flybynightkarmarepair wrote:

IF you can weld, or come up with the cash for a pre-welded fuselage.
And I think 1/2 VW engines are a waste of time, me. Better dreamers
build the Double Eagle, IMHO.

http://www.doubleeagleairplane.com/

But if you don't weld, the Texas Parasol makes SOME sense. And if you
ignore the lift strut attachment details in the plans, and make the
front spar 2.25"...the wings look very quick to build. If you have a
DSL connection and about 2 hours, you can download the plans for
free. This package is sort of an easter basket, but includes a lot of
details that developed AFTER the initial plans release, and is, IMHO,
worth the time to download it an look it over. This is NOT, again,
IMHO, a First TIme Builder's project. Too many details are left
undeveloped.

http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/...et.02.11.2006/

Finally, Graham Lee's Miranda bears looking at. The aluminum tube
with gusset construction well proven on blizzards of his Nieuport
replicas in a cabin biplane. To the best of my knowledge though, no
one has yet built this design, and it is not exactly "minimal". I
haven't seen the plans for this one yet.

http://www.nieuports.com/index.asp?page=miranda

I can weld but it's been more than a few years since I was in good
practice. I downloaded the TP plans and if I can get my hands on Bob's
updates, I may consider building it. I like the idea of simple but I
also think a welded tube fuse is pretty simple too.

Right now I'm building a small business but after we relocate in a year
or 2 I expect to have the space to start building again. I had to scrap
my las project...

Tony