It's hard to imagine an airplane being something so simple that you could build one with parts from your local hardware store, but apparently the Pietenpol has the blueprint to make it work. And they've been making it work since 1928.

It all started when Bernard Pietenpol, with only an 8th grade education, set out to make the "common man's airplane," which is known as the AirCamper:

During the Great Depression, Bernard H. Pietenpol, with no more than an eighth-grade education, designed a "common-man's airplane" built with scavenged and hardware-store parts. Today his son and grandson carry on his legacy, and his airplane's simple design enjoys a popular following among people of all ages who share his dream of flight .

Check out more of the AirCamper in the video below, which is a trailer for a larger documentary about the craft.

Boing Boing, via MAKE