We regret that we can no longer give the free digital plans out. time needed to help those with download issues in combination with no factory support. Make the cost to high for us to continue. The Printed plans are very detailed and worth the low price we offer them for.
Please order printed plans as this may make us available to support your build.
I can't say I blame David one bit. He does an awesome job of support and deserves to reap rewards from it, although I don't think he'll be able to retire to the Carribean on the profit from selling plans. I am certainly one of the beneficiaries of the free plans, and tried to support TEAM by buying parts, fasteners and instruments. I was amazed at the support I got from David when I had questions, even though he knew I was scratch building.
I hope the move keeps Team going. Dave is great and has been a help to even me who's plane isnt a max. I have tried to support him too and have ordered some parts that are compatable from him
Dave has been great with me and has always answered my questions fully. In one of my businesses I sell plans and do custom work. Just on the basis of support time and the time spent sending out plans I couldn't send them out for free. I can also tell you that even charging for plans he isn't really making money on them. I've printed out the Hi-Max plans from down loaded files on my own equipment and I would have been better off paying for them in terms of the time it took, and I already have all the equipment to do it. If people getting free plans ordered enough kits it would have been worth it. It was well worth a try. I do think with the "Epic Sport" getting near ready, Team is going to sell a lot of kits soon.
I hope you are right. It's really great to have such a flexible, affordable airplane group that is so we'll supported. I have the himax and 1550 plans downloaded from a few years ago. Am considering starting a himax soon and will definitely order paid printed plans if I do, even though I'm sure I could muddle through with the digital version. We do need to support these small business as much as we are able so they can continue to be around.
Just a suggestion for dave though he may want to put a page or two of the plans on the website so people can see what they are like. Seeing the plans showed me what i was in for and that it was actually doable
They are actually really nice blueprints. A big part of my job is reading prints, and the Mini/Hi-Max has much nicer drawings that a P-3 or older C-130 drawings. I also "collect" plans (they are free on the net all over the place), and the Max prints are better than most I have seen. Clean and simple (of course, it's a pretty simple plane).
Perhaps a few "Study Sheets" would help people see that TEAM is selling, and supporting a really nice product.
Plans are the heart of any build. They are probably more important than anything else you buy for your project. I purchased mine in 1990, as I began my build. I don't know what form today's plan set takes, but the large, well-drawn sheets provided by TEAM back in the day became my constant companion for the next 20 years. In fact, they became my notebook and my journal. They are crammed with notes, drawings, measurements, ideas and materials guides. I spent 6 full weeks breaking out the materials I was going to need, page-by-page. That list determined which materials I would order over the years and exactly how the plywood pieces needed would fit within an expensive sheet of aircraft plywood, so as to have as little wastage as possible.
The plans are important documents you will constantly refer to over time - even long after your build. Mine are so dog-eared they are in tatters. Do not underestimate the importance of plans, and do not feel resentful about having to purchase them. They will become as much a part of your plane as the aircraft itself.
Of course very few people are going to try to build from the PDFs on the computer, but you may not be aware that they can be printed out to the full 24x36 inch size. Any reprographics outfit, engineering, architect's, or naval architect's office can do this, as can most Staples or Kinkos. A plus is that you can print them out on polyester drafting film so that they don't shrink and swell as much as the paper.
However, a big point for most people is that printing them out yourself is going to take so much time that most of us will feel we are better off paying the plans fee to Team and getting the print outs anyway. The printouts I've gotten from them for the "Epic Sport" empennage are very well done.
IIRC There are only 1 or 2 pages that you need to have the full scale drawings for. The rib page comes to mind as maybe the only one. Other than that, (as mentioned), You can make the rest of the pages out to whatever size suits your fancy. I took my (full size) set in to a copy store & had them REDUCE the size just to make the pages easier to maneuver around AND have a fresh, clean set. Someone posted something (somewhere) not to many days ago about how they felt the "Instruction page" (My Words), could use a makeover or be rewritten by someone that is in the process of building. Looking back I see it was GYROJEFFRO. I would agree with that. There is a LOT more information that could be written out in the instructions page that would make (some ) aspects of the build more clear. BUT, This would be a sizeable undertaking! TTT
While anyone with previous woodworking and epoxy experience should have little trouble, if they've built things from plans before, I do believe a really detailed book on building with both photographs and line art illustrations would really be a good idea.
True, but with all the info and support here on this forum, is it really needed?
Absolutely needed! Although the information here has been fantastic. I found it can often be conflicting. Dave was unbelievably helpful. And always quick with reply’s to my questions 🙃😀. There s nothing more valuable than me than direct company support! Some things are worth “the price of admission”! The plan from TEAM are a bargain at double the price IMHO B-😀
P.S. the quality of the plans are incredible! Clear and concise. Simply put. If something didn’t fit It was always my mistake......Not the plans. Also be very careful of modifications. Changing one dimension seems to affect many other pieces down the line! Ask me how I know that 🙃
Sorry bigbrixx, I guess I should have been more clear. I was referring to an updated build manual. Yes it could use it, but at the moment, with good company support and this forum, it's not exactly essential. I absolutely agree that company support is a huge thing, and I would certainly want to support them any way possible. I have the free PDF plans, but will still buy the paper ones from team as soon as I decide to pull the trigger. Still engrossed in summer projects right now, leaving little disposible income. Winter is coming soon though.....
I’ve happily paid for my Eros plans twice. I bought a set in 2007 from JDT. I then downloaded and printed (cost approx $100 I think) a full size pdf set when the free plans became available. I really appreciate having the extra set, and ability to reprint an individual page if I need to. I also like being able to study & zoom into the plans on the desktop. And, I am also setting up my new workshop with a simple wall projection display so the PDFs will be useful there too. IMHO the printed and full size pdf plans compliment each other well, and the couple hundred dollars total, feels like it was money well spent. That said, I think it was great that TEAM offered free plans. It is too bad it is no longer feasible; but is certainly their/his call to make. My bigger concern is the $400 Epic Sport plans that I did pay for, have still not been provided years later. Don’t get me wrong. I like David and his sincere efforts and overall service to this hobby. I also have a respectful appreciation for effort/cost involved in bringing a new aircraft model to market in a responsible manner. It’s just been a very, very long time. Maybe when the plans do eventually ship, those of us who prepaid up front will receive a complimentary full-size digital copy to supplement our hard copy for purposes described above.
Why focus on proving how great you are, when you could focus on becoming better?...
[quote=115]I can't say I blame David one bit. He does an awesome job of support and deserves to reap rewards from it.../quote] I agree.
<political rant> Despite what so many of our political leaders will try to tell the public, there actually is no such thing as "free lunch". Somewhere, someone is paying for it. This is something I have preached repeatedly to my children, and they appear to get the lesson.</rant >
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