Before we can tackle the question of how to build an airplane, another major question needs to be answered. Depending on the correct answer, you can immediately tell how successful the whole project will be. The main question is, what is the purpose of the whole project? What kind of aircraft and why you need to build.
Selecting a model
Firstly, it is worth noting right away that building an airplane, as other craftsmen do, is not entirely realistic. The thing is that each person has an individual style of piloting, because of which it is impossible to rely on someone else's experience when choosing a model. Secondly, many novice designers light up with a desire to create after they see quite beautiful and elegant models in the sky. Based only on the appearance of the aircraft is extremely bad. The main criterion for choosing a model should be the purpose of its construction and future use, and not the aesthetic component.
Choosing the right model is also important because it can only be used for the purposes for which it is intended. Let's saybuilding an airplane as a means of air tourism is one thing. But after its completion and operation, you can find that a person is much closer to the usual flight to a picnic somewhere in the mountains, for example, and this will require a completely different model. All this suggests that before moving on to any practical part, it is necessary to fully consider and clearly define for what purpose the aircraft will be used.
Of course, before moving on to construction, it is necessary to carry out some more preparatory work. It is necessary to conduct a complete analysis of the design of the future aircraft. If someone has already implemented such a design, then you should contact this master and ask about the success of the aircraft. It is also important to remember that if a model is chosen in which parts and assemblies are of an obsolete type, then purchasing them and organizing delivery if necessary is much more difficult and expensive. Parts for models that are in demand at this time will be more available.
Wasting time
How to build a plane? Turning to the practical part of this issue, it is very important to note that this process is very lengthy. It will take a huge amount of time and effort, and therefore you need to be sure that these two components are available in abundance before proceeding with the purchase of parts and other things.
Experts recommend breaking up such a labor-intensive task as building an airplane into a large number of small tasks. In this case, you will seeconstant progress in production. Work on each task will require much more time, and each successful completion of the work will mean the approach of the main goal. If you do not break this voluminous task into small parts, then at some point it may seem that stagnation has occurred, progress has stopped. Because of this, many people also give up on the idea of building a plane with their own hands.
If the process was correctly divided into parts, then a week will have to allocate from 15 to 20 hours to complete the tasks. With such a time investment, it will be possible to build an aircraft in a reasonable time. If you spend less time per week, then the process can drag on for a huge period of time.
A place to work
It is natural that for such work it is necessary to have a suitable place. However, it should be noted that the size in this case is not critical.
A light single-engine aircraft, for example, can be built in a basement, trailer, sea container, etc. A great place would be a double garage. In many cases, even a single garage is enough, but this is provided that a separate place is assumed where it will be possible to store finished aircraft components such as wings and other parts. When considering how to build an airplane yourself, many people think that the only suitable place is the city hangar, for example. In fact, this is far from being the case. First, few people live close enough to such a building. Secondly, aircraft hangars -these are places where there is often not enough light. In summer, in such buildings it is much hotter than even on the street, and in winter, on the contrary, it is colder than on the street.
Another important note from specialists and just those who have already de alt with the issue of how to make a flying plane is the arrangement of the workplace. It is recommended to spend money on buying all the necessary things that will make work more convenient and comfortable. You can take care of a simple climate control system, get a workplace that will suit your height, lay rubber carpets on the floor, etc. An important role is played by high-quality full lighting of the entire workplace. All this will have to spend a certain amount of material resources, but when working on such a serious project, they will more than pay for themselves. In other words, we can say that everything you need should always be at hand, then the construction will be much easier.
Cash costs
How much does it cost to build an airplane? Naturally, after setting the goal, making a decision on the model of the aircraft, after selecting the location and allocating time, the next question is precisely the financial part of the project.
It will not be possible to give an unambiguous answer to the question about the cost of the aircraft, since all models are different, which means that materials, quality, and quantity are very different. We can only say that on average, from $50,000 to $65,000 is spent (about 3-4 million rubles). However, the real amount can be both much higher and significantlybelow. We build an airplane - this is a fairly simple phrase that requires a serious approach not only to the practical part, but also to the financial one. The easiest way would be to consider this action as the payment of a loan. In other words, it is necessary to estimate the total cost of the project in advance, break it down into parts, after which it will be possible to spend the planned amount of money every month to purchase the necessary parts, tools, etc.
Another important factor is the understanding that it is not necessary to put on the plane something that is not needed for the flight. The simplest example is lights for flying at night. If such walks are not planned, then there is no point in buying lighting. That is, correctly set goals will help save a significant amount of money. You can save on the installation of instruments, if they are not needed for the flight. The construction of aircraft requires the obligatory installation of a propeller. There are constant pitch and constant speed models. The first model costs about three times less than the second, but at the same time it does not lose much to the constant speed propeller in terms of flight efficiency.
Getting knowledge
Building an airplane with your own hands is a laborious and time-consuming task, but it is not at all as difficult as it seems at first glance. Many novice craftsmen who would like to try their hand think that they do not know how to paint, rivet and cook. In fact, learning all these skills is quite simple, it only takes a little time.
It's important hereview the problem in this way. A do-it-yourself homemade aircraft is a mechanical device with a minimum set of electrics, as well as the complete absence of complex hydraulic parts. All of these can be explored and assembled by yourself.
For example, what engine is on the plane? The most standard aircraft engine consists of the same structural parts as a motorcycle or boat. These are the simplest and most standard models that are perfect for building the first homemade aircraft. Next comes the practical part of the assembly. Riveting is a fairly simple process that can be mastered in just one day. As for working with the welding machine, everything is also simple here, you just have to spend more time on learning so that the welds have good performance and are fairly even. As for any work with wood, it is used in ordinary life quite often, and therefore the technique of its processing, as well as the tools for performing all the necessary operations, are not difficult to master and acquire.
Common patterns
One of the most common aircraft designs is a single-seat light strut monoplane with a high wing and a tractor propeller. This model of a home-made aircraft first began to appear in 1920. Since then, the scheme, design, and so on have not changed much. The finished sample today is considered one of the most tested, reliableand constructively worked out. It is because of all these advantages, and also because of the simplicity of the aircraft drawings, that it is almost an ideal option for DIY construction, especially for a novice craftsman. Over a long period of operation and assembly of such aircraft, they have acquired characteristic features. They are distinguished by such design features as a wooden two-spar wing, a welded-steel aircraft fuselage, fabric skin, a pyramid-type landing gear, a closed-type cabin with a car door.
Further it is worth noting that there is a small version of this type of aircraft, which was used in the 1920-1930s. A kind of aircraft was called "parasol". This model was a high-wing aircraft, which had a wing mounted on struts and struts above the fuselage of the aircraft. This kind of high-wing aircraft is also found in the current amateur aircraft industry. However, compared with the usual standard model, the "parasol" is used much less frequently, since from a constructive point of view it is much more difficult to manufacture such an apparatus, and in terms of its aerodynamic characteristics it is inferior to a standard aircraft. In addition, in terms of operation, they are also worse, and access to the cab of such a unit is quite difficult, which makes it difficult to use the emergency method of leaving the cab.
Parts of simple aircraft
It is worth considering some design features of these models.
Usual high-wing with the name"Leningradets" has the following indicators.
The engine for such a light single-seat aircraft has a power of 50 hp, and the model is called "Zündapp". The wing area of the finished model should be equal to 9.43 m2. Takeoff weight should not exceed 380 kg. This is very important, especially when choosing a pilot's seat. The weight of the empty apparatus is usually approximately 260 kg. The maximum speed that the aircraft can develop is 150 km/h, and the rate of climb near the ground is 2.6 m/s. The maximum flight duration is 8 hours.
For comparison, it is worth considering "parasols". In this case, an analysis of a model called "Baby" will be presented.
The engine is installed on the LK-2 model, the power of which is 30 hp, which already makes it less powerful than the standard model. The wing area is also reduced to 7.8 m2. The takeoff weight of this aircraft is only 220 kg, which includes the pilot's seat and the pilot himself, the weight of the power plant, fuselage and other structural elements. Despite the fact that the takeoff weight is significantly less than that of the "Leningradets", the maximum speed is only 130 km/h.
Making Aircraft Models
Among the main advantages of such models, the fact that it is not difficult to fly an aircraft, as already experienced pilots do, since the control itself is quite simple. This is especially noticeable in cases where the specific load on the wing does not exceed30-40kg/m2. In addition, high-wing aircraft are distinguished by the fact that they have excellent takeoff and landing characteristics, they are stable. In addition, the cabin is designed in such a way that it creates an optimal view of what is happening below. In other words, there is simply no better model for self-construction.
One of the most successful models should be considered in more detail - a high-wing aircraft designed by V. Frolov.
The wing for such an aircraft was made of materials such as pine and plywood, the fuselage for the aircraft was made of steel pipes, which were connected by welding. All structural elements of the aircraft were made completely covered with fabric using classical technology in the aircraft industry. The wheels for the chassis were chosen quite large. This was done in order to be able to take off without problems from unpaved and unprepared sites. As a power unit, that is, an engine, a 32-horsepower engine based on the MT-8 was used. It was equipped with elements such as a gearbox and a large diameter propeller. The take-off weight of the aircraft with this design and engine was 270 kg, flight centering was 30% MAR. With all these indicators, the specific load on the wing was 28 kg/m2. It has already been said earlier that it is much easier to fly an aircraft as experienced pilots if the load does not exceed 30-40 kg/m2. The maximum speed of the aircraft was 130 km/h, and its landing speed was 50 km/h.
Model aircraft PMK-3
Bin the city of Zhukovsk near Moscow, the PMK-3 aircraft was created, which now can also be assembled independently. The aircraft differed from the usual ones in that it had a peculiar structure of the forward fuselage, as well as a rather low landing gear. This aircraft model was designed according to the scheme of a strutted high-wing aircraft with a closed cabin. On the left side of the fuselage, an entrance for the pilot was provided. In order to achieve the desired centering, it was necessary to mix the left wing a little back. This is very important to remember when assembling such a model with your own hands. The general design of the aircraft is solid wood, covered with canvas. Wing type - single-spar, with pine shelves.
The basis of the fuselage for this model were three spars. Because of this design, the finished fuselage had a triangular cross section. A 30 hp engine was chosen as the main power unit. The type of engine is an outboard motor of the "Whirlwind" type, which has liquid cooling. With proper aircraft design, the radiator will protrude slightly from the starboard side of the fuselage.
It is worth saying a little about the fact that it is possible to build aircraft with a pusher type of propeller, but it is very important to remember that this will lose the thrust force of the apparatus, as well as the lifting force of the wing. Because of these two features, it is important to consider the appropriateness of installing such a propeller in each individual case, based on the goal pursued by the craftsman when creating the aircraft. However, it would be fair to say that there were inventors who, during the independent construction of an aircraft with suchpropeller, creatively approaching the solution of this problem, were able to eliminate such shortcomings and operate the aircraft without them.
KIT set
How to make an airplane easy? This question has become more and more relevant in recent years. In general, it is worth noting that the growth in the number of people who want to build an aircraft with their own hands is ensured by the distribution of "KIT kits". This is a kit that includes all the necessary parts to assemble an aircraft of the selected model. In this case, you still have to put your hands to assemble, but such a set helps to skip the stage of selecting elements, fitting to size, etc. With such kits, assembling an aircraft turns into a kind of assembling a constructor.
Another advantage of the "KIT-set" is that it will be cheaper than assembling all the elements from scratch. Today, there are three ways to get your own flight unit. The first is the purchase of an already finished product, the second is a "KIT-set", and the third is an assembly from scratch. Purchasing a set in this case is an average option for the price. If we talk about complexity, then it is much easier to assemble an aircraft from ready-made and fitted parts than from scratch yourself.
To summarize, we can say the following. Firstly, building an aircraft at the present time with your own hands is a very real task, but it requires a lot of time and money. If there are no welding and riveting skills, then they will also have to be mastered in order to successfully complete the work. To successfully assemble an aircraft,it is imperative to have drawings available, as well as an assembly diagram, in which each stage will be clearly presented. If you don’t feel like doing all this, then you can purchase a “KIT-set”, which will simplify the task and reduce it to assembling a kind of constructor.
