Beecraft Honey Bee

Honey Bee
Honey Bee in flight
General information
Type	Homebuilt aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bee Aviation Associates, Inc.
Designer	Walter E. Mooney
Number built	1
History
Introduction date	1952
First flight	12 July 1952

The Beecraft Honey Bee was an all-metal V-tailed homebuilt aircraft, that was designed by Walter E. Mooney and first flown on 12 July 1952. ^[1]

Design and development

The Honey Bee was designed and built by Walter E. Mooney ^[2]

The Honey Bee is a single seat all metal, high-wing, tricycle gear-equipped aircraft with a V-tail. The stressed skin aircraft is designed to accommodate wing flaps and slots. ^[3]

The prototype was test flown by William Chana on 12 July 1952 and certified on 17 December 1953. ^[4]

Aircraft on display

Bee Aviation Honey Bee awaiting restoration at the San Diego Air & Space Museum

The Honey Bee prototype now is on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. It is the lone Bee aircraft to survive an arson fire at the museum.

Specifications (Honey Bee)

Data from Air Trails

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 17 ft (5.2 m)
• Wingspan: 29 ft (8.8 m)
• Wing area: 95 sq ft (8.8 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 4418
• Empty weight: 550 lb (249 kg)
• Gross weight: 860 lb (390 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental A-65 , 65 hp (48 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 100 kn (120 mph, 190 km/h)
• Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s)
• Wing loading: 8.95 lb/sq ft (43.7 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 13.25lb/hp

References

1. Air Trails: 76. Winter 1971.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. "Bee Aviation Associates" . Retrieved 8 February 2012.
3. "Sweet Little Plane". Flying: 53. October 1952.
4. The Aeroplane, Volume 86. p. 222.

External links

Media related to Beecraft Honey Bee at Wikimedia Commons