Badland Part 103 Pilots and Builders Forum

Hello,

Just learned about Badland Aircraft today.

I have always been interested in building a single seat kit airplane and something that meets part 103 is a plus. I currently own a 1948 Piper PA-17 Vagabond without electrics (hand prop) and fly it under LSA rules out of a grass strip in North Carolina.

I'm not an A&P, but do most of the work on my annuals. Would like to build something I can do all of the maintenance on.

Looking forward to learning about Badland aircraft!

Bill

Welcome Bill. Our forum is pretty new. We've only been online for a little over a year and a half. That's a pretty short time. However, we have several Badland owner/pilots flying now, several more in the process of building their planes, and a few more waiting for their kit from Chris Deuel at Badland Aircraft (including me). This means there's a good deal of experience here with Badland aircraft. Please feel free to ask questions and gather information and knowledge. All of that of course helps in the decision process of which aircraft you wish, from the F1 through the F5. Good to hear that you have prior flight experience. Many of our pilots also come from GA and LSA flying. There certainly is a special feeling of building and maintaining your own aircraft, and UL's are ideal in this area. With the technology of today, the limitations that were experienced back in the 70's and 80's with ultralights has greatly been reduced. My latest interest is figuring out which engine I want to hang off the nose of my Badland. There are several four strokes now in the weight range that can be mounted on Badland aircraft and still be under the legal weight for an ultralight. In many cases, this can be done without the additional weight allowance that a recovery chute provides per the FAA. That's pretty amazing. Most of Chris's kits come in anywhere from 10 to 13 Lbs below maximum weight. Not too bad for an ultralight that looks and flies like an LSA or GA aircraft. I'm looking forward to getting my kit in December and starting my build. I'll be looking to see what you eventually order from Chris and of course will be more than happy to answer any questions I can for you.

Todd

Todd,

Appreciate the welcome.
Plan to learn on this forum and on the Badland Aircraft website.
Does Chris from Badland Aircraft attend Sun N Fun? Saw a youtube video of his display and interview at Airventure 2023.

Thanks,

In the past Chris has attended Sun-n-Fun but only as a spectator. He may run a booth this year, but I'm not sure about that.

Todd

Welcome to the forum Bill! As Todd mentioned, it's a small but growing forum (thanks largely to folks like you). The ultralight community is definitely growing as advancing tech allows for sturdier (and likely safer) ultralights to hit the market. Badland is probably as close to an actual airplane as you can get at the moment, which is the appeal for a lot of us, myself included. I envy you both your Piper PA AND your grass strip, as a builder in Los Angeles working out of a comparatively small garage.

Looking forward to your contributions here!

Todd & LA F2 Flyer, Thanks for the Welcome!

We hope to attend Sun N Fun 2024. Will be camping.

Since purchasing the Vagabond five years ago, started flying out of a local grass strip. Flying mostly low & slow during the late evening while working on becoming a better taildragger pilot. There are several Paragliders flying out of the grass strip when I'm flying the Vag, too.

Always been interested in building an airplane. Attended Oshkosh fly-in during 81 & 82. Had not owned a tube & fabric airplane until buying the Vagabond. Right now flying under Light Sport rules using a drivers license instead of a FAA medical.

Looking forward to learning about Badland Aircraft! Looks to me like the tube fuselage and wing structures are all metal. Interested in covering with Oratex fabric, since I prefer saving weight by not painting, I'm not a very good painter.

Right before sunset in NC:

Beautiful shot Bill!

Yep, the Badland is welded tube for the fuselage and tail feathers. The wings are plywood ribs and aluminum spars.

Low and slow is my target as well, with the Badland. Unfortunately no grass strips to speak of out here in Southern Cali...it'll be dry lake beds for me, most likely.

The Oratex is fantastic to work with. Even an idiot like myself was able to cover a plane reasonably well. And like you, I am not a fan of painting, nor am I particularly skilled at it. Between that and the weight savings, the Oratex was the obvious choice for me.

-Peer

Peer,

The Badland should be suited nicely for off airport flying. That's another positive about this kind of airplane, if you lose power, it's easier to land off airport.

The folks at Oratex are good to work with! When they were making STCs to install Oratex to certified aircraft, they accidentally left my PA-17 Vagabond off of the approved list.

Thanks for the information.

Thanks,