C5Galaxy,

– Aircraft Design:

With your background (and future) leaning toward aircraft design, I would very much like to change my "angle of attack".

I plan on going to flight school next year (2003), and have already bought my:
• navigational "sectional" charts (SE),
• ASA E6-B Flight Computer,
• ASA FAR/AIM (Federal Aviation Regulations/ Aeronautical Information Manual),
• Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge,
• ASA CP-1LX Course Plotter,
• Piper Cherokee Warrior II Information Manual
• An joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,
• and have been flying "FlyII" flight sims,
in preparation of my schooling, I even attended a ground school class to get a better understanding for my full-time school next year... just for my PPL.

May I suggest that you buy (and study) existing airframe "plans", there are many to choose from online from wonderful modelers of "scale" aircraft.

Check this out:
http://www.aero-sports.com/whplans/decathlon.html and http://www.aero-sports.com/whplans/index.html#plans

These are "rolled" plans and you could study the layout and design terminology, respectfully speaking.

These "scale planes" are real only smaller, and that's why they're called "scale". This may prove to be alot more interesting to you than what you may think!

I appreciate your idea and think you should follow through with it, but still, perhaps you should at least buy a "scale kit" plane - this way you would see what goes in to putting one together as well as having done a plane (on a much smaller scale).

Please reply back.

I got into this on a recommendation from an instructor at a flight school as a way to become better prepared, and soon found a whole world of nice people and good friends.

"MacAir"