Wood Ultralight Aircraft Plans - Ultralight Aircraft Magazine - The Cloudster is a very simple design that is among the easiest of wood ultralights to build AND fly. The Cloudster is designed to fly behind a 28-35 hp engine. Airplane gets off the ground in about 75 feet, lifting off at about 30 mph.
The Weedhopper™ is everything you want in a legal ultralight.It is a simple machine and that is one of the things everybody admires about this ultralight.If you follow these Weedhopper™ plans you will end up with a aircraft that will provide many hours of enjoyment at a price that is easy on the pocket.
Wood Ultralight Aircraft Plans
In the next issue I will outline the proper procedure for identifying and inspecting wood for use in aircraft.This will help you familiarize yourself enough with the major defects to be able to identify them and know that the wood you are using is safe. be quoting largely from Mil-Spec-6073, a document that can be purchased through Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. The Forest Products Laboratory also has a wealth of information concerning wood in general. They have been very helpful to the EAA and to custom builders in general. Aviation Information Services (infoserv@eaa.org) at EAA Headquarters also has a lot of good information regarding aircraft wood.
Weedhopper™ Assembly Plans
The major components of the plane are all wood with metal struts and fittings. The plane is available as plans only, full kit or as sub component kits. The airplanes construction is very similar to that of a wood model aircraft, and can be built by Anyone using standard hand tools, in an area as small as a 1 car garage and take 250-450 hours to complete depending on skills, tooling, and work habits.
The sale of spruce is a nightmare for a supply company.The price they pay for shipments of spruce is very high.In addition, they have high costs in preparing the wood for shipment.The wood is very easily damaged when working with it or storing And finally, at least 40% of the wood they receive cannot be used for spar material. That means they must either cut the wood into smaller pieces to be sold as capstrips and longerons or burn them in their fireplace. Cutting the wood into Smaller pieces is labor intensive. Even with the high price you will pay for a spruce spar the aircraft company is not making money. I was in that business for over 17 years and can personally attest to that fact.
In this and subsequent articles, I will discuss the types of wood that can be used in aircraft construction, how to inspect the wood properly to ensure it is safe to use, tools needed for woodworking, plywood and glues, basics of aircraft woodworking, and how to inspect wood in a completed aircraft.
Inspecting Wood For Aircraft Use If I cannot obtain spruce or any other wood that is certified for use on aircraft how do I know I have the correct quality? The answer is you don't. You must find someone familiar with inspecting wood or learn more about it yourself. , there is certainly a difference between production aircraft and experimental aircraft concerning legalities.
The use of Sitka spruce is certainly not limited to aircraft construction. As a matter of fact, the aircraft industry uses a very small percentage of the total spruce that is milled. sailboats, barrels, cabinets, sounding boards for organs and pianos, and other uses. The building and restoration of sport aircraft is a very insignificant market for the wood industry. issues such as preserving the spotted owl.
The Weedhopper™ has long been favored by ultralight enthusiasts for the many desirable characteristics of an affordable ultralight. Now with these plans you can build one for yourself at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new one.
Alternatives to Spruce If Sitka spruce is so difficult to obtain why not find alternatives? A valid question and certainly a number of alternatives to spruce do exist. First of all, let's look at what type of wood can be used to replace spruce within an aircraft structure. The primary source of information for the builder may be obtained from FAA Advisory Circular 43-13, Government Bulletin ANC-19, and from a copy of Mil-Spec-6073. Advisory Circular 43-13 lists a number of different types of wood that may be used in an aircraft structure. Some of these are Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, Western Hemlock, White Pine, White Cedar, and Yellow Poplar. I will discuss the ones that are the most readily available - Douglas Fir, White Pine, and Western Hemlock.
The pilot will find very responsive controls, with a nice balanced feel, and not any mushy sensations.The Cloudster was designed to fly on low power and for those who enjoy low and slow morning flying at minimum cost.The profile fuselage and narrow cowling provide a clean aerodynamic appeal. With ample wing area and parallel struts, the Cloudster is the ideal first-time builder's ultralight.
On the new site there will be Free B-Model and C-Model drawings available for download. Just need to finish the 3D Assembly of the C-Model to make sure all the part dimensions are corrected. Follow this link for more information.. .
These plans were created using 3D parametric modeling.This allows each individual part to be drawn as a 3 dimensional part that can be inserted into an assembly.There are many advantages of working in 3D.When you take all the 3D parts and put them in an assembly you can visually verify everything fits as it should. This also allows for motion of the 3D assembly so you check for clearance issues as well as proper operation of the movable parts. Click HERE for a detailed description of a problem I discovered in the original configuration of the elevator.This had the potential for causing problems as you will see.I also describe a very easy solution or how this problem can be resolved.Check it out HERE for a detailed description.
With the advent of World War II, spruce became even more popular. Manufacturers used the material in the construction of a large number of aircraft. Wooden spars were fabricated from spruce in many airplanes along with ribs and other structural parts. for both aircraft production and for spruce to be used as a major material in manufacturing parts, forests of this popular wood were rapidly depleted. aircraft required a large supply of wood. Wood was a popular choice for aircraft construction because of its advantageous strength to weight ratio, workability, abundance, and low cost. This time in aviation history spruce was cheaper than aluminum or steel.
Western hemlock has been used in the construction of aircraft for a number of years. The popular Pietenpol airplane used Western hemlock in constructing spars for a number of years. The strength properties slightly exceed spruce and the wood may be used as a direct substitute for spruce FAA Advisory Circular 43-13 notes that it is less uniform in texture than spruce.
Visibility is outstanding and landings are a snap with the aluminum, one piece gear. The airplane has no nasty habits and a 26 mph power on stall give the pilot a safe, secure feeling. In the sky the airplane exhibits very little adverse yaw.
These Weedhopper™plans will include a blank mounting plate that will accept the bolt pattern for mounting the engine of your choice. I will add dimensional drawings, to this website, for the bolt patterns of various engines as I complete these drawings.
Build this ultralight biplane using these vintage plans from the 1960’s. This homemade airplane features wood frame covered with dacron fabric. Motor is a small cushman or VW 4-stroke that cruises the plane on only 2 gallons per hour!
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