Kitplane Construction

Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive and objective look at kitplanes
Review: I like this book. The author made me think of the pros and cons of building a kitplane versus buying a certified model. It almost seems like he tries to talk you out of it at first. This makes you think if you have the space, time, skills, and dedication to build your own safe airplane. I definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about homebuilding. After that, the author dives into all of the various construction methods and gives quite a bit of detail on each. I was surprised. He even includes case studies of each type of construction (ie composite, metal, wood, etc) on a particular builder and their project. READ IT!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introductory book
Review: The book helped me most in the following areas:

1) What is involved in kitplane construction - risks and benifits, even the benifits of purchasing a used certified aeroplane.
2) Showed me how to think in terms of aviation building with safety as a priority.
3) Covers info from the kit purchase stage to the test flight.
4) Emphasized that it is helpful to understand all forms of construction (metal, wood) no matter what kind of aeroplane you are building. The book covers composite, metal, metal monocoque, wood construction.

This is a must buy for people who are wondering what it takes to build a kitplane and are undecided about whether they should build one.

Rating:
Summary: A must read book for anyone considering a Kit Homebuilt
Review: This book is not biased in stating everyone can build a homebuilt. Infact early on Ron makes it clear that homebuilding is not for everyone. He takes you through the different construction materials as well as things that you don't think about. The case studies are what realy makes this book standout. These are planes being built by people with the same amount of aircraft construction as any person contemplating building.