Getting into the air by my own efforts

[Fearenside]

Having reached my mid forties, and having had a lifelong dream of learning to fly, I’ve decided that now is the time. However, due to financial reasons the normal route - joining a club, paying for lessons by the hour etc - isn’t an option, and probably never will be. So I’ve started investigating ways of getting into the air by my own efforts.

The advantage I have is that I work in aerospace, so I do things like aerodynamics, structures, stability and control etc on a daily basis. This will help greatly with any self-design / self-build option.

However if I’m going to avoid the costs of training or licensing or registration, while still staying legal, then I’m looking at a foot-launched microlight, i.e. <60kg fully fuelled, <10litres fuel, <35kts stall. As I understand it, this category contains (almost exclusively) paramotors and powered hang gliders. However for various reasons those things have never appealed; my intention is three-axis control - I’m imagining something similar to the Mike Sandlin airchairs with a paramotor engine (like the "Bloop" aircraft but 3-axis instead of 2), but much lighter, foot-launched (obviously), and in a form that can be folded to fit on a roof rack. Would something like that still satisfy the legal definition as long as weight, stall etc were within limits?

If so, I already have some ideas in that direction, which I’m currently working on.

As well as the technical challenges, I also need to figure out where I can fly from. I live in a very crowded (and hilly) corner of South-East England - plenty of greenery, but no wide flat spaces where you can just turn up and do what you want without someone else’s say-so. We do have some long stretches of beach nearby, and if you walk far enough along them (with a 60kg bundle on your shoulder!) you’ll find long, deserted stretches - could that be an option? I also see paragliding / hang gliding on the South Downs - though I guess those areas are rented by or otherwise exclusively reserved for certain clubs, who wouldn’t take kindly to someone just turning up with a three-axis home-built? Alternatively I could bribe a farmer with suitable field... Seriously though, what are the limits on just driving into the countryside and picking a spot to fly from?

If anyone has covered this ground before (existing designs, viable locations, etc) then I’d be grateful for any advice.

Cheers,

F.

[Pilot DAR]

Welcome to PPRuNe Fearenside,

There is certainly history of self design, self build, self train, though my understanding is that once you value your time in such an effort, you may not save much getting airborne. Consider the value of an hour of your time, then plan your project - what's the budgeted cost? As you have considered, where do you fly, and how do you get the aircraft there?

As for instruction, purchase competent flying instruction relevant to what you will fly. If you hurt yourself for lack of instruction, it was not worth the saving of money. I say this as a very experienced pilot, now entering month four of recovery from an accident in which I could not prevent the pilot's error. Can you imagine what I would have been willing to invest in my life to not have been injured as the training pilot? Appropriate training is always worth the cost...

[ivorPhillips]

http://www.thedailystar.net/bytes/tech-happening/watch-self-powered-swiss-hang-glider-flies-80mph-1402003

this is a 3 axis self launching glider that ticks many of your boxes, should be a good basis to start,

[gasax]

I knew a guy who flew one of these - Swift Light Description ? Aeriane his was the earlier version. From what he said it was not an easy aircraft to fly (let alone land!) and after a couple of years when he only fly it on very good days he sold it and bought a MCR01 - convention microlight version - which he said was so much easier and nicer. Given you are going to need some form of instruction any 'savings' from going foot launched will be eaten up by the difficulty and lack of convenience.
One of the guys on our strip has built a self-designed SSDR - but it is a bit tricky. On the other hand I have a Section S microlight - downgraded to SSDR and that is actually a very cheap route into flying - accepting you still need a licence.

[Crash one]

Unfortunately this country is so highly regulated in the aviation business that being legal is very difficult.
Air law. You are not allowed to be closer than 500feet from "vessels, vehicles, structures or people".
Controlled airspace. Class D around airfields often extends from the surface to several thousand feet and you need permission to enter that airspace.
You also need the land owners permission to operate from wherever you wish to operate from.
So much for the depressing bit.
There is the "single seat de-regulated" (SSDR) class of aircraft, limited to some weight, stall speed etc, can't remember details, it was115kg max but has since been increased somewhat. Design, build as you wish, unregulated. However you still need a licence to fly it along with following the rules/law.
I don't think you can avoid some form of basic microlight pilots licence to remain legal, though once you have that you will be able to launch from recognised airstrips with the appropriate permission.
Welcome to the world of hassle, endless rules and regulations.
Best of luck with your project.
I have had similar thoughts.

[xrayalpha]

Welcome to Pprune.

If you have a job in aerospace, do yourself a favour and do a little overtime and use your skill to earn enough to pay someone to teach you.

Seriously: do you earn less than £20 an hour? (When you take a two-hour slot to give a one-hour-in-the-air lesson, that is what many flying schools pay their instructors.)

Then buy a X-Air for 4k - or maybe even a share in one.

Remember, joining a club at a local airfield will also help you continue the learning process. You will hear stuff that is priceless.

Otherwise, buy a second-hand paramotor. Teach yourself to fly it. Lose lots of money when you find you have bought the wrong thing, perhaps crash and break your back and lose your mobility. Maybe lose your job.

But, hey, you'll have some happy memories to look forward to! And you will have done it all yourself and proved Mr Darwin correct!

[Forfoxake]

Agree with most of what xrayalpha writes.

And have you factored in the time involved in design, self-build, testing and development?

If that is your real passion, go ahead.

However, if you simply want to fly, my advice would be to get some instruction and if you like it, buy, rent or share something ready to go.

Good luck!

[Chris Martyr]

Hi fearenside,
From your location , have you tried Fly Sussex Paragliding - Learn to paraglide in Sussex
I know absolutely 'jacques merde' about paragliding as I'm one of them fixed-wing johnnies , but if it does float your boat then these people can not only sell you the clobber , but can also train you not to kill yourself as well.
The other chaps are right when they recommend you don't skimp on the training....Enjoy.

[magpienja]

Not sure if its out of your budget...but you could get a flex wing microlight Pilots licence for around 4k...and buy your self the like of a Mainair Flash 2 Alpha flexwing for less than 2k.

Convert it to SSDR....powered flight dont come much cheaper and you also have the req skill to fly it.

Nick a F2A user.

[FullWings]

It sounds similar to: I’d like to drive a car but I don’t want to pay for lessons or have to pass a test. Would you want to share the road with such a person, or sit next to them?

There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people without any previous experience going flying: some of them even survive (although they probably wish they hadn’t).

I’m all for aviation in every respect but please get some kind of training before you take to the skies. Flexwing, parafoil, glider, motor glider, whatever. It doesn’t have to be expensive and where I come from (gliding mainly) if you have skills in other departments and are prepared to give your time, instruction can be free, or close to it.

There are other little things, like knowledge of rules of the air, weather, airspace and the like which can really help the day end well.

Good luck!

[Mechta]

When the CAA relaxed the rules on foot launched powered aircraft to allow take off and landing on wheels, it had me wondering what three axis aircraft may be possible. There have already been a few which fit the bill, although they are considerably less practical than a paramotor which could be stored in a wardrobe, or a weightshift microlight which could be rolled up and hung in a garage.

Here are a couple:

Birdman TL-1 Birdman Aircraft TL-1



Butterfly microlight http://www.bapa.aero/Butterfly.htm




As others have said, getting training is a must. Just because something flies slowly, doesn't mean it will be easy. The Wright Brothers had years of experience with their gliders on deserted and relatively forgiving sand dunes before they attempted powered flight. There are plenty of people confined to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives who thought they knew better.

[carlmeek]

Why don’t you come along to Deanland near Lewes and meet up with some of the microlight pilots here. We have people flying things like CFM shadow that cost peanuts. Also a very affordable microlight school. This is how to do it properly and safely without killing yourself. I would take you up for a fly in a kitfox, a Medway or a c42 if you are interested.

[piperboy84]

Join a club, get proper instruction, (the social scene, camaraderie and mentoring is good) and fly something decent from a proper strip, not one of those bloody contraptions you're describing you'll end up a raspberry ripple at best. Going it alone and getting the cheapest possible deal is all fine and dandy till you're consigned to being spoon fed and needing someone to wipe your arse at the physical rehab facility.

[nkt2000]

How about learning to fly a glider. That is significantly cheaper than powered aircraft and, I am sure, almost as much fun.

[Fearenside]

Thanks for all replies everyone; I'll consider all advice here very seriously. As far as the value of training is concerned, rest assured that I’m in no doubt how much it counts for, and even if I did do all or part of this myself, I wouldn’t dream of not becoming proficient in air law, navigation, meteorology and so on. My day job involves these things already.

I’m also aware that the kind of lightly loaded airframe I’m considering brings its own challenges. If I were to go it alone, it would be baby steps - I already do this in my professional life with the airframe test programmes I take part in, comparing test results with simulations and predictions at each stage, and only progressing when findings so far indicate that everything is working as expected. I would do this in the same incremental, cautious way - short hops, then ground effect, probably no more than that for a long time.

However, if ever finances permit then I will go the conventional route (which was always my original intention) and divert my self-build ambitions toward an SSDR that I can fly with a properly-obtained licence in my hand. It will be a long time though - I won’t bore people with my circumstances but the last few years have been a series of financial body blows which have eliminated the plans (and savings) that I had in place to do this, and the years ahead are unlikely to be any different. Given that I already work in aircraft design and testing, it seemed natural to look at ways of using my existing skills to make my own dreams of flight a bit more self-sufficient. (It’s no accident I work in this field - the ambition has been a life-long one).

However thanks again for all responses - the supportive ones and the cautionary ones.

F.

[JOE-FBS]

"Unfortunately this country is so highly regulated in the aviation business that being legal is very difficult."


Wrong in this case. You can legally build and fly a single-seat de-regulated (SSDR) with no regulatory oversight (however, make your own judgements about your own abilities here and maybe get involved with the LAA). You cannot do that legally with, for example, a self-designed, self-built car. Obviously you still need to be trained properly to fly it but assuming you're not suicidal you are unlikely to want to fly untrained.


As for things like low flying rules and controlled airspace around major airports, well yes, to go back to the car analogy, we all drive on the same side of the road and stop at red lights, again unless suicidal.


Flying is awesome, don't listen to forum whingers, do whatever is affordable and floats your boat. It will be effort, time and money well spent that you will not regret.

[Fearenside]

PS Thanks for the contacts to clubs and so on that various people have posted - I'll follow those up if I decide to proceed with learning. The overall weight of opinion is adding to the arguments for not attempting to go it alone, but as I said in another reply elsewhere the conventional route will have to wait until later in life. Very frustrating, hence my attempt to examine all options given that I'm coming to this problem with a large amount of aviation experience already accumulated - just not at the controls...

Thanks again though - I'll keep researching options including those links.

[mary meagher]

DAR, the moderator, has wise words. Training can save your butt from painful experience.

I started with gliding, at the age of 50, and instructors in most gliding clubs do not charge for lessons! however any club would be happy to welcome a chap with your background and skill. A weekend club in your neighborhood (look up the local ones on the British Gliding Association Website), and just visit and observe before deciding which might suit you. They will have the site, and the knowlege, and probably some well used training two seaters which have benefited from the experiences of their designers.

And who needs an engine? thats what hills - and summer cumulus are for. Maybe as a go it alone chap you worry about permission for using a field for TAKEOFF.... as a cross country glider pilot, it is not necessary to ask permission to LAND anywhere that seems like a good idea, as when you run out of lift, you are technically an emergency.

Just be nice to the farmer.

[DownWest]

Originally Posted by FullWings

It sounds similar to: I’d like to drive a car but I don’t want to pay for lessons or have to pass a test. Would you want to share the road with such a person, or sit next to them?

There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people without any previous experience going flying: some of them even survive (although they probably wish they hadn’t).

I’m all for aviation in every respect but please get some kind of training before you take to the skies. Flexwing, parafoil, glider, motor glider, whatever. It doesn’t have to be expensive and where I come from (gliding mainly) if you have skills in other departments and are prepared to give your time, instruction can be free, or close to it.

There are other little things, like knowledge of rules of the air, weather, airspace and the like which can really help the day end well.

Good luck!

Bit rough, since the OP has stated he is in Aviation and understands most of the rules & risks.. Just looking for a low cost way to get airbourn..

Looking at the lightly built examples linked.. I ran into Henri Mignet's grandson, who lives locally. I had no idea that the designs were developed and he built them until around 16 yrs ago, until an accident upset his insurance co. who then refused to cover him. Sold them to the army and others. Guggle Avions Henri Mignet for a view.

[BlackadderIA]

Another vote here for gliding - surely one of the least expensive ways of getting into the air.
For a fraction of the cost of the materials you'd need to buy to spanner something together in the shed you'll get some proper flying instruction and access to a great club environment.
If you subsequently decide to go down the shed construction route (and good on you if you do!) then at least you'll also know which bits to waggle on the first flight