed.
The safety record for general aviation is about one fatality for every 100,000 hours. For automobiles the average is about one per 10,000,000 miles. If we can assume an average speed of 100 miles per hour for aviation the result is about a ten to one ratio for mileage. But if you consider that an aircraft travel faster than the average automobile the time exposure is only two or three times more dangerous. The two largest causes of fatalities in general aviation are low level acrobatics and flying into clouds without an instrument rating. If you could remove these two largest causes of fatalities, then flying would be safe as driving. Some aircraft are safer than others are. Just like automobiles faster high performance aircraft can be more dangerous. To compare them the NTSB has a web site that posts all the accidents in aviation. It is completely searchable database that can be used for comparison of different aircraft. Compare the number of aircraft with the amount of reports and you could get an idea of the relative safety of the aircraft.
After checking the NTSB database I thought the Murphy Renegade would be a good plane. The worst thing that I could find was a sprained wrist after a botched landing. The plane is an aluminum and fabric biplane that seats two. Good looking it can go up to a hundred miles per hour, with a range of close to 300 miles. The range and speed would depend on the engine used. The four strokes while more expensive would give much better range. After finding someone that was building a Renegade I went to visit him. He was building a very nice example of the plane. With the best of everything in it he had about three thousand hours into the plane. He also had about thirty thousand dollars invested in it. I was so impressed with the plane that I brought my wife to see it. Surely she must see what a wonderful thing this plane was, and it is what we really needed. An open cockpit biplane that was safer than walking down the street. My wife and his wife both agreed that if they were ever to get into an airplane the plane would have to have a roof. He is very happy with his plane. He is also shopping for another plane.
After again consulting the NTSB database I came up with CH701 with Pegastol wings. This was an easy to construct all aluminum high wing aircraft. It would also go up to 100 miles per hour with a range of a little over 500 miles. The cost would be the about the same as the Renegade biplane. And it had a roof and side by side seating. The front seat of the Renegade biplane was hard to get into, as you had to climb up into a hole under the wing. The CH701 has doors that would be easy to access. The best thing about the CH701 with the optional Pegastol wings is the slow flight speed would be less than twenty miles per hour. The slow speed was accomplished with a movable leading slat on the wing. This device appealed to my technologic nature. With such a slow speed I could fly into almost anything. The high wing was also suitable for floats. The only drawback to CH701 was it was but ugly. After discussing this plane with my wife we bought a pontoon boat.
The Idea of building my own aircraft would not go away. The cost for a well-done example would be about the cost of a new truck. If I want to get my wife into the plane it would have to be comfortable and pretty. At first I had decided against the RV series of aircraft because people had died in them. However they are not much more dangerous than a standard aircraft. People are just a bit more prone to do silly things in them. The RV line of aircraft had also came out with a model that could safely fly slower than fifty miles per hour. Almost slow enough to satisfy my needs for safety. Made of aluminum with solid rivets holding it together, the aircraft is a very traditional design. The RV9 is very pretty and it can cruise at well over 150 miles per hour. Powered be a standard certified aircraft engine it gets about 30 miles to the gallon of fuel. With a range of close to one thousand miles it can hold my wife and I along with 75 pounds of luggage and full fuel tanks. The plane takes about 1500 hours to build. A few people that know what they are doing have completed the kit in about eight months with 800 hours of work. I would expect myself to take three years at 500 hours a year. The RV type is very popular, with 2600 RVs flying now. With another six thousand being built, there is a strong builder support network. This seems to have done the trick. My wife is willing to let me build an aircraft in the basement.
