Dang,
Let me know the metalworking equipment you are paying 250,000 bucks for. A
decent brake is around 4000, a nice shear 4000-5000. Yes you could spend
some more, or if you were frugile alittle less. To build something like a
Cub or Champ you don't need 250,000 bucks of metal working equipment.
However if you want to spend that kind of money in your metalshop I'd love
to come work for you I guess if you really wanted to splurge you could
spend some bucks on things like water jet cutters or what have you..but they
could not pay for themselves unless you were selling airplanes like
hotcakes. So really something like that is something you buy when you know
you have the biz going strong, and not really a start up cost.
Some places I worked had shrinkers /stretchers, and a English Wheel was
a luxury. Of course working on airliners they definitely had CNC and such to
cut parts from...but that is not a sport plane A metal sport plane can be
built very very well with basic sheet metal tools. The high dollar stuff
would be a waste of money unless you needed production speed of an
automobile assembly line.
I've never built a plastic injection mold, but I've built airplanes

Patrick
student SP
aircraft structural mech

"LCT Paintball" wrote in message
news:XI5Xe.337964$x96.274400@attbi_s72...



I build plastic injection molds for a living. Although prices vary
considerably with the complexity of the part, figure $40,000 as an average
price for an injection mold. Multiply that times the number of parts in an
airplane. Don't forget that the right side is different than the left side
of the plane. Now, figure around $250,000 for each piece of metal working
equipment to build the metal parts. Now, you've just about gotten started
making the individual parts of the plane. I guess you can figure out what
it will cost to build the assembly line now.