Getting into the air by my own efforts
Moderator
There is a difference. Many of the very accomplished aviation pioneers had at least adequate resource and assistance applied to their developmental venture. The original motive in this thread for "self development" is economy. Conservation of funds will reduce development.
With a well developed "plans available" amateur build aircraft industry, and excellently developed flight training industry, I don't believe that a person can further economize by re-inventing those wheels.
Then I think about the film clips of early attempts at flight. Excellent spirit, but some of those accidents looked painful. What's the value to a person of an ankle which will never work properly again? I see so many people who totally take for granted their health, flexibility, and mobility. Many of the very well known aircraft developers had (perhaps less well known) test pilots to fly their new ideas.
Well funded professional aircraft development - excellent! Economy flying - better to purchase a proven product/service.
With a well developed "plans available" amateur build aircraft industry, and excellently developed flight training industry, I don't believe that a person can further economize by re-inventing those wheels.
Then I think about the film clips of early attempts at flight. Excellent spirit, but some of those accidents looked painful. What's the value to a person of an ankle which will never work properly again? I see so many people who totally take for granted their health, flexibility, and mobility. Many of the very well known aircraft developers had (perhaps less well known) test pilots to fly their new ideas.
Well funded professional aircraft development - excellent! Economy flying - better to purchase a proven product/service.
First Principal, You make some good points, however the message that most of the respondents are trying to get across is that there is a big difference between knowing how an aeroplane is built and flies,and actually doing it.
Getting stick time in a proven aircraft will teach our OP the reactions to deal with situations before he gets into them for real. Even Bernard Pietenpol, who built a couple of the most enduring homebuilts of all time, was taught to fly and owned a Curtiss Jenny for a while before designing the Air Camper at the age of 28. He and some friends also designed their own aircraft when he was 19, but that did not fly. He put this down to his lack of ability rather than the fault of the design.
http://www.pietenpolaircraftcompany....camper-history
The early days of flying killed a lot of people for, in many cases, very silly reasons. The early days of hang gliders did the same, and the early days of microlights/ultralights did the same yet again. Those that survived, analysed the causes and came up with training, construction and maintenance methods to save those following in their footsteps from either ignorance or themselves.
I applaud the OPs desire to get airborne on a tight budget. He has already had offers in this thread to go and fly with local aviators. I hope he takes up those offers.
In the meantime, it is worth reading Section S, which is a distillation of all the lessons learned from the early days of microlighting. Foot-launched Powered aircraft (FLPAs) and Single Seat Deregulated Microlights (SSDRs) do not have to comply with section S, but a would-be light flying machine designer would be pretty foolhardy to disregard it completely.
http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/...May2013(p).pdf
Getting stick time in a proven aircraft will teach our OP the reactions to deal with situations before he gets into them for real. Even Bernard Pietenpol, who built a couple of the most enduring homebuilts of all time, was taught to fly and owned a Curtiss Jenny for a while before designing the Air Camper at the age of 28. He and some friends also designed their own aircraft when he was 19, but that did not fly. He put this down to his lack of ability rather than the fault of the design.
http://www.pietenpolaircraftcompany....camper-history
The early days of flying killed a lot of people for, in many cases, very silly reasons. The early days of hang gliders did the same, and the early days of microlights/ultralights did the same yet again. Those that survived, analysed the causes and came up with training, construction and maintenance methods to save those following in their footsteps from either ignorance or themselves.
I applaud the OPs desire to get airborne on a tight budget. He has already had offers in this thread to go and fly with local aviators. I hope he takes up those offers.
In the meantime, it is worth reading Section S, which is a distillation of all the lessons learned from the early days of microlighting. Foot-launched Powered aircraft (FLPAs) and Single Seat Deregulated Microlights (SSDRs) do not have to comply with section S, but a would-be light flying machine designer would be pretty foolhardy to disregard it completely.
http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/...May2013(p).pdf
