This time its a build from plans with tubular steel construction of the fuselage and tail and a wooden wing. To build an aircraft in the UK, the build must be registered with the LAA (http://www.laa.uk.com/) and be an approved design. In order to do my own welding I have had to train to become a CAA approved welder. This was done at TWI (http://www.twi.co.uk/) late 2007.
Most of the materials for the Tailwind have been purchased from Aircraft Spruce (http://www.aircraftspruce.com/) who also now own the design of the Tailwind. While waiting for the main supplies to arrive I bought a small amount of metal locally in the UK to get started on some smaller components and built the panel using various spare and second hand components acquired over time. As at today (22nd March 2008), the main build has been underway for 13 building days. Over the next few days I will get the progress up-to-date on the blog starting with the various bits built before the main supplies arrived. No decision yet on which engine to use
