Ultimate Issue: It's Time to Air Out the Kit Question

Why are there so few new homebuilt aircraft companies to choose from?

Marc Cook

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 09:12 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

The DarkAero project is one of relatively few new airplane designs on the horizon. [Courtesy: DarkAero]

Key Takeaways:

Experimental aviation evolved significantly from post-WWII manual homebuilding to sophisticated kit airplanes, driven by builders' increasing demand for easier assembly, reduced build times, and minimized errors through factory pre-fabrication and advanced techniques like matched-hole construction.
The high cost of establishing and maintaining modern manufacturing facilities (millions in tooling and development) and the need to meet high builder expectations for refined, error-proof kits create a substantial barrier for new companies entering the market.
Builders increasingly favor established companies due to their proven designs, financial stability, and strong support networks, making it difficult for newcomers to compete, though emerging technologies like 3D printing might influence the industry's future.

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Experimental aviation has been a serious thing since, well, the beginning. Orville and Wilbur were homebuilders, for sure, but it wasn’t until after World War II that the FAA agreed to carve out a licensing path for airplanes built in your barn or garage.

From the Experimental/Amateur-Built category’s emergence in 1947 through the founding of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1953, the classification grew slowly—in part because building on your own meant doing everything: welding, working with fabric, painting, upholstering, wiring, and plumbing. Once you’d found all the raw materials you needed, of course.