This blog is about building an airplane designed by Claude Piel called the CP-150 Onyx.
http://www.homebuilt.org/kits/littner/cp150.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piel_Onyx
http://www.avions-piel.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=24
http://www.avions-piel.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=32
I fell in love with building and flying model aircraft as a child and have wanted to fly the real thing ever since. This year I figured that I wasn't getting any younger so it was time to start following my dream. I found a nearby flight school and currently have about 12 hours of time in my log book. If you are looking for a good school in Minnesota I would highly recommend Jason at Ascend Aviation in Princeton. I want to own my own plane someday but a nice certificated aircraft is out of my reach, that leaves building a plane piece by piece until I have something that will fly.
The first step of the process was to decide my mission. I wanted to fly fast cross country with decent economy. The planes that I liked for this mission were the Piper Lance, Piper Matrix, Beechcraft Debonair, Bede BD-4, and the Cozy IV. Then I looked at the types of construction: wood, metal, or composite. The Cozy IV was the front runner due to my experience with composites. Then I hit a snag, the FAA says that you can't be on certain medications and get your pilot's license. While I get that mess straightened out I want to still fly so I started looking at different planes that could be built and flown as part 103 ultralights. I was attracted to the Ragwing Special at first but found that it wasn't realistic to build as an ultralight. Then I looked at the Fisher Koala but I thought the price of the plans was steep at $200 more than most others. That money can go a long ways towards flight time or raw materials. I found the Onyx on homebuilt.org and decided to order the plans for myself for fathers day. It is built using wood, fabric, and fiberglass so I would be comfortable with the construction techniques. Canards are the best looking aircraft too. The design was created to be a low cost and low build time craft with docile flight characteristics. The choice of engine is still up in the air but will probably come from the ppc /ppg market. If anyone has a line on a good deal please let me know.
I have been pouring over the plans since they arrived looking for details that I don't understand, doing bill of material take offs, and trying to decide where to start.
I ended up deciding to start by building the aluminum parts first and placed my order with Discount Steel in Minneapolis. I have had several dealings with them in the past and they have always treated me right.
So that is where the project starts. I will try to take pictures along the way as much as possible to include in this blog. There are no examples on the internet of this design being flown in the USA that I can find, but there seems to be a few in Europe. I know that it will be slow going and I may have my Private Pilot License before I finish, but putting this blog up will help keep me accountable to the project. If you notice a mistake or have any questions please use the comment feature so others can learn from our conversation.
-J
http://www.homebuilt.org/kits/littner/cp150.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piel_Onyx
http://www.avions-piel.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=24
http://www.avions-piel.com/galerie/thumbnails.php?album=32
I fell in love with building and flying model aircraft as a child and have wanted to fly the real thing ever since. This year I figured that I wasn't getting any younger so it was time to start following my dream. I found a nearby flight school and currently have about 12 hours of time in my log book. If you are looking for a good school in Minnesota I would highly recommend Jason at Ascend Aviation in Princeton. I want to own my own plane someday but a nice certificated aircraft is out of my reach, that leaves building a plane piece by piece until I have something that will fly.
The first step of the process was to decide my mission. I wanted to fly fast cross country with decent economy. The planes that I liked for this mission were the Piper Lance, Piper Matrix, Beechcraft Debonair, Bede BD-4, and the Cozy IV. Then I looked at the types of construction: wood, metal, or composite. The Cozy IV was the front runner due to my experience with composites. Then I hit a snag, the FAA says that you can't be on certain medications and get your pilot's license. While I get that mess straightened out I want to still fly so I started looking at different planes that could be built and flown as part 103 ultralights. I was attracted to the Ragwing Special at first but found that it wasn't realistic to build as an ultralight. Then I looked at the Fisher Koala but I thought the price of the plans was steep at $200 more than most others. That money can go a long ways towards flight time or raw materials. I found the Onyx on homebuilt.org and decided to order the plans for myself for fathers day. It is built using wood, fabric, and fiberglass so I would be comfortable with the construction techniques. Canards are the best looking aircraft too. The design was created to be a low cost and low build time craft with docile flight characteristics. The choice of engine is still up in the air but will probably come from the ppc /ppg market. If anyone has a line on a good deal please let me know.
I have been pouring over the plans since they arrived looking for details that I don't understand, doing bill of material take offs, and trying to decide where to start.
I ended up deciding to start by building the aluminum parts first and placed my order with Discount Steel in Minneapolis. I have had several dealings with them in the past and they have always treated me right.
So that is where the project starts. I will try to take pictures along the way as much as possible to include in this blog. There are no examples on the internet of this design being flown in the USA that I can find, but there seems to be a few in Europe. I know that it will be slow going and I may have my Private Pilot License before I finish, but putting this blog up will help keep me accountable to the project. If you notice a mistake or have any questions please use the comment feature so others can learn from our conversation.
-J
EAA Chapter 237 in Blaine, MN has one that is about a third done. It has been in a garage for 10+ years. Looking for a home or someone to take on the project.
ReplyDeleteYes they do. It is actually this project so it is only about 5 years old.
Delete