'Project VP' Needs Your Help! Simple Poll Question Below
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 01:31PM
I'm ready to actually start the building process on my updated and revised version of the old Volksplane that I call AirPigz "Project VP". If you saw my initial post about the concept, you already know some of the ideas that go into making this extremely simple and affordable aircraft design a little more relevant to the world today.
I'm confident this airplane is a great example of how we can get more people into the air without having them spend a lot of money or time building. And while the idea behind "kit" airplanes is great, this seems like a perfect time for us to encourage people to consider building an airplane the old fashioned way, from plans only.
Typically "plans only" builds take a lot longer tho since you have to fabricate all the components yourself. That's where the genius of the original Volksplane comes in. Built mostly from wood and utilizing several time saving ideas, the VP is about as easy as airplane building gets. And while I think the basic VP is a tad on the homely side, my updated styling changes seem to make this a really cute little airplane!
The basic idea here is to use Project VP to accomplish two specific goals. First, to encourage people on several ways to get in the air affordably. I plan to do a video update regularly of the build process to show what it's like. This should help take much of the mystery out of the process for people who are overwhelmed by the thought of building an airplane.
Second, I plan to build it in time to have it up on the flightline at Oshkosh 09. The cool AirPigz paint scheme should attract a lot of attention, and this will help put AirPigz on the map!
I've put a lot of work into the project already, but there's one important part that's missing for me. It's been the hardest year of my life financially, and I've started AirPigz while being as close to going under as you can get. Fortunately, things are now getting better in my regular life, but I've got a pretty deep pit to crawl out of.
There's only one way Project VP is going to become a reality... I need sponsors. So I've come up with an idea on how you can get behind this unique, grass-roots idea.
Project VP "sponsor" T-Shirt design concept... still need to add color to the airplane.
If you like AirPigz and the Project VP concept, then you might want to consider becoming an official "sponsor". The graphic above shows what I have in mind for very special, limited edition T-Shirt. It's obviously not complete just yet, but will be soon. It'll be a top quality shirt with at least 6 colors of ink. The shirt will be available for $50, which is a lot for a shirt, but in reality you're purchase is not about the shirt, but about supporting the airplane.
Before I finalize the shirt design, and before I start making lots of sawdust fly on the airplane, I need to see if there's enough support out there to reach the goal of having the airplane built and up at Oshkosh 2009. Since I have access to an airworthy VW engine I only need to raise enough money to cover the airframe, which should be under $3,000.
Project VP, and my request for "sponsors" isn't a gimmick. It's a genuine idea designed to help spark more interest in flying and to put a lot of attention on the idea that people can get into the air without spending a lot of money on an airplane.
My opportunity to work my tail off communicating that message thru AirPigz.com just happens to coincide with a tremendous lack of financial resources in my life right now. Your support will make all the difference.
The poll below is just to get a general idea of where the idea stands right now. If the potential for support looks encouraging, I'll have the details worked out soon about how you get on an official list for a shirt. I hope you'll consider joining me in trying to encourage people to get out of their dreams and into the air!
Reader Comments