Fabrication of fittings, brackets and the like is another. The construction and installation of engine baffles is a good example. Incidentally, almost all projects, regardless of their type of construction, be it steel tube, fabric, wood or composite, require some metal working skill. This basic metal working skill is easily acquired by most any builder because the work consists primarily of drilling holes and driving rivets. But, to me, the least appealing aspect of a composite project are the work intensive 'fill and sand' chores that can tax even the most dedicated builder’s patience and endurance.Ī metal aircraft kit project, on the other hand, requires the development of only one skill area. And then, there is the ever present health hazard attendant with the use of epoxies. welding, fabric work, and wood work.Įven though only one broad skill area predominates in composite projects, the procedural and application methods are quite demanding and critical. These projects require knowledge and skills (not easily acquired) in at least three basic fields of construction. Perhaps the most difficult aircraft to construct are the traditional steel tube, wood, and fabric designs. Of course, the complexity of the project is also a factor. How difficult a project is to build is really determined by the number of skills needed to construct the aircraft’s basic structure. This is because fewer and less demanding building skills are required of a metal kit builder. Building a metal kit airplane is, in many ways, simpler than building a tube and fabric airplane, a wood and fabric job, or, for that matter, a composite.

Sheet metal rib solidworks