I’ve always had an interest in flying. My dad retired after almost 40 years in the Air Force. His office was the MC-130E Combat Talon. I always thought he had the coolest job in the world. With my age and financial situation I’m pretty sure that the only flying that I’ll be doing in the future would be a ultralight or gyrocopter. I love your little plane! I would be totally content with something like this. Enjoy your flights, stay safe and please keep the videos coming! Absolutely amazing❤️👍🏻😁
How is the build process being wood? Im working on a zenith mysef which is just aluminum and rivets, seems like building a wood plane is more difficult but way cheaper....for the price im paying for the zenith i could build 5 of these.... tho your cruise window is pretty slow...it seemed fine getting up around 80 though....surely you wouldnt keep it there too long id assume...
Glenn Runnalls Go to Facebook and look up the Minimax/Himax owners group. Lots of great people and insight there. I have never checked the range. But if I climb to 3500 feet and go to about 70% throttle I have an endurance well over 2 hours. I have a small half Volkswagen engine that only burns 1.8 gallons per hour. Its helps to have such a low fuel consumption considering that I only have 5 gallons total.
Hey Darrell, I don't much about airplanes but if it drops too fast could you add a little bit of weight to the tail so it would Glide better? I saw someone else do that for balance I think?
Joseph Westra It is just characteristics of the plane. The wing is high-drag and it is not very fast in the first place. you are already going so slow, so the going slower option is very tiny. You can get a ton of information about minimax on the team minimax/Himax owners Facebook page. If you have more questions, I will happily answer them on there.
@@Flyingwithdarrell I have two questions the instrment with the black knob on the left hand side of the control panel. Is that the throttle? Second question is it possable to modify the engine to have it started from inside the cockpit rather than having to start it like a WW1 bi plane?
I think i like these as much as the mosquito helis....whats the cost of a nice used one with that voswagon motor...i like the low gas..plus thoughs are great air cooled motors...whats the horse power...thanks
Joseph Westra I like to keep my power up when I fly as low as I am in this video. When the power drops, so douse my minimax. (Like a rock) it is pretty normal for me to come in quick too. I prefer wheel landings over 3 point and want the the thrust over the rudder. I feel like I am in more control that way.
O.k., great, just wondering, I want a Minimax really bad but can't afford one yet! I love the fly! I was also a paratrooper in the Army and love jumping.
Built 3 "Experimental Amateur Built" planes, and also jumped with the Army (In Texas and in Germany.) In Texas, jumped with Army troops out of Ft. Sam Houston, and in Germany, jumped at Manheim, Gelnhousen, and Rhein Main Air Base, in Frankfurt, Germany. (RM was a demo jump on Armed Forces Day). We also had an Air Force Combat Control Team on that jump run. Yes, the jumping is fun - those Army Paratroopers were also "free fallers." When we exited at 7,500 or 11,000 feet, they always said it was more fun than a static line from 1500! :) ALL jumps are fun - regardless of static line or a self deployed main. No T-10's or T-11's were used. Only commercial built parachutes. My 3 Experimental Amateur Built planes: A Super Cat, an 1100MM, and an EROS 1650 MM. . . I was in USAF, and my jumping friends were Army. They all had their Jump Badges, while I had my United States Parachuting Jump Badge. Was stationed at Wiesbaden AB where the Army had a "Jump School." They called it the European Ft. Benning. :) Tried to get a slot in that school, but couldn't make that happen. I was working in the Avionics Instrument System shop, at that time. I hope you build a Mini Max. Save your money and go for an EROS 1650 MM. As I indicated, in another post here, I put 750hrs on mine and it was NEVER in a hangar. I used the hangar rent for fuel in the tanks. :) Just made a nice little weather tight cover and tied down on the tarmac. Retired the EROS - looking now for another MM or a CGS Hawk. That's a great airplane also. Good luck. N-6395T USPA B-6370 Retired, USAF
Woah. You fly quite fast. The speed indicator was past the yellow line. Will it stall if you fly at around 60 or 70 kts. Btw nice little plane you got there. I too will buy something like that when I'll be older,but readymade. I am terrible at making stuff.
Nice little 1100 - I built one of those and also an EROS 1650 MM. The 1650 is a great flying little plane. (put 750 hrs on it.) The 1100 and the 1650 were both registered as "Experimental Amateur Built" planes. Obviously your little 1100 is being flown under FAA Part 103 rules. Couldn't "catch" a tail nr and also some of your indicators were not "ranged marked," which means there hasn't been the required DAR Inspection. I'm wondering how you were able to make that 254lb weight limit for Part 103 - especially with that big engine. Generally, most all Part 103 planes have a single cylinder engine (never saw an actual Part 103 plane with even a 2 cylinder engine.) I do know there are some 2 cylinder Part 103 planes in existence, like the B-Lite, I think. How did you do that with that 1100? Very nice little plane that will last a long time. Thanks, N-6395T c
Michael Donavon this little 1100R was built in the early 90's. I am not sure how the builder pulled it off. I do know that it in not uncommon however. More and more are built and being built everyday. The engines keep getting lighter and more powerful too. I am apart of the minimax/Himax owners group on Facebook. If you are not a member yet I highly recommend you look us up and send in a membership request. Dave, the owner of team Minimax is very active there and will answer any questions you may have.
Great video and I love these but a lot of head movement. Makes it hard to follow. Try moving your head slower? Hard to do though I know! Also the AME in me says I would make that engine kill switch a guarded switch. Bouncing around in the air with the hand on the throttle or adding power for a go-around or whatever the hand could slip off and hit the kill switch....when engine power is needed most. Just me and what I would do.
Tango4N My minimax has been down for a few months now. I'm slowly getting it back to flying. I'm working on a new camera mount for it at the moment as well. I will be trying it out on my challenger soon and will upload the results here afterwards. Thanks for your interest and input. "Less head movement!"
apfelsnutz I have never seen a reduction drive in a 1/2 Volkswagen before. Not sure where to find one. All in all, it's getting getting rebuilt now and I am going from the low 30s range in horsepower to 40. I expect to see a noticeable difference. I will put up a video once it is done.
It might be interesting to call Valley Engineering [aka culver props.] and ask about the feasibility... It's all about thrust created by bigger slower turning propellers. It should work wonders on a drag-laden aircraft like the Mini-Max. Are you using the full case 1/2 VW ? If so, their unit bolts to the top of the crankcase and is a simple affair. PSRU ratios vary from 1.6:1 to 2.6:1. A definite solution to climb improvement. Less stress on the crankshaft and engine. Just my 2-sense worth...
apfelsnutz I appreciate your input. As of now I am just going to fly as is though. Just tired of it being grounded and am ready to be back up in the air. Even if it means super slow rate of climb. Haha
Hey Darrell, I called Culver and spoke to Larry the owner today. He said they tried the reduction unit and it worked like a champ, giving a tremendous boost to climb and speed both. They were running the 2.58 reduction unit and he said the vibration of the two lungger engine became more pronounced with the 2.58 reduction. He thinks if they do it again he would use the 1:1.6 or a little higher, and balance the engine more finely, it was of his own design... since it was only an experiment that it proved his point, and they stopped there. Since, there have been no requests for a two cyl. reduction unit. However he said the performance was dramatically improved. Good luck with whatever you decide... Ron I'm located on L00 should you come my way... Cheers !
Add a prop and enough power, you can make a picnic table fly....but for how long? Your design, parts, and workmanship are a disaster waiting to happen. Fly safely my friend, i hope i am wrong.
Corey Mcgee just regular auto fuel. I have heard that you could use 100LL (aviation fuel). But I don't myself. It burns 1.8 gallons per hour. So I just keep 10 gallons in my hanger and put them in the back of my pick up and just fill them up the next time I head to the airport. I myself have never done a multi state cross-country.
I’ve always had an interest in flying. My dad retired after almost 40 years in the Air Force. His office was the MC-130E Combat Talon. I always thought he had the coolest job in the world. With my age and financial situation I’m pretty sure that the only flying that I’ll be doing in the future would be a ultralight or gyrocopter. I love your little plane! I would be totally content with something like this. Enjoy your flights, stay safe and please keep the videos coming! Absolutely amazing❤️👍🏻😁
Great flight in your fine aeroplane,thank you for recording this.
I put a lot of good hours in a 1600R with a Rotax 447 engine. Love that airplane. Now building a KR2S. Good luck with your Mini-Max
Didja finish it?
Awesome! Thank you so much for your information! Happy flying! Keep the videos coming!
How is the build process being wood? Im working on a zenith mysef which is just aluminum and rivets, seems like building a wood plane is more difficult but way cheaper....for the price im paying for the zenith i could build 5 of these.... tho your cruise window is pretty slow...it seemed fine getting up around 80 though....surely you wouldnt keep it there too long id assume...
So does this classify as a ultralight ?
Glenn Runnalls yes sir. 100% Part 103 legal.
Darrell Massengale wow, well looks like I’ll be looking into these. I’ve always wanted to fly, but it cost so much to get a license here in Alaska.
Oh and what’s the average range of these?
Glenn Runnalls Go to Facebook and look up the Minimax/Himax owners group. Lots of great people and insight there. I have never checked the range. But if I climb to 3500 feet and go to about 70% throttle I have an endurance well over 2 hours. I have a small half Volkswagen engine that only burns 1.8 gallons per hour. Its helps to have such a low fuel consumption considering that I only have 5 gallons total.
Good engine, I have a Rotax 447 and it avg. about 2.4 gal p/h turnung 40hp so a VW would be well worth the advantage in fuel consumption.
Great Flight!!!!
Hey Darrell, I don't much about airplanes but if it drops too fast could you add a little bit of weight to the tail so it would Glide better? I saw someone else do that for balance I think?
Joseph Westra It is just characteristics of the plane. The wing is high-drag and it is not very fast in the first place. you are already going so slow, so the going slower option is very tiny. You can get a ton of information about minimax on the team minimax/Himax owners Facebook page. If you have more questions, I will happily answer them on there.
@@Flyingwithdarrell I have two questions the instrment with the black knob on the left hand side of the control panel. Is that the throttle?
Second question is it possable to modify the engine to have it started from inside the cockpit rather than having to start it like a WW1 bi plane?
I think i like these as much as the mosquito helis....whats the cost of a nice used one with that voswagon motor...i like the low gas..plus thoughs are great air cooled motors...whats the horse power...thanks
great video.
awesome! why don't you go slower on landings? or just slower, aren't you pegged out?
Joseph Westra I like to keep my power up when I fly as low as I am in this video. When the power drops, so douse my minimax. (Like a rock) it is pretty normal for me to come in quick too. I prefer wheel landings over 3 point and want the the thrust over the rudder. I feel like I am in more control that way.
I got the plans for this plane and I'm seriously considering building this one.
Roger Smith it's a fantastic little machine! I have nothing but good things to say about it.
How hard was it to build?
I did not build it. It was built in the early 90's.
What’s the shortest distance required to take off?
Nicholas Burgess with that motor it was kinda underpowered. I would say 800 feet minimum with no obstacles.
What App are you using and were do i get tbe plans from and specs
Emmett, go to teamminimax.com … everything's there.
im 6ft 260lbs....is there a weight limit/size for that machine? thax
Gross weight is something around 550lbs. So depending on the build, you would fit, but at the upper range
O.k., great, just wondering, I want a Minimax really bad but can't afford one yet! I love the fly! I was also a paratrooper in the Army and love jumping.
Built 3 "Experimental Amateur Built" planes, and also jumped with the Army (In Texas and in Germany.) In Texas, jumped with Army troops out of Ft. Sam Houston, and in Germany, jumped at Manheim, Gelnhousen, and Rhein Main Air Base, in Frankfurt, Germany. (RM was a demo jump on Armed Forces Day). We also had an Air Force Combat Control Team on that jump run. Yes, the jumping is fun - those Army Paratroopers were also "free fallers." When we exited at 7,500 or 11,000 feet, they always said it was more fun than a static line from 1500! :) ALL jumps are fun - regardless of static line or a self deployed main. No T-10's or T-11's were used. Only commercial built parachutes.
My 3 Experimental Amateur Built planes: A Super Cat, an 1100MM, and an EROS 1650 MM. . .
I was in USAF, and my jumping friends were Army. They all had their Jump Badges, while I had my United States Parachuting Jump Badge.
Was stationed at Wiesbaden AB where the Army had a "Jump School." They called it the European Ft. Benning. :) Tried to get a slot in that school, but couldn't make that happen. I was working in the Avionics Instrument System shop, at that time.
I hope you build a Mini Max. Save your money and go for an EROS 1650 MM. As I indicated, in another post here, I put 750hrs on mine and it was NEVER in a hangar. I used the hangar rent for fuel in the tanks. :) Just made a nice little weather tight cover and tied down on the tarmac. Retired the EROS - looking now for another MM or a CGS Hawk. That's a great airplane also.
Good luck. N-6395T USPA B-6370 Retired, USAF
Woah. You fly quite fast. The speed indicator was past the yellow line. Will it stall if you fly at around 60 or 70 kts.
Btw nice little plane you got there. I too will buy something like that when I'll be older,but readymade. I am terrible at making stuff.
very slow rate of climb! Is that the same with all mini max?
Geoff Phillips no. Just the Volkswagon powered ones. The 2 stroke Rotax powered Max’s climb like a bat out of hell.
this is really cool but im terrified of how close (what looks like) the engine kill switch is to the throttle
Good observation! Yes it is better if the kill switch is mounted on the right side of the pannel.
@@Mike-ff7ib Would it be possible tonmodify this or.the upgraded versions of the mini max to start the eingen from inside the cockpit?
@@makingmajic1938 yes you can add a starter, battery, and starter switch, but that adds more weight and far103 won't allow this.
@@Mike-ff7ib OH because the added weight un loaded would put it into the sport aircraft classification
Nice little 1100 - I built one of those and also an EROS 1650 MM. The 1650 is a great flying little plane. (put 750 hrs on it.) The 1100 and the 1650 were both registered as "Experimental Amateur Built" planes.
Obviously your little 1100 is being flown under FAA Part 103 rules. Couldn't "catch" a tail nr and also some of your indicators were not "ranged marked," which means there hasn't been the required DAR Inspection.
I'm wondering how you were able to make that 254lb weight limit for Part 103 - especially with that big engine. Generally, most all Part 103 planes have a single cylinder engine (never saw an actual Part 103 plane with even a 2 cylinder engine.) I do know there are some 2 cylinder Part 103 planes in existence, like the B-Lite, I think. How did you do that with that 1100?
Very nice little plane that will last a long time. Thanks, N-6395T
c
Michael Donavon this little 1100R was built in the early 90's. I am not sure how the builder pulled it off. I do know that it in not uncommon however. More and more are built and being built everyday. The engines keep getting lighter and more powerful too. I am apart of the minimax/Himax owners group on Facebook. If you are not a member yet I highly recommend you look us up and send in a membership request. Dave, the owner of team Minimax is very active there and will answer any questions you may have.
TIP: Move eyes faster than head....lol
That thing is way to fast to be 103a compliant. 70knots or 70mph during a climb?!
What app were you using during this flight?
Buildable RC I don't even remember. I use ForeFlight now.
Very cool! What phone application are you using?
ggsmith48906 I don’t even remember buddy. I use foreflight now though.
I know your phone password 🤣
Brother what is the app you use to measure?
Great video and I love these but a lot of head movement. Makes it hard to follow. Try moving your head slower? Hard to do though I know!
Also the AME in me says I would make that engine kill switch a guarded switch. Bouncing around in the air with the hand on the throttle or adding power for a go-around or whatever the hand could slip off and hit the kill switch....when engine power is needed most. Just me and what I would do.
Tango4N My minimax has been down for a few months now. I'm slowly getting it back to flying. I'm working on a new camera mount for it at the moment as well. I will be trying it out on my challenger soon and will upload the results here afterwards. Thanks for your interest and input. "Less head movement!"
Tango4N Also. I totally agree about the ignition. It is being addressed Thanks again !!
Awesome airplane Derrell, Thanks for the Ride. I was wondering what app your using on your phone, and how well it works?
denny thomas That is an app called DirectTO. I have since switched to ForeFlight. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the reply Darrell. I have Foreflight on my I-PAD
I think its better to have a fixed mounted camera because of to much head movement or at least have one of each and then edit the two viewpoints.
I wonder how it would do with a reduction unit and a bigger, slower turning prop...more thrust, better climb...
apfelsnutz I have never seen a reduction drive in a 1/2 Volkswagen before. Not sure where to find one. All in all, it's getting getting rebuilt now and I am going from the low 30s range in horsepower to 40. I expect to see a noticeable difference. I will put up a video once it is done.
It might be interesting to call Valley Engineering [aka culver props.] and ask about the feasibility... It's all about thrust created by bigger slower turning propellers. It should work wonders on a drag-laden aircraft like the Mini-Max. Are you using the full case 1/2 VW ? If so, their unit bolts to the top of the crankcase and is a simple affair. PSRU ratios vary from 1.6:1 to 2.6:1. A definite solution to climb improvement. Less stress on the crankshaft and engine. Just my 2-sense worth...
apfelsnutz I appreciate your input. As of now I am just going to fly as is though. Just tired of it being grounded and am ready to be back up in the air. Even if it means super slow rate of climb. Haha
Hey Darrell, I called Culver and spoke to Larry the owner today. He said they tried the reduction unit and it worked like a champ, giving a tremendous boost to climb and speed both. They were running the 2.58 reduction unit and he said the vibration of the two lungger engine became more pronounced with the 2.58 reduction. He thinks if they do it again he would use the 1:1.6 or a little higher, and balance the engine more finely, it was of his own design... since it was only an experiment that it proved his point, and they stopped there. Since, there have been no requests for a two cyl. reduction unit. However he said the performance was dramatically improved. Good luck with whatever you decide... Ron I'm located on L00 should you come my way... Cheers !
Add a prop and enough power, you can make a picnic table fly....but for how long? Your design, parts, and workmanship are a disaster waiting to happen. Fly safely my friend, i hope i am wrong.
Hat cams are the worst. Just sayin.
Счастья вам❤🇷🇺
Would it be hard to find fuel if you wanted to fly across 3 or 4 states?
Corey Mcgee just regular auto fuel. I have heard that you could use 100LL (aviation fuel). But I don't myself. It burns 1.8 gallons per hour. So I just keep 10 gallons in my hanger and put them in the back of my pick up and just fill them up the next time I head to the airport. I myself have never done a multi state cross-country.
Darrell Massengale very interesting a VW engine can burn 100LL, that would make cross-country easier.
Thank you...