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Old September 30th 03, 06:34 PM
BD5ER
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Having never built a plane from plans, I don't
know what the standard is for documentation.


There is no standard, as far as I can tell. But I think good plans have good
detail, break the project down into small units, have little ambiguity, good
organization, and a section that provides an overview of how all of the systems
and sub-parts relate to one another.

Of the above, lack of ambiguity is the most important. After al,l the reason we
buy plans is so we don't have to do all of the thinking.

Can anyone recommend a set of plans I could buy, cheap, that would
demonstrate a reasonable standard for me to shoot for?


The construction manual (plans) for the Quickie is/are downloadable. But use
them as an example of poor plans. Plans for the BUG glider are also online and
look pretty good. The best plans I have seen - IMHO - were for the BD-5.
Plans for the Tailwind (~$175) and the Stewart Headwind ($50) are also examples
of what I consider good plans. They aren't detailed in the sence that they
tell you every little detail, method and procedure. But they have all of the
information needed to build in easy to read and logical format - provided the
builder has the basic fabrication skills needed to work with wood, tube, and
rag.

http://www.stewartaircraft.com/main.html

http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=141 (Quickie plans)