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Scratch builders, what did you build/what did you buy?

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larry(at)macsmachine.com
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:23 am Post subject: Scratch builders, what did you build/what did you buy?

Hi Jon,



If I just wanted to fly, I would have bought the whole kit. The build 

process will involve so many more hours than you will fly, that it does 

not equate on just time or cost. Building tooling, jigs and parts is a 

long road to getting an airplane, so the build process has to be very 

attractive to you in the first place.



Tooling requirements that overwhelm your capacity, such as bending heavy 

spars, welding motor mounts and fuel tanks, blowing a canopy and bending 

gear forks may provide good reason for buying these parts.



On the basis of patience, few of these things should get in your way if 

scratch building is what you really want to do, but you’ll save only 

half of what you calculate between buying parts and making them yourself 

and you’ll more than double the project time if you’ve no education or 

experience to draw from.



I didn’t like the idea of making a canopy or rebuilding an engine, so I 

bought those with no regret, and built most everything else over 5-1/2 

years. I miss the larger project, as the time in process was really 

great fun. The 601HDS is a joy to fly and after 130 hours, it’s still a 

lot of fun and adventure for me and well worth the time as a plans build.



Larry McFarland 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com



mcjon77 wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Hi guys,



 I would like to find out from the scratch builders, regardless of which model zenith you built/are building, what parts did you make for yourself and what did you buy from zenith?  Also, if you were doing it over again, are there any parts that you would have bought instead of building or built instead of buying like you did before?



 Thanks,



 --------

 Jon McDonald

 Building Sonex #1287

 Thinking ahead about a Zenith CH 701

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hills(at)sunflower.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:40 am Post subject: Scratch builders, what did you build/what did you buy?

Ya I built most of my Sonerai from scratch. I spent 90% of my time trying to

figure out what to do, and 10% actually doing it (or redoing it).



Getting a kit that is precut and prepunched will reduce your figuring out

time dramatically, so you can concentrate your time on actually doing the

building.



Roger

--

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tshankland(at)sbcglobal.n
Guest

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:07 pm Post subject: Scratch builders, what did you build/what did you buy?

Jon,

I have scratch built a 601HD, what I tell people if you like to build 

build, if you want to fly buy. Building especially scratch building is a 

long process, it took me eight years, but I liked it. I liked being able 

to make any part and as I got better at it, the better I liked it. As 

far as what parts to buy, for my model probably 95% of the parts can be 

formed on a 48 brake, buy or make one. The few parts that were longer, 

rear Z elevator skin etc. I bought. The trick is to buy them all at once 

otherwise the shipping and boxing will kill you. I bought all the eight 

foot parts at once they arrived by a freight truck in a wooden box. 

Using a trailer and my garden tractor moved it all to my shop. I 

unpacked everything and could walk off with all of it under my arm. It 

takes a 60 lb box to ship 5 pounds of aluminum. Otherwise if I bought 

parts they were once of a kind or difficult for me to make, like landing 

gear. I was able to buy out another builder and got a lot of these type 

of parts. Keep an eye out for someone who wants out.



Tim Shankland

mcjon77 wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  



Hi guys,



I would like to find out from the scratch builders, regardless of which model zenith you built/are building, what parts did you make for yourself and what did you buy from zenith?  Also, if you were doing it over again, are there any parts that you would have bought instead of building or built instead of buying like you did before?



Thanks,



--------

Jon McDonald

Building Sonex #1287

Thinking ahead about a Zenith CH 701 





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