Or, more correctly, how would you fix it?
Like so many others, I'm intrigued by this simple-looking airplane and interested in building something like it some day. I don't know if it's the in-your-face simplicity of the airplane, the excitement of flying so exposed (while still in a normal-looking plane), the idea that it could be the modern descendant of the primary glider or just the cost-effectiveness implied by its name. Point is, it's alluring.
The trouble is, they don't seem to work. I've read about how they're basically guaranteed overweight and I too can see the somewhat questionable load paths. I've never seen a picture of one flying higher than ground effect and even those are hard to find. It doesn't seem like there's a shortage of A-Planes being built but even then no two are alike.
So fundamentally what's wrong with the A-Plane? Are they victims of builders making them 'better' without really knowing what they're doing? Is it just an overweight ultralight that would be better off re-branded as an LSA with maybe a little more wing? Is the whole concept just fundamentally flawed? Is it a wildly under-engineered scam? A zillion plans at just ten bucks a pop adds up, you know.
Let's say it can be fixed. How would you do it? What are the most glaring problems with the Affordaplane's design? What would someone need to keep in mind when designing something similar?
Here's what I have in mind: a flat-fuselage version of some classic lightplane. It can be a Cub, Champ, Stinson, Rearwin, Cabin Waco or whatever but I like planes with character and this is the lazy way to achieve that. Ideally I'd like the rear fuselage covered but since you apparently can't do that on the A-Plane maybe there's a good reason not to do it on any plane (why is that, anyways?).
Other points to tick off:
-Part 103 eligible
-Simple construction (I have riveted tube in mind for the majority of the structure)
-Materials for large parts should be obtainable in just about every major city, small specialty stuff can be mail ordered, of course
-Four stroke engine like a half VW or something (this would of course limit the weight of the rest of the plane)
-Capable of hauling a 230lb, 6' 5" guy into the air
I'm not looking for anyone to do the work for me, just a reality check to see if this is even something attainable.
-Tim
Like so many others, I'm intrigued by this simple-looking airplane and interested in building something like it some day. I don't know if it's the in-your-face simplicity of the airplane, the excitement of flying so exposed (while still in a normal-looking plane), the idea that it could be the modern descendant of the primary glider or just the cost-effectiveness implied by its name. Point is, it's alluring.
The trouble is, they don't seem to work. I've read about how they're basically guaranteed overweight and I too can see the somewhat questionable load paths. I've never seen a picture of one flying higher than ground effect and even those are hard to find. It doesn't seem like there's a shortage of A-Planes being built but even then no two are alike.
So fundamentally what's wrong with the A-Plane? Are they victims of builders making them 'better' without really knowing what they're doing? Is it just an overweight ultralight that would be better off re-branded as an LSA with maybe a little more wing? Is the whole concept just fundamentally flawed? Is it a wildly under-engineered scam? A zillion plans at just ten bucks a pop adds up, you know.
Let's say it can be fixed. How would you do it? What are the most glaring problems with the Affordaplane's design? What would someone need to keep in mind when designing something similar?
Here's what I have in mind: a flat-fuselage version of some classic lightplane. It can be a Cub, Champ, Stinson, Rearwin, Cabin Waco or whatever but I like planes with character and this is the lazy way to achieve that. Ideally I'd like the rear fuselage covered but since you apparently can't do that on the A-Plane maybe there's a good reason not to do it on any plane (why is that, anyways?).
Other points to tick off:
-Part 103 eligible
-Simple construction (I have riveted tube in mind for the majority of the structure)
-Materials for large parts should be obtainable in just about every major city, small specialty stuff can be mail ordered, of course
-Four stroke engine like a half VW or something (this would of course limit the weight of the rest of the plane)
-Capable of hauling a 230lb, 6' 5" guy into the air
I'm not looking for anyone to do the work for me, just a reality check to see if this is even something attainable.
-Tim
