Commercial kitbuilders – general aviation evolution?

Published in Aviator magazine, January/February 2004
Article and photos by Dave Lowery

A homebuilt aircraft started fixed wing aviation. And though modern home and kit built aircraft benefit from 100 years of progress in aeronautical engineering, manufacturing and now, composite construction, perhaps the element that remains the same is the passion needed to build, or oversee, aircraft construction.

Shane Daly, 35, a Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) aeronautical engineering technology program graduate, epitomizes aviation passion. Daly routinely spends 70-80 hours a week at his business, Innovative Wings, constructing kitbuilts for customers and spends his leisure designing and constructing radio control aircraft. Daly’s obvious skill and aptitude led to him being hired by a SAIT instructor two months prior to graduation to work for Aerometal, a Calgary based aviation metal fabrication business.

Initial projects included obtaining approval for a G3 galley in newly formed Westjet’s 737s but he then moved to the floor to learn everything he could about composites.

“I had a good aptitude for it and soaked up everything,” Daly says. “I also helped design and build a new medical interior for the STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) MB-117 helicopter. One of the board directors, Marty Abbott, saw my work and asked me to build his Legend kit. That was three years ago. We started building the Legend part time. Marty saw the quality of the work I did and asked if I would continue with the rest of the build. He provided the location and paid me on an hourly rate. As the complexity increased he allowed me to hire another individual. That was in August but by January the following year I was doing this full time. The business has grown dramatically simply by word-of-mouth and we now have four full time employees including myself.”

Daly now counts in his construction inventory a Glasair Super IIS, two Lancair IV PT's (pressurized turbine), an Aircam, three BD-5s and modifications to a Glasair III plus others waiting to be built. He claims to have enough work to keep him busy for the next two years minimum.

But responsible for Innovative Wings’ early success is Marty Abbott. A former Canadian military pilot, Abbott, 50, distinguished himself in 1974 among his jet fighter peers by hitting Mach 2 in his first F-104 Starfighter flight . . . and ejecting! Straight out of high school, Abbott joined the military under the ROTP program. During the summers in the early seventies, he trained in Portage, Moose Jaw and eventually Cold Lake where he flew F5s before transitioning to the CF-104. He graduated first in his class and was transferred to Europe where he revelled in low level 104 flying. But during the cold war, Canadian pilots had virtually no chance to apply their training in combat.

“After about 1500 hours of fighter time, in 1980, I quit the air force when I realized they wouldn’t let me kill anybody,” says Abbott. “I went back to law school on my own because I didn’t want to be tied to the military. But I loved the air force.”

Abbott continued his love affair with aviation and eventually purchased an Aerostar but says he became frustrated with the costs, and technology, involved with commercially built certified aircraft.

“I was getting awfully sick and tired of rules and regs with certified aircraft,” Abbott says. “Certified parts were ridiculously priced, certified aircraft were ancient designs with old technology and I wanted a new tech aircraft that had superior performance with lower operating costs. I scoured what was available and came up with the Legend.”

Completed in 18 months, the Legend is a tandem two-place single engine Walter M601 powered turboprop with a 300 knot typical cruise speed and 625 nautical mile range.

“Operating costs for my Aerostar were $400 per hour,” Abbott says. “The Legend is under $120 an hour, goes faster and is more fun. In 1500 hours the only scheduled maintenance is three oil changes! Homebuilt is the way to go. It’s superior technology over certified aircraft and offers way more performance for your dollar. And it won’t cost an arm and a leg in operating costs because you don’t have to buy certified parts which typically are 300 to 2000 percent more expensive than non certified parts. There’s a revolution happening out there. Turbine engines are now very inexpensive. There is also a revolution with avionics. Avionics packages with no moving parts can be purchased for less than $3000 and these are better performing than the ancient certified stuff.”

Though now flying his aircraft and very happy with the results, Abbott says the process was not without its challenges but there were more positives than negatives.

“Some of the drawings and instructions were incomplete or inaccurate,” says Abbott, “and this caused us some grief. But it’s just a carbon fibre airplane you glue together.
The Legend is not a complex kit but not as complete as a Lancair, for example. I learned a lot about composites, different adhesives, the incredible strength of carbon fibre and the fact it doesn’t corrode like aluminium. If you have got some basic skills you can do it. You need the time and, if you don’t have skills and time, you need to find a builder who does. I must say that the process is very enjoyable and I am totally pleased with the result. The aircraft far exceeded my expectations in terms of performance. Carbon fibre is easy to work with. For example, the Legend’s landing gear doors were flexing in flight and were being pulled open. So we put stiffeners in but we put too much of a preload on them causing them to bend. If those were aluminum they would have been scrapped. But with only 15 minutes using a heat gun we were able to straighten them out perfectly.”

Adam Hunt, COPA manager of membership services and representation, says businesses whose main purpose is to build homebuilt aircraft are very rare in Canada. He was unaware of any business, individual or directory that offered help for aircraft builders who fall under the 51% classification.

“In the ultralight category, individuals have offered help to homebuilders and built whole aircraft for customers for 30 years,” Hunt said. “It’s legal to construct ultralights on a commercial basis and has been since the late seventies.”

But with clarification to the homebuilt and kitplane regulations instroduced in early 2002, businesses that specialize in homebuilt construction are beginning to flourish.

Sean White, 41, a pilot since age 17 and now owner of a builder support centre in Kingston, Ontario specializing in Murphy aircraft, originally worked in the airlines as an engineer. In 1993 he left the airline industry, partially because he tired of the extensive travel, and became a secondary school teacher. But he soon gravitated back to aviation in a different role.

“ I had a very progressive thinking principal who knew my background as an AME,” White says. “He found the money for a kitplane and we began looking at the Zenair and Murphy aircraft line. Eventually we settled on a little Murphy Maverick which was built under an advanced ultralight classification. When it was partly finished we displayed it at the Downsview airshow in 1988. We helped test the HKS engine, a 60 hp four stroke engine from Japan, got the airplane flying and then delivered it to Murphy where it became their company demonstrator. My wife and I moved back to Kingston and initiated a program with the local school board but it was cancelled when I was laid off. By then I had people phoning me, through Murphy aircraft, for advice and help so I took a government sponsored small business program which led to my business; Kitplane Solutions Inc.”

White requires that his clients perform a lot of the hands-on work and maintains this is a key component during construction of an aircraft.

“ The owner of the airplane is the one who has to maintain it,” White says. “If they aren’t familiar with the aircraft this can make for unsafe and dangerous conditions"

Depending on the avionics clients specify and various options, White says the final cost varies but he quotes based on an hourly rate of $45. His latest project is a Murphy Moose with a full IFR panel, amphibious floats and a 400 hp radial engine.

He has now helped about six projects and claims the kits are well thought out but do require a certain amount of skill and knowledge to be mastered.

“ What complicates construction are the systems such as the IFR packages with full instrument panels . . . then you’re getting into complexity that requires more knowledge,” White says. “We do our avionics in house.”

For those planning on building a kit or amateur built aircraft, White recommends you speak to other builders and participate in the builder assistance program if it’s offered.

“ In the U.S. there are a significant number of amateur built aircraft so you can shop and compare prices,” he says. “Also, join the recreational aircraft association which is a great resource for expert advice.”

White’s operation is now a Murphy approved build centre and dealer. He says you can expect to spend about $130,000 - $150,000 Cdn on a nicely equipped Murphy Moose with a full gyro panel and upgraded interior including leather seats.

“ Building your own aircraft is not necessarily a cheaper alternative to aircraft ownership,” White says. “But it can give you a new aircraft at half the cost of a new certified aircraft and more performance such as STOL capability. And you will benefit from reduced operating costs by being able to maintain the aircraft yourself.”

And though regulations are clearer regarding hiring help to construct aircraft and commercial builders are springing up in Canada, Innovative Wings’ Shane Daly doubts it will ever be possible to buy completely assembled kit planes from a commercial builder without overseeing construction and participate in assembly.

“If you can build the Lancair IV as a turnkey aircraft, for example, certified aircraft will suffer,” Daly says. “It would enable people to fly an aircraft in the $230-$250 K range, about what a Cessna 182 costs, but with significantly more performance and less maintenance costs. But Canada and the U.S. regulators have realized that aircraft like the Legend are so complex that those who can afford them don't have the time to build them safely. Your average lawyer doesn't want to spend six years building an airplane. We can build a Legend in 4000 hours and customize anyway we want.

I've always loved aircraft. If anyone ever told me I'd be doing this I would have said they're nuts. This is an upcoming and growing industry and we're on the leading edge. I don't discourage anyone who wants to do the same thing. Just be sure you have the knowledge and background to begin what you start.”

For more information contact:
Shane Daly, Innovative Wings. Tel: (403) 701-4251, E-mail: shane@innovativewings.com, Website: http://www.innovativewings.com

Sean White, Kitplane Solutions Inc. Office: 954 Lombardy St. Kingston ON. K7M 9C2. Shop: Norman Rogers Airport Hanger 5 Kingston CYGK. Tel: 613-634-3571 E-mail: Kitplane.solutions@sympatico.ca.

So you want to build your own aircraft?
Amateur and kitbuilt aircraft are inspected by the Ministers delegates-recreational aviation (MDRA) during construction and upon completion. Detailed information and documents can be downloaded from their user friendly website at www.md-ra.com which also provides links to some kit builders and providers.

Gerry Haliburton has been the self described “paper work administrator” for the past four years and oversees logistics for MDRA inspectors. He says the MDRA conducts 110-135 final inspections each year. When the construction inspection process is completed, documents (flight authority and Certificate of Airworthiness) are issued by the MD-RA, then the file goes to Transport Canada which is the licensing authority. Acceptable aircraft are then allowed to begin a 25 hour test period.

“ When you build an amateur built aircraft you are the manufacturer,” he says. “You are responsible for evaluating and accepting the original design even though someone else may have designed the aircraft. Any modifications to the original design become the responsibility of the builder who made them. Some builders design their own aircraft, which constitutes a minority, but each and every project, even from a kit, is by definition, unique. You cannot purchase kits and build amateur built planes on a commercial basis. However, an individual or group can purchase a kit and hire help to construct the aircraft. The regulations are found primarily in the airworthiness manual, chapter 549 and the amendments to standard 507. It was never wrong to get help but, as of April 2002, the regulation states specifically that you can. Due to the complexity of some projects, we’re very happy to have this regulation clarified. The overriding stipulation is that the builders still must retain overall control of the project.”

Arnold Forest, 73, is the MDRA chief inspector for Alberta, Nunavut, NWT and the Yukon. Based out of Edmonton Alberta, his volunteer position is responsible mainly for auditing inspections performed by other MDRA inspectors. Having built 14 aircraft already, including the first Canadian flown Q2 and Sea Hawk, he brings over 15 years experience to his part time occupation.

Over the years, Forest sees the same mistakes and says most are the result of incomplete planning.

“Lack of preparation is a big one,” he says, “especially in the paperwork requirements to qualify for a special certificate of airworthiness. And I also see lackadaisical construction which usually turns up towards the end of construction when builders forget some details. I inspected an airplane recently and found about 25-30 snags. There are lots of airplanes that are built snag free but the inspectors’ job is to find unsafe snags.”

For those whose dream is to build their aircraft, Forest has some recommendations.

“First, contact the recreational aircraft association,” he says. “Then purchase the builder’s manual, do your homework on the aircraft and ensure your airplane is suitable for the type of flying you will do. Don’t buy a 300 mph airplane to fly in the bush!”

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