Build your own airplane

Darryl Murphy just wanted to fly planes. Instead, he built his own – and people took notice. Today he heads one of Canada’s most renowned kit-plane manufacturers, having steered the 22-year-old company through plenty of turbulence along the way.

Here are some options for people who want to build their own plane.

A quick-built model is for people who want to fly but have limited time. It is the most expensive option. Since most of the work is done, a quick-built can be finished in months (depending on how devoted the builder is) and will cost 70 to 80 per cent more than a basic kit.

Standard kits require more time, almost double that of quick-builts, since the builder gets the pieces but does all the construction. There is no average time to build a plane; it can take 800 hours to 3,000 hours, ­depending on the builder and the model.

Scratch builts are the most economical but require a ­higher labour input; what you get is a set of design plans and a construction manual. The builder has to search out all the materials and fabricate components such as the undercarriage and mount. This requires a higher set of skills, most of which can be self-taught. The actual hours required depend on how committed and how comfortable the builder is working from plans.

Designing your own aircraft requires the most skill and experience, since you must draw up plans, search out all the components and do everything all the way to the final flight tests. While technical training would be an asset, almost anyone with common sense, patience, dedication and, most of all, drive can design and build an airplane.

More DIY resources:
How to Build a Plane
Build a Hoverwing

To rich for your blood? Here are some far more manageable resources:

Build a model plane
DIY Micro Car Plane
Build the best paper airplane in the world

Back to Runway Model.