Book – ‘Choosing Your Homebuilt – The One You’ll Finish and Fly! – 3rd Edition’ by Kenneth Armstrong

Description

This book, written by a 12,000+ hour RCAF fixed- and rotary-wing pilot with over 250 aircraft types and six completed homebuilts to his credit, is designed to help the soon-to-be aircraft builder thoroughly think through the process of selecting their project, taking into account the many factors and choices that ultimately affect whether the project will actually be completed… from construction types to costs to the engine choice, and everything in between. This book will help you take an honest look at the many options available in the world of amateur-built aircraft, so that you can avoid selecting a project that will turn out to be a huge (and expensive) mistake and choose the aircraft which best fits your needs, interests, skills, and abilities. Includes quite a few flight reports (over 50) on various homebuilt designs, including rotorcraft. While some of the information is slightly outdated (mostly in that some of the PIREPS are for models of aircraft that have since been superceded by more advanced versions and some manufacturers have changed since first publication in 1991) it still is a valuable resource and well worth reading. Foreword by EAA President Tom Poberezny.

Written by Kenneth Armstrong, Copyright 1991, 1993, 1998. ISBN 0-932579-27-2. Published by Butterfield Press. 355 Pages, Softcover.

Chapters include:

Foreword IntroductionSection One: Choosing the Airframe 1. Can You Build It? 2. Can You Fly It? 3. Can You Afford It? 4. Selecting The Bird You’ll Build 5. Plans, Kit, or Materials Package? 6. What To Ask the Manufacturers 7. Weight Control 8. Buying A Completed Homebuilt 9. Flight Evaluation Checklists Section Two: Engines, Auto Gas & Avionics 10. Engines 11. Should You Use Auto Gas? 12. Avionics Section Three: How They Fly 13. Flight Evaluations Avid Christavia Dragonfly Glasair [Glasair & GlaStar] Griffin Hummel K-R Lancair Murphy Mini 500 Mustang [Lohele 5151] North/Bright Star Ocean Eagle Pazmany Pelican RotorWay Shadow Starlet Van’s RVs Zenair

14. Short Reports Baby Belle Barracuda BD-4 Bowers Fly Baby CGS Hawk Classic CH-7 Angel Challenger II Coot Cosy Classic Cuby II Eagle II F.8L Falco Falconar Jurca Replicas Kitfox Kolb 1100R Mini Max Mountain Eagle Osprey 2 Pulsar Quicksilver Rans Seawind Skybolt Spencer Air Car Thunder GullSection Four: Regulations & Insurance 15. Following the Regs 16. Insurance Appendices: A. Directory of Manufacturers & Suppliers B. Gathering Information C. Reading & Viewing D. Organizations & Events Index