Experimental Aircraft: Vision

The frontrunner for the experimental aircraft that I want to build is at this moment the American Affordable Aircraft Vision. A picture of the first customer-built Vision is below.

There are several reasons that the Vision is at the top of my list right now. One reason is that it is a composite design. I have a love affair with the slick, sleek lines of composite aircraft. They are much more aerodynamic than similar metal aircraft. The use of composites allows for easier construction of compound curves, with no rivets or seams in the surface of the aircraft. This equates to higher speeds on the same horsepower.

Another reason is that the Vision is a completely plans-built design. This may seem like a liability until you realize that modifications are much easier to make to a plans-built design than to a pre-formed kit. I'm a big guy, and I've got a family. The Vision plans detail the construction of a two-seat, 42" wide cockpit aircraft. Most builders are building the cockpit at a width of 44", some 46". Try that with a pre-punched kit. Another benefit to the plans-built concept is that I can turn that two-place aircraft into a four-place. There are several builders already in the process of doing just that, and the person in the lead is Scott VanderVeen. He is working with the designer of the Vision to convert the standard plans to build a four-place. These plans will be available once the plane flies. Scott has modeled the aircraft in X-Plane, and a screenshot of the result is below.

The 4-place Vision will probably be close in performance and size to the Lancair ES. It will probably be about 20 knots slower than the ES, but will also land at a slower speed. Scott's aircraft will have side stick controls, which is something I would do anyway. The original plans detail a center stick, such as that in the Velocity aircraft.

Because I want to do modifications to the aircraft, the plans-built route is probably the best right now. Other considerations come into mind, and the top consideration is cost. The plans-built composite design airframe will be generally cheaper than a comparable pre-punched metal kit. The airframe for a four-place Vision should come in at around $20k or so. That's my estimate, not Scott's or AAF's. The RV-10 kit is $39k. So for the cost of the RV-10 kit, I could have an airframe and very nice panel. With a marginal panel, I could have airframe, engine and panel -- a flying airplane.

There's also the issue of noise. Riveting a metal aircraft is noisy, and I live in a subdivision with four houses very close to me. Composite construction is mostly a quiet process. You have to listen really hard to hear epoxy drying!