August 30 , 2004 - If you have been following this website for awhile, you will know that progress has been slow. Many of you may not be familiar with the book I am writing on preliminary aircraft design. The title is, "Preliminary Design: Modern Aircraft Design for the Non-Engineer". I have just added Chapter 11 which will contain information and drawings on at least ten and up to twenty different aircraft, starting with the Wright Flyer. Most people that will be reading this book will not be trying to rewrite aircraft history and there is absolutely no harm in studying and even copying the way aircraft designers in the past have created exceptionally airworthy aircraft. Once the Wright brothers achieved the unachievable, powered, manned flight, aircraft design began to grow at exponential rates. In less than seventy years from that first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon! We think nothing of seeing a large jet aircraft at the airport that can seat scores of people and fly all the way across the country without refueling. We think nothing of the incredible fighter aircraft that the world posesses yet most of this technology was beginning to be developed by the middle of the 1940's. Even stealth technology is four decades old, beginning with the SR-71 Blackbird. If our government allows the world to see it's stealthy jets, what else are aircraft engineers developing that they won't let us see? Nuclear powered aircraft, tested in the late 1960's may become the thing of the future. After all, when all of the oil is gone, and it will be (it is not an unlimited resource), if we continue on only with the current stable of military equipment which all depends on fossil fuels, whoever has the last drop of oil will rule the world. So when you hear people say that the war in Iraq and the war on terror is only about oil, you'd better believe oil is a huge consideration and very rightfully so!

Most airplanes are designed by a large team of aircraft engineers. It is not so in my case. I have put "feelers" out on this website to see if any other knowlegeable individuals would be interested in giving a helping hand in their area of expertise but I have not heard from even one person. I hope to have Non-Engineer" completed soon although I am hesitant to try and give a date for completion. I will do my best to work on the book and the software when I have sufficient time and I will let you know of my progress on this website. If you are serious about designing your own airplane or if you just want to see what goes into the design of a modern day light aircraft, I am sure you will delighted with "Preliminary Design: Modern Aircraft Design for the Non-Engineer".

March 12 , 2004 - Well, it seems that change is the big thing in aircraft design. The first airplane I began designing back in 1996, The Vortex Magnum is surfacing again. A friend of mine at work is a welder and he wants to build the airplane. So, I'm back to the drawing board. I have to finish drawing the fuselage and wing drawings then have the finite element analysis to make sure everything is optimized. I have been building the aircraft with SolidWorks since most of the design work is done in AutoCad.

AutoCad is a two-dimensional computer aided drafting program. Using AutoCad is much like drawing the airplane on a drafting table. This gives you a two-dimensional sheet that can be printed out at almost any scale. AutoCad does have some three-dimensional capabilities but is not quite what I need. SolidWorks steps up to the plate here. It is the Cadillac of three-dimensional parametric solid modeling. The only problem with both of these programs is the cost, they are outrageously expensive. Because of this I have to use older programs. Once the aircraft is "built" in SolidWorks, the stress analysis needs to be run. What this does is checks all of the parts to make sure they are strong enough and it also makes sure that the parts and assemblies are not over-designed which adds un-needed weight. I do not have the software to run the finite element analysis studies and it would take quite some time for me to learn how to use it. Without a lot of money to invest in an endeavor such as this, it takes time to learn how to do everything yourself. As you can tell from this web site, I am not trying to make a fortune off of my aircraft designs. I simply want to make flying affordable to those who have always dreamt of flying but could never afford to. For this to work well, I need the help of skilled people. If I had some volunteers in the following areas, the prototype Vortex Magnum would be built, flown and put into kit production in a very short time:

January 25, 2004 - Let me explain where I am in the "design phase" of my aircraft and what goals I have set for myself.

I have mentioned before that I could sure use some help in getting all of this done. It is not my desire to try and make McMullan Aircraft Design a way for me to make millions of dollars. I simply would like to help make flying affordable and safe to those that want to fly. As I build each aircraft I will keep meticulously designed plans and building notes. This way, once the prototype has flown and has proven to be successful and SAFE, I can make those plans and building instructions available to the public at extremely sensible prices.

IF YOU HAVE SOME AIRCRAFT DESIGN OR BUILDING EXPERIENCE AND WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ME. I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET TO FORM A TEAM TO MAKE THESE AIRPLANES A REALITY!

If you have questions or comments about any of my designs or my web site, please contact me. It is important for me to know that people are interested in what I am doing.