This is a new area at Donsplans.com. Right now, there is not too much here, but hopefully, soon there will be. The photo above is the instrument panel for my version of a Pietenpol Aircamper. This was a real challenge, because I wanted a full gyro panel, but I only have a very small space to work with. I also was limited to whatever units I could purchase used off of Ebay for low cost, and that eliminated the smaller, more flexible instruments. I hope you enjoy this section!

Prop Carver/Duplicator:

Build your own Propellor for your homebuilt airplane.  Sorry, you cannot use this to power your factory built airplane. Thank the FAA for that.

Propellor carving is an ADVANCED skill.  Please don’t order this unless you fit that description. This package will seriously help you, but it is still an awful lot of work.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can effortlessly build a prop.

This is a 3 part system:

• A 3D carver duplicator, capable of duplicating an area up to 3 foot by 10 inches by about 5 inches.  Done 1/2 at a time, this will duplicate an existing prop. (This is a fairly common technique for building your own prop.)
• A donsplans exclusive prop mastering system. This system aids you in carving whole families of propellors of different pitches.   Basically, it creates the proper airfoil shape at every nth station along a single blade master.  The single master blade is then duplicated twice onto a propellor blank.
• An angle calculator for the computer, to do all the trig calculations for you. This is a free download (just click here). It will NOT come with your prop duplicator package, because I hate running off floppy disks.

Expect to spend $50 to $100 to build the prop duplicator and master system.  At that price, this will pay for itself easily with your first prop.

NOTE - THESE PLANS ARE AVAILABLE IN BETA VERSION - for a limited time, at 12.5% of the full price. All the drawings are there, but the instructions are very sketchy. You may have to do a lot of tweeking to get the unit to come out - so I am basically only charging shipping and handling fees.

Prop Duplicator W/Master System - ???? Plates  ............... $2.50

For those of you who want just the duplicator, you can buy that also.  During the beta period, this doesn’t save you money.

Prop Duplicator W/O Master System - ???? Plates  ............... $2.50

Download the Prop Angle Calculator ------- Free Free Free

If you would rather get the angle calculator on a disk (you could always put it on a disk yourself, you know) click below.

Prop Angle Calculator Hard Copy  ............... $10.00

Dual Magneto Timer:

The first in a series of aviation tools we hope to offer, the Magneto Tester can be built for around $5. It features tough, durable construction and LED indicator lights (sorry - I left out the annoying buzzer).  It is powered by a 9 volt battery, and most of the work is done by a simple 555 timer chip that you can buy at Radio Shack for under a buck and a half.  You can buy all the electronics at your local Radio Shack, or order them in (a little cheaper - a lot better selection) from www.mouser.com. The final result will amaze you. (This is legal for use on homebuilt and factory built aircraft.)

Don’t order this plan if you are not comfortable soldering together 10 or 20 wires in a fairly tight space.  Copyright policy prohibits building and selling more than one of these units for each plan purchased.

Magneto Timer - 1 Plate  ............... $5.00

For those of you who want the Magneto timer already built, I will assemble the unit for you. Please allow up to 1 month for construction and delivery.

Magneto Timer - already built  ............... $40.00

1932 Penguin Trainer by yours truly. It now lives at a flight museum in Indiana...