Don Crittenden tinkers with the beginnings of an airplane.
Colin Crittenden helps his brother Don build a plane.
In the backyard shed of an unassuming house on Lane Lane, two brothers pore over much more complicated versions of Lego instructions, before selecting a part and a tool and getting to work.
There are maps on the wall, "so we can see where we're going once it's built", and the plane's emerging fuselage dominates the room.
The wings are finished, as is the tail. The completed elements will hang on the walls until the plane is mostly finished and transported to the airport. "Yeah we can't put the wings on in the shed, the shed's not big enough," said Don Crittenden.
Retirement wasn't sitting well with the former charter pilot who stopped flights several months ago. "I've had aeroplanes for a number of years and I got a bit lonely without one," he said. "You can't golf every day."
So he started work on a Van's RV-7A in his back shed. The plane comes in a kit that hobby plane-makers can buy direct from the manufacturer, the sheets of aluminium that make up the bulk of the two-seater plane come pre-drilled with more than 12,000 rivets.
It's a two year job all up, about 2000 hours, and Don has recruited his brother Colin to help out with the beginning. "It's the sort of project you can't really rush," said Don.
Both have had their pilot's license for nearly 50 years. Don worked as a commercial pilot, while Colin was an engineer before retirement. Colin's now the go-to man for a lot of people building a plane, and this marks his 21st Van's build. "It's interesting work, else I wouldn't do it," said Colin.
As kids, they weren't into Lego but both had a Meccano set. "Which would you believe, I've still got," said Colin. The sets are made up of small sheets of metal with lots of pre-drilled holes, and young makers can create things like small cars, robots and motorbikes but are otherwise only limited by their imagination.
For Don it was a natural progression to build his own plane, a hobby he is not alone in taking up. A few years ago the aviation authority reported on the trend of amateur built planes, suggesting that price was a major contributing factor.
For example, the report says, in 2009 you would pay US$297,000 for a four-seat Cessna 172SP Skyhawk, compared with US$110,000 for the similar Van's RV-10. Hobbyists building from kits like the latter can also buy parts gradually over many years, making the price more accessible.
A representative from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority will come and inspect the plane and Don must take photographs and keep a diary throughout the process to prove that he did build it. Aviation rules say that 51 percent of the plane must be amateur-built if the builder wants to do their own maintenance.
And when the plane is done? "I was sort of planning on going across the country, and keeping Asia on my right. That might be interesting when we get it all done," said Don.
"[And] probably go over to Port Macquarie two or three times a year."
Original article can be found here: http://www.abc.net.au
The plans to make the Vans RV-7/7A.
Colin Crittenden takes a break from plane building.
One of Colin Crittenden's completed planes at Broken Hill Airport.
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