Choosing Your Aircraft Construction Material

Walk through the rows of aircraft at any fly-in, and you’ll quickly notice that homebuilt airplanes are as different as the people who created them. Some gleam with polished aluminum. Others wear taut, fabric-covered wings in classic colors. A few display smooth, sculpted composite surfaces that seem to have been carved from a single piece of stone. Each represents hundreds—often thousands—of hours of work, but each also tells a different story.

Long before the first rivet is driven or the first piece of fiberglass is laid into a mold, every builder faces one of the most important decisions of the entire project: “Think like a builder and choose what material I will build with.”

The answer is rarely based on engineering alone. Experience, skills, available tools, and even emotion all play a role. A mechanic who has spent a career repairing aluminum airframes may naturally gravitate toward a metal kit, appreciating the precision of today’s matched-hole, pre-drilled components that fit together with remarkable accuracy. A craftsman who enjoys woodworking may find deep satisfaction in shaping spruce spars and carefully fitting ribs, continuing a tradition that stretches back to aviation’s earliest pioneers. Another builder may be captivated by the freedom that composite construction offers—the ability to create graceful curves, optimize aerodynamics, and produce an airplane that reflects a unique personal vision.

None of these choices is inherently better than another. Every material offers its own strengths, challenges, and rewards. Metal provides durability and repeatability. Wood and fabric evoke craftsmanship and timeless beauty. Composites open the door to innovative designs and remarkable performance. The material becomes not only the structure of the airplane but also an extension of the builder’s personality.

Building It by the Book

For first-time builder Jon Olson, choosing the Vans RV-12 kit was as much about confidence as it was about performance. Rather than pursuing the Experimental Amateur-Built (EAB) route, Jon elected to certificate his airplane as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (E-LSA). That decision meant his airplane would be an exact replica of the RV-12 designed and factory-produced by Van’s Aircraft.

“I thought that since the RV-12 that Van’s builds are such a success, I could replicate the airplane and end up with the same result,” Jon said. “That’s exactly what happened.”

Building an exact copy offered advantages beyond confidence in the finished product. Whenever Jon encountered a question during construction, he found that Van’s had likely found the answer to it. Factory documentation was comprehensive, and technical support was readily available when he needed clarification.

He also took advantage of the wealth of knowledge shared within the homebuilding community. Instructional videos from Homebuilt HELP, countless YouTube demonstrations, Facebook groups, and the active RV builders’ forums became valuable companions throughout the project. Seeing experienced builders perform a task often helped him refine his own techniques before picking up a tool.

The project also changed the way Jon approached complex work. Building an airplane demanded careful documentation, methodical organization, and the discipline to tackle one task at a time. Progress sometimes came in small increments, but consistency proved to be the key.

“You just have to keep at it,” he says.

Building a Dream in Composite

Composite construction found its place in the experimental aircraft movement during the 1970s and 1980s as the innovative designs of Burt Rutan challenged conventional thinking about what an airplane could look like. From the VariViggen to the Proteus, Rutan’s creations captured the imagination of pilots and builders alike, proving that fiberglass and foam could produce aircraft that were both efficient and remarkably capable.

Among Rutan’s most enduring designs is the Long-EZ. Combining impressive speed, exceptional fuel economy, and distinctive canard styling, the Long-EZ has become one of the most successful plans-built experimental aircraft ever created. Decades after its introduction, it continues to attract builders who appreciate both its performance and the freedom that composite construction provides.

Jack Repass Is One Of Those Builders.

An engineer by profession, Jack was swept up in the excitement surrounding Rutan’s designs when they first appeared. At the time, however, career and family responsibilities kept the dream of building a Long-EZ on hold. Today, with more time available and the same enthusiasm he had years ago, he is finally turning that dream into reality.

For Jack, composite construction offers something that traditional materials cannot. While it demands patience and craftsmanship, it also gives the builder tremendous flexibility to improve, modify, and personalize the airplane throughout the project.

“I wanted the freedom to make changes where I thought they made sense,” Jack explained.

That freedom has been evident throughout his build. Unsatisfied with the standard fuselage landing gear attachment bracket specified in the plans, Jack designed and fabricated a stronger version that better met his engineering standards. He also relocated the aircraft’s battery to the nose, improving the airplane’s weight-and-balance characteristics while making more efficient use of available space.

A fortunate opportunity also accelerated the project. Jack located a partially completed Long-EZ that had never flown. Although the airframe itself was not destined for completion, it provided a valuable source of components, allowing him to transfer numerous flight controls and other usable parts—including a serviceable Lycoming O-320 engine—to his own airplane.

Unlike many builders who measure progress against an ambitious completion date, Jack is content to let the project evolve at its own pace.

“I don’t have any deadlines,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of work left to do, but it’s what I love.”

For Jack, building a Long-EZ is about more than reaching the first flight. It is the satisfaction of solving problems, applying decades of engineering experience, and bringing one of Burt Rutan’s most iconic designs to life—one carefully crafted composite part at a time.

Returning to Aviation’s Roots

Long before aluminum skins and carbon fiber composites became common, airplanes were built from wood. More than a century later, many builders still choose this classic method of construction—not because it is the easiest path, but because it offers a unique satisfaction that modern materials cannot duplicate.

Among the best-known wooden homebuilt designs is the Pietenpol Air Camper, an airplane whose simple lines and timeless appearance continue to attract builders around the world.

For R. T. Searfoss, building a Pietenpol combined two lifelong passions. A master A&P mechanic, accomplished woodworker, and owner of a marine service business on a busy northern inland lake, he had dreamed of owning a simple, open-cockpit airplane for years. His beautifully crafted “Pete” became the answer.

It is difficult to find a finer example of wood-and-fabric workmanship. Every joint, rib, and fitting reflects the care that wooden aircraft demand. Unlike today’s matched-hole metal kits, wood construction requires builders to fabricate nearly every structural component themselves. Fuselage jigs must be carefully constructed. Wing ribs are individually cut, shaped, and assembled. Spars are fitted, glued, and clamped with painstaking precision before the fabric covering is ever applied.

The work is undeniably labor-intensive, but it also offers tremendous freedom. Like composite construction, wood allows builders to tailor details to their own preferences. R.T. modified the cockpit entry step to make climbing aboard easier and redesigned the landing gear attachment system to better suit his vision of the airplane. Those changes were possible because wood encourages craftsmanship as much as construction.

Builders who choose wood soon develop a deep appreciation for the patience required to transform rough lumber into a flying machine. Every cut must be accurate, every glue joint flawless, and every piece carefully fitted before moving on to the next.

The reward is something difficult to measure. More than any other construction method, wood connects today’s builders with aviation’s earliest pioneers. Each finished airplane carries not only the strength of spruce, plywood, and fabric, but also the pride that comes from shaping nearly every component by hand. It is no surprise that these graceful, vintage-inspired aircraft continue to captivate builders who believe the journey is every bit as important as the destination.

The choice of building materials reflects the thoughts of the builder and ultimately is a reflection of his or her personality. Keep the dream, think like a builder, and keep your view skyward!

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This article first appeared in the 2026 September Issue of KITPLANES magazine.