Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater

Tue, 25 Jul 2006

Clarfications

I had a chance to chat with my parents today, and they expressed some concerns about the direction my recent aviation discussion has taken. I suspect that if they have these concerns, others among my masses of readers (all two of you) may also be wondering.

"Ultralights are so scary and flimsy." Well, yes and no. Some ultralights are pretty terrifying looking, I agree. Some are pretty substantial looking. Most seem to actually be pretty strong and safe. However, regardless of that, what I'm proposing to build is that airplane on the right, which has an empty weight of 600 pounds, and can carry its own weight again in passengers and gas and such. Not an ultralight at all. Properly constructed, they're very sturdy planes. (Note: not knocking ultralights, although you have to admit that to the untrained eye, some ultralights look like they should fold up like a bad lawn chair.)

I'm interested in having a long and productive life, which is why I've spent thousands of dollars on excellent motorcycle safety gear. However, I also want to enjoy it, which is why I'm riding motorcycles every day instead of commuting in a Volvo. The same logic goes for building an airplane: I like flying, but I want to do it as safely as possible -- that means I'm not going to pick a kit which is known for folding up on itself after 3 hours of flight. It also means I'm going to be painfully fastidious in the construction of that plane to make absolutely sure I'm doing it correctly (and thus safely).

The same also goes for the engine. My dad asked about what kind of engine I would use, and I started going into the types I was looking at. Almost the first thing out of his mouth was, "how reliable are they?" We had an interesting discussion about certified vs. non-certified engines (basically, a certified engine is one which has been built and maintained and possibly overhauled with FAA-blessed procedures by FAA-blessed mechanics; a non-certified engine is not). The short answer on that one: I don't know which I'll want to use. The one pictured on the right is the leading contender if money and reliablity are no object. It would cost over $20k by the time it was installed (unless I found a used one), and it's not certified, so reliability is more of an open question.

In any case, all of this is still pretty far out. I have a few other things to take care of in my life before I even consider actually spending any money on any of this. Any actual decisions will be made two years from now, at the earliest. Anything I say between now and then is purest speculation, although it may be well grounded in research. But then, I can always do more research.

Posted at 23:02 permanent link category: /aviation

Categories: all aviation gadgets misc motorcycle theater

Written by Ian Johnston. Software is Blosxom. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at obairlann dot net.