This build-it yourself airplane weighs less than its pilot! It weighs approximately 120 pounds and is constructed of lightweight foamed-plastic panels with an aluminum-tube tail boom. It resembles an early Wright brothers flying machine and in fact, incorporates some of the methods of control that the Wright brothers used. In place of ailerons, it uses the patented “wing warping” method of roll control just as the original Wright flyer did. The Whing-Ding II features “plug-in wing spars borrowed from the World War I French Spad. Its pusher prop is powered by a 15 H.P. McCulloch go-kart engine, giving the plane a cruising speed of 50 mph.
Though its not officially established, designer Bob Hovey, an aerospace engineer, believes his flyweight is the world’s lightest man-carrying, prop-powered aircraft. Plans are $14.99 and can be purchased from Tinker Source.
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