Many folks would like to practice a little aeronautical engineering on their own aircraft. Of course, they want to start with a good platform, and the best platforms are usually those aircraft with long running manufacturing lines of decades or more - aircraft such as Piper, Beechcraft, or Cessna, and hopefully one of the more popular models. From there they can add modifications to make their aircraft faster, carry more weight, increase the performance, or lower the stall speed. That makes sense right?
Adding modifications to your aircraft isn't always as easy as you think it might be, it's not like a car. Many of the modification kits available have been approved by the FAA, but those that haven't, you don't dare add them without creating that yet another challenge, for instance the FAA might then consider your airplane an experimental aircraft, and that changes your insurance costs, and the value of the aircraft when you go to sell it.
Not long ago, I was reading James E. Ellis' book "Buying and Owning Your Own Airplane," and he had made some interesting comments reminding owners and aircraft buyers to be very careful of modifying the aircraft and voiding warranties, voiding your aircraft insurance policy, and violating FARs (Federal Air Regulations from the FAA, Federal Aviation Administration). If you modify your aircraft you have to re-register it as an experimental aircraft.
On page 90 the author lists minor approved modifications, and lists the types of things which are not allowed without changing the airworthiness certificate, and registration. It makes sense if you want to tinker with your airplane, and treat it as a life-size flying model, that you should start with an experimental aircraft originally, rather than a production made aircraft. This will keep you from getting into trouble with the Federal Aviation Administration, and start you out on the right foot with your aviation insurance company, and allow you to get the aircraft at a lower price because it is experiment.
Many years ago I had a friend out of the airport who had a Moody Executive and he was a former aerospace engineer for Rockwell. He added many modifications to his aircraft, mostly fairings to help the airspeed, but he took the liberty of literally redesigning parts of the aircraft. When he went to sell it, he had to put those modifications back the way they were, or he would've got in big trouble with the FAA. In fact, the entire time he flew his aircraft, he probably had voided his insurance policy, although didn't realize it. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Aircraft Topics. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/
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