Useful Aircraft: The Full Story
My name is Brett Tossell. I'm a pilot by trade, and a maker at heart.
I love aviation - especially the freedom of flying - but it's expensive. Model aircraft, RC, FPV and UAS are a great way to get people interested in aviation, and I feel an essential part of that journey is building. You get an understanding for what goes into a good design, and ideas to make improvements. It's a sneaky way to learn and to teach - and that's a good thing.
Radio Controlled aircraft, FPV and autonomous aircraft always appealed to my inner nerd, but most kits are expensive, and when I first started out - I was crashing a lot - so I needed to find a less expensive way.
As a lifelong maker - I had a garage full of tools, and a TLAR knowledge of aircraft design gleaned from having spent decades in the aviation industry - so I set about making my own planes with the salvaged components of my previous crashes.
It only took a hundred revisions or so - but I managed to make my first Useful Aircraft.
It was easy to fly, well suited for its purpose, easy to repair, and rapid to iterate.
Kit Design
Flat Pack Aircraft.
I design compact kits I can bring, build and fly. It makes the design process more challenging - but I've now got several aircraft that I can bring with me in a carryon bag and assemble on site.
Travel Size
Shown here is an FPV airplane kit on top of an Ipad. I routinely travel with a camera backpack designed to carry a 15" laptop with room for everything shown above in this FPV build.
At the end of the trip - I simply remove the electronics to recycle into the next build.
Useful Aircraft in the field
There are aircraft, and then there are useful aircraft.
Pilots know them as planes with well-engineered systems for ease of maintenance and reliability, realistic center of gravity ranges, good payload ability coupled with flexible operational range, good high and low speed handling characteristics, well designed interior spaces, ease of maintenance access, efficiency, and versatility. Obviously, all planes are built mission specific - and each has their strengths and their weaknesses - but some airplanes stand out and become favorites by proving their utility in day-to-day operations. To pilots, owners and maintenance personnel - these are useful aircraft.
I may only be building small UAS - but I strive to make each plane a Useful Aircraft.
I hope you enjoy them.
Fly Safe,
bt