She's scratch building a Pietenpol Air Camper

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Brad W

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I'm looking forward to watching this series!

I wonder something and I'm sure someone here will know.
Out of all the experimental homebuilts that are finished every year, how many are plans-built from scratch like this?
and furthermore I wonder, what's the breakout of wood vs metal vs composite?

I've got respect for her for committing to even just start such a build!

 
I’m doing it. Not a Piet, mine has twice the number of wings, but yeah. The struggle is real for sourcing aircraft quality Sitka spruce. Fortunately there are other options. It’s good to see someone else building with wood. There are others, but not a lot of us.
 
She's done a number of other wood projects including a canoe and a teardrop camper. I wonder how she's doing with her medical?
 
DaleB said:
The struggle is real for sourcing aircraft quality Sitka spruce
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Wasn't that the raison d'être of a little company called "Aircraft Spruce" ?
 
I have recently learned that Sitka spruce “grows like weeds” over much of the UK. It has me thinking impure thoughts about chainsaws and container ships.
 
DaleB said:
I have recently learned that Sitka spruce “grows like weeds” over much of the UK. It has me thinking impure thoughts about chainsaws and container ships.
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The problem is that aircraft quality spruce is (was) old growth, and there's not much of that left. A lot of what's left is being purchased by Japanese musical instrument makers.

Fun fact, Wicks Aircraft was originally the Wicks Organ Company. Since they bought a lot of wood, they started selling some to airplane builders as a sideline, and the rest is history.
 
I hope it goes better for her than Dyno Don. Loved watching his build; gritted my teeth through his test flights and now (glad he survived) he's rebuilding...
 
Kit built homebuilts far outnumber plans built. The result of many factors, including skill level, time commitment, and newer designs employing pre built, prepunched quick assembly components.

Having built both, building from plans is so fulfilling and so much fun, I might have to sneak another set of plans in the house. Anyone have a spare bedroom for me if the wife finds out??
 
Fun fact: Pietenpol built the first one , then hired a high school student to draw the plans based on the actual airplane.
 
painless said:
Having built both, building from plans is so fulfilling and so much fun, I might have to sneak another set of plans in the house. Anyone have a spare bedroom for me if the wife finds out??
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I do, but we'd need to roll up and stow another set of Fisher plans that are covering the bed in there.
 
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