First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000 • Hacker News Board

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#21

Post by mryan » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:06 PM UTC

alixr wrote: post #5

This is great, I've been wanting to get into aviation for some time but the barrier of entry is steep. Using their plans as a guideline for building an ultralight instead of a light sport aircraft would reduce the cost dramatically. Ultralights have much lower limits but don't require any formal training/licenses. In the end you could probably build an ultralight for the cost of a pilots license.

> This is great, I've been wanting to get into aviation for some time but the barrier of entry is steep.

There are some hobbies where starting without any prior knowledge and learning through a process of trial and error is fun and rewarding.

IMHO aviation is not one of these hobbies. It tends to be rather unforgiving of the "error" part of the equation, especially if the error is something like "wings not correctly attached". :)

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#22

Post by robriggen » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:39 PM UTC

rorrr2 wrote: post #6

For those unfamiliar with planes, you can buy a used ultralite plane for under $10,000 in working condition. Something that has been proven to fly reliably.

This comment misses the point and doesn't compare apples with apples. This is a 2 seat aircraft designed to operate in the Light Sport category which is very different from an Ultralight. Light Sport aircraft cost $70k and up.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#23

Post by katem » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:42 PM UTC

supernovae wrote: post #18

emiliobumachar wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget the relatively high risk of general aviation.

It's not a high risk mode of transportation.. It's about as "deadly" as driving a motorcycle. Sadly, if people paid more attention to motorcycles on the road, then motorcycles would be exponentially safer and if people stopped flying into bad weather then airplanes would be exponentially safer. With that being said, there is no "Relatively high risk of general aviation".. there are lots of careers and hobbies with a…

Of course more people die in boating accidents than in GA aircraft, there is way more boating.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#24

Post by Zikes » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:44 PM UTC

_neil wrote: post #15

emiliobumachar wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did not get it. Please clarify.

I think it refers to the Hunter S. Thompson quote: "No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride." Basically meaning you may be getting in over your head, but you'll probably have a good story to tell if you don't end up dead. Similar to the idiom, "in for a penny, in for a pound."

I'm more inclined to think they were drawing a comparison between buying a ticket to ride a plane vs placing a bounty on a ticket/bug to be fixed.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#25

Post by mikeash » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:52 PM UTC

robriggen wrote: post #22

rorrr2 wrote: post #6

For those unfamiliar with planes, you can buy a used ultralite plane for under $10,000 in working condition. Something that has been proven to fly reliably.

This comment misses the point and doesn't compare apples with apples. This is a 2 seat aircraft designed to operate in the Light Sport category which is very different from an Ultralight. Light Sport aircraft cost $70k and up.

There are reasons why LSAs cost $70k. They're not looking to fly anything until 2015, and that's lots of time for reality to seep in. I wouldn't be surprised if they discovered that $15k was optimistic by a factor of about 5....

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#26

Post by zeckalpha » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:53 PM UTC

_neil wrote: post #15

emiliobumachar wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did not get it. Please clarify.

I think it refers to the Hunter S. Thompson quote: "No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride." Basically meaning you may be getting in over your head, but you'll probably have a good story to tell if you don't end up dead. Similar to the idiom, "in for a penny, in for a pound."

Or the plane ticket / bug ticket distinction.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#27

Post by mikeash » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:56 PM UTC

supernovae wrote: post #18

emiliobumachar wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget the relatively high risk of general aviation.

It's not a high risk mode of transportation.. It's about as "deadly" as driving a motorcycle. Sadly, if people paid more attention to motorcycles on the road, then motorcycles would be exponentially safer and if people stopped flying into bad weather then airplanes would be exponentially safer. With that being said, there is no "Relatively high risk of general aviation".. there are lots of careers and hobbies with a…

Motorcycles are relatively high risk too.

GA is not some super-dangerous activity that's guaranteed to kill you. But let's not pretend that it's perfectly safe, either. Such an attitude does a disservice to all involved.

A GA pilot is still much more likely to die in bed than in his airplane, but the risk is substantially elevated compared to the average.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#28

Post by chuckd1356 » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 2:59 PM UTC

robriggen wrote: post #22

rorrr2 wrote: post #6

For those unfamiliar with planes, you can buy a used ultralite plane for under $10,000 in working condition. Something that has been proven to fly reliably.

This comment misses the point and doesn't compare apples with apples. This is a 2 seat aircraft designed to operate in the Light Sport category which is very different from an Ultralight. Light Sport aircraft cost $70k and up.

You can purchase a Cessna 150 for under $15k. And that's not a light sport.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#29

Post by mikeash » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:00 PM UTC

alixr wrote: post #5

This is great, I've been wanting to get into aviation for some time but the barrier of entry is steep. Using their plans as a guideline for building an ultralight instead of a light sport aircraft would reduce the cost dramatically. Ultralights have much lower limits but don't require any formal training/licenses. In the end you could probably build an ultralight for the cost of a pilots license.

It may be legal to fly an ultralight with no formal training, but I would strongly recommend against it. Attempting that is an excellent way to get yourself killed.

The barrier to entry for aviation is not steep at all if you approach it with the attitude that flying with an instructor is still enjoyable flying. People often think that you need to drop a few thousand bucks on training before you can fly. But not so! You'll be flying right from the start. You'll be doing it with an instructor, but if you pick an instructor whose company you enjoy, that can be a bonus, not a drawback.

Re: First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

#30

Post by cpncrunch » Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 3:02 PM UTC

rorrr2 wrote: post #6

For those unfamiliar with planes, you can buy a used ultralite plane for under $10,000 in working condition. Something that has been proven to fly reliably.

Or you could buy a certified cessna 150 for $15k. Much less likely to kill you or have an engine failure.

Anyway this isn't really anything new. You can already build your own plane from plans, and the plans only cost about $100 (a very small portion of the cost of building):

http://www.quickheads.com/index.php?option=com_ixxocart&Item...