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Homebuilding airplanes has been around as long as aviation itself. In fact, the very first successful airplane was a homebuilt plane, built by amateur builders - the Wright brothers. There has always been great freedom in the United States for amateurs to build, or even design their own airplane. There are a number of ways to participate in the activity of homebuilding aircraft. You may design and build an airplane from scratch, building the airframe entirely out of raw materials. Or, instead of designing your own, you can purchase plans for the construction of a design which appeals to you, and then build the airframe entirely from raw materials, or from a combination of raw materials and prefabricated components. You can even purchase an airplane kit, which contains a combination of prefabricated components and some raw material, along with detailed step-by-step instructions for putting it all together. This method has become very popular, with kitplanes accounting for the majority of new homebuilts that are registered. In whatever form it takes, homebuilding has exploded in popularity over the past few decades, spurred in part by the reduced availability of new factory-built designs. Homebuilding planes has become a major component of modern aviation, with amateur built airplanes comprising more than 20% of all single engine, piston-powered airplanes registered in the United States. While homebuilts encompass the entire scope of general aviation, ranging from the tiniest little ultralights to supersonic jet kits, the majority are 2-4 seat, single engine airplanes. And they are generally very capable airplanes, usually exceeding equivalent factory-built airplanes in performance (in cases where there is an equivalent factory-built to measure against). Homebuilt planes also compare very favorably with factory-built airplanes in terms of safety. Studies by the FAA and the NTSB show that the overall accident rate of homebuilt aircraft is less than one percentage point higher than for the remainder of the general aviation fleet. This is reflected in the fact that insurance rates are about the same for homebuilts as for equivalent factory-built airplanes. Homebuilding has contributed significantly to the progress of general aviation. Some of the more popular factory-built airplanes such as the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 models, and the Cessna 350 and 400 models have evolved from homebuilt designs. In fact, in recent years, homebuilts have been even more at the cutting edge of aviation technology and design than their factory-built cousins. Factory-built airplanes, burdened by the complications and expenses of the certification requirements they must adhere to, tend to evolve very slowly. Many of the factory-built airplanes currently being produced are of designs that were first built decades ago. But homebuilt airplanes, since they may not be used for commercial purposes, do not have to meet the same certification standards. This permits much more freedom in experimenting with new designs, construction materials, and engines. Some very significant aviation milestones have been achieved with homebuilt designs. The first airplane to fly around the world nonstop and without refueling - Voyager, crewed by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager - was a homebuilt design. The first airplane to fly around the world nonstop and without refueling, and with only a crew of one - GlobalFlyer, crewed by Steve Fossett - was a homebuilt design. And even the first civilian spacecraft to fly in space - SpaceShipOne, crewed by Mike Melvill - was a homebuilt design. With more than 29,000 airworthiness certificates issued to homebuilts in the United States, the homebuilding industry has grown into a very significant and important segment of general aviation. With thousands more homebuilts under construction, and new designs constantly becoming available, homebuilding will only increase in popularity in thef future. |