Build An Airplane For Under $7000

The Affordaplane is a superbly simple plans-built ultralight aircraft that can be constructed for around $3000 (not including the powerplant). A brand new Rotax 447 40 HP 2-stroke engine will add about $4000, bringing the total cost to a mere $7000.

Many countries have ultralight or microlight regulations that let you build and fly extremely small aircraft with reduced regulatory and training requirements. In the USA, the Federal Aviation Administration's FAR Part 103 rules let you operate unregistered ultralights without a pilot's license (although I think flight training is a must). The FAA classifies an ultralight as a single-seat hobby aircraft that weighs up to 254 lbs and flys no faster than about 60 mph.

The airframe is assembled from aircraft grade square aluminum tubing. To reduce weight, only the wings and tail surfaces are covered with 1.7 oz. heat-shrink Dacron. They can be painted with latex and gloss enamel house paint with a finish coat of STP Son-of-a-Gun for UV protection (unprotected Dacron deteriorates quickly in sunlight). The entire airframe can be built with relatively simple tools such as a Dremel belt sander, pop rivet gun, hand files, jigsaw, tubing bender, pinking shears and screwdrivers.

The aptly named Affordaplane Aircraft Company offers extremely inexpensive plans and building instructions, starting at a mere $24.95 for electronic files in PDF format. You can also order them on CD ($29.95) or paper ($60). The paper plans features all fittings drawn full-size, and all sets include 49 pages of professionally created CAD drawings, a 60 page builder's manual and a comprehensive materials list. All you need to add is about 250 hours of elbow grease and patience.

The Affordaplane Aircraft Company Site
Ultraflight Magazine Article On The Affordaplane