So this is my first blog on this website and I figured I would base it on the process of building an experimental airplane. I'll try to update it daily if not at least every other day. It'll (hopefully) walk the reader through what it's like to build a real airplane and show them that an average person can actually tackle such a goal.
But first, a little history of myself:
I'm Kendall O'Brien, a college student with hopes of being a captain of a major airline someday. I started flying airplanes at the age of 14 with the help of my dad, and I've been in love with aviation for as long as I can remember. Dad and I would build stationary models of airplanes, boats and cars while I was a young kid and then we stepped up to radio controlled models. These were a lot of fun and we were in the hobby for about 4 or 5 years. I learned a lot from it too, like how an internal combustion engine works, and I got an understanding of the properties that act upon an aircraft while it's suspended in the air. It was only normal that we would later move up to the real thing. I got my Private Pilot License 4 days after my seventeenth birthday (before my driver's license) and got my Instrument Rating just before I turned 19. My dad and I bought a Cessna 150 G in December of 2008 and we've been using that as a time builder. In fact recently, a friend of mine and I flew 36J to Madison, Wi. from Southern Califoria for a trip to Oshkosh, but we'll save that story for a later date.
What made me want to build an airplane?
Curious by nature, and majoring in Engineering, I've always wanted to figure out exactly how things work. Though I already have an understanding of the mechanics that play major roles in aircraft, I'd love to build one. People like Orville and Wilbur Wright, Howard Hughes Richard VanGrunsven and Burt Rutan have inspired me a lot and they all designed aircraft in many different ways. I've wanted to build an airplane for a few years and feel that now would be a good time to start.
What kind of airplane are we building?
The aircraft we are choosing to build is the RV-7, a design by Richard VanGrunsven. It's an efficient designed two place airplane constructed of aircraft quality aluminum. It's a lightweight airplane and utilizes flush skins to obtain high speeds on small amounts a fuel.
I'm unable to type much more tonight, but tomorrow I shall continue
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