On Wednesday, July 31, 2013 3:23:46 PM UTC-6, WB wrote:
See: http://makerplane.org/



Just ran across this crowd-sourced campaign to design and build an

open-source airplane. They are shooting for $15,000 US including engine.

I think they could make the airframe for $15k. I have my doubts about a

safe, reliable powerplant AND airframe for anything near $30,000. I

would dearly love to be proven wrong.



The website is worrisomely short on details, but the overall design

doesn't look far-fetched (no twin boom, pusher, three lifting surface

homebuilt F-22 fantasy). They propose a conventional looking plane built

of foam-cored composite panels cut out with CNC mills and non-structural

stuff made with 3d printing. A similar concept, flat-panel, pre-fab

composite version of a K-18 was make by a Brit once upon a time and

looked pretty good. Don't know what became of it.



If Maker Plane can make this work at even twice their projected cost,

could the same method be used to produce a reasonably priced training

glider? Even $25,000 for a new, two-seat trainer in the 28:1

neighborhood would be a fantastic bargain these days. Certification is a

glaring issue for a glider destined for commercial training. However, if

the glider only cost $25,000, it would be cheap enough to be viable in

the non-commercial club market where an experimental cert. would be OK.

https://www.facebook.com/AuroraTrainingSailplaneProject