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| First,
a little of my philosophy on airplane building. If you don't enjoy it -
DON'T! (snobbish?) But if you really want to - go ahead. Some people
that build airplanes are in a hurry to finish so they can fly. I am one
of those fortunate people that get to fly for a living (not one of those
rich airline pilots, though) and therefore am not building so that I may
fly. I am really building an airplane because I like to build. It just
so happens that when I get done I should have a nice airplane to fly as
a result of what I elected to build (as opposed to furniture or something
else.) My point is that this project is going to take me a long time because
I only work on it when I want to. I think if you force yourself to work
on it when you don't really want to pretty soon you will be sick and tired
of it and will want to give up. If my plane doesn't get finished before
I'm gone then I will have enjoyed working on it anyway. Besides, I have
two great kids and would like to enjoy as much time with them as I can
while they still live at home. Someday they will finish school, go to college
or move out to be on their own and I will have all of the time I want to
work on my plane... and more money too!
Why am I building a Skybolt? There are several reasons, one of them being I can't afford a helicopter. I am building an airplane instead of a homebuilt helicopter because (1.) The homebuilt helicopters I like cost too much and (2.) I want to do aerobatics. The only helicopters that can do aerobatics (yes, there are a few) certainly aren't homebuilt nor cheap (nothing against homebuilt helicopters.) Why a biplane I hear you asking? (Yes you did... I heard it!) I thought it would be a good experience because you get to play with all kinds of different materials... steel, aluminum, wood, fabric, composites. They are really pretty simple aircraft; no complex systems to build or maintain. Plus, when have you ever known a biplane not to spark interest in bystanders when it pulls up on the ramp (maybe I'm biased)? I selected the Skybolt instead of some of the other biplane designs available because: 1. I like its looks.. swept upper wing, smooth lines 2. You can build it from plans 3. Its size; all of my friends I'm going to take for a ride aren't as svelte as I am (that's a joke for those of you that don't know me) 4. There are pros and cons to every airplane and if you spend all of your time worrying about them you will never decide on an airplane to build so I made a choice. To anyone thinking about or currently building an airplane I would encourage you to join the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and also join a local chapter if you have one. Go to the Links page to check them out. This page will be under construction as long as my airplane is, maybe even a little longer... first flights and all. Be sure to come back occasionally and see if I have accomplished anything. Enough of my rambling... let's get on to building! MY DISCLAIMER: Not that anyone would want to sue me....no blood from a turnip can be had. The following pages only show how I did things during the construction of my Skybolt. They are for information only and not to be construed as the only way or necessarily the correct way (although I obviously think it is correct or I wouldn't have done it like that). You are encouraged to glean any ideas from my pages but you are responsible for insuring proper construction techniques are followed if you are building your own aircraft. |
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pictures of one. Click on the image to get full size pictures. |
| WARNING: The fuselage construction page is loooooong. It may take a while to download but is probably worth the wait if you are interested in Skybolts.. |
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| Are
you interested in a biplane builders group? Check out the Biplane
Hangar.
Or
maybe you would like to see pictures of projects in progress.
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If you know of anyone having a web page about Skybolts or know of any links pertaining to Skybolts please let me know and I will add them here. |
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| Bret's Skybolt Page | |
| Dan's Skybolt Page | |
| John's Skybolt Page | |
| Peter's Skybolt Page | |
| Rudi's Skybolt Page | |
| Seth's Skybolt Page | |
| Tony's Skybolt Page | |
| Homebuilt Homepage Builder's Directory | |
| Skybolt Aircraft and Parts For Sale or Wanted Listing |
For more information on the Skybolt contact:
Steen
Aero Lab, Inc.
1451
Clearmont Street NE
Palm
Bay, FL 32905
(321)
725-4160 Switchboard
(321)
725-3058 Fax
Email:
Jere Larson
Email:
Paul Goetsch
