"Jim Carriere" wrote in message
...
Pilot Guy wrote:
I went to the local chapter. Most of the guys there built an ultralight
in
the 60's, and that was it....

Yes, but, did you look into other chapters nearby? For example,
there are two chapters near me- one is about a 45 minute drive, the
other chapter is an hour away. It so happens that farther one's
monthly meetings work much better with my own work schedule. Luckily
both chapters happen to have a variety of construction styles in the
completed projects- tube/fabric, composite, and of course, lots of RVs.

Also, have you tried simply walking into the FBO at any small
airport? I bet you need to talk to just a few people before somebody
knows somebody who can point you to a homebuilder working on their
project. Go in, share some coffee and chatter, and offer to help out
fixing or building whatever on their airplane... seriously, try this out.

You expressed it a lot better than I did, and the local airport is also a
great idea on more than one level. In addition to the projects in work,
some of the pilots may have experience with aircraft having the same
'optomizations' that a would-be designer is considering--their advice
will be opinionated, and will also give a preview of some limitations.
(A frequent example is that canard designs are very forgiving in flight;
but like lots of runway, and pushers like it paved... )

I am not saying anything bad about that chapter, or the EAA, but I need
a
little more guidance. I am looking at cost verses weight & stength. Any
words of advice besides "Join EAA"?

If you join EAA the members area of their website has a great deal of
articles. It may take you literally a few days to read through
everything.

Also, check out the matronics website:

http://www.matronics.com/emaillists/

It hosts several email lists, and you should find at least one or two
(probably more) to be very suitable to your purpose. Those lists
are also archived on that website, so even without subscribing to any
of the lists you have a few more good days of solid reading.

Keep looking online- try an archives search for this newsgroup.
Google search things like "homebuilt composite design construction,"
I bet you'll find some personal websites with detailed construction
logs. Even the Aircraft Spruce catalog has a few pages of general
info on each major construction method.

Uh, that's just off the top of my head.