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An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many small UAVs have used electric motors.
Peter M. Bowers was an aeronautical engineer, airplane designer, and a journalist and historian specializing in the field of aviation.
The Ace Baby Ace, a single-seat, single-engine, parasol wing, fixed-gear light airplane, was marketed as a homebuilt aircraft when its plans were first offered for sale in 1929 — one of the first homebuilt aircraft plans available in the United States. Plans are still available and Baby Aces are still being built. Orland Corben designed a series of aircraft for the Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company, the Baby Ace, Junior Ace, and Super Ace. Corben's name was associated with the aircraft, and it is commonly known as the Corben Baby Ace.
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.
The Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remain potent competition aircraft in the lower categories.
The Cessna 414 is an American light, pressurized, twin-engine transport aircraft built by Cessna. It first flew in 1968 and an improved variant was introduced from 1978 as the 414A Chancellor.
The Luscombe 8 is a series of high-wing, side-by-side-seating monoplanes with conventional landing gear, designed in 1937 and built by Luscombe Aircraft.
The Franklin O-150 was an American air-cooled aircraft engine of the late 1930s. The engine was of four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed layout and displaced 150 cu in (2 L). The power output was nominally 40 hp (30 kW).
The Luton L.A.4 Minor was a 1930s British single-seat high-wing ultra-light aircraft. The prototype was built by the Luton Aircraft Limited, and design plans were later adapted and copies sold for homebuilding.
The CAB GY-20 Minicab is a two-seat light aircraft designed by Yves Gardan and built in France by Construction Aeronautiques du Bearn (CAB) in the years immediately following World War II. CAB was formed in 1948 by Yves Gardan, Max Lapoerte and M. Dubouts.
The Beets Special was a single-seat recreational aircraft built in the United States in the mid-1970s with the intention of marketing it for homebuilding. It was a parasol-wing monoplane of conventional configuration with fixed tailwheel undercarriage.
The Clutton-Tabenor FRED is a British homebuilt aircraft design introduced in 1963.
The Clutton-Tabenor Easy Too was a small homebuilt aircraft under development in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. It was intended to be a flying showcase for designer Eric Clutton's adaptation of the Volkswagen air-cooled engine as a geared aero-engine. The lines of the aircraft were influenced by the Percival Mew Gull racer of the 1930s, but it was to have retractable undercarriage. The wings were designed to be folded to allow the aircraft to be towed behind a car.
The Funk Model B was a 1930s American two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Howard and Joe Funk. Originally built by the Akron Aircraft Company later renamed Funk Aircraft Company.
The Davis DA-2 is a light aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and was marketed for homebuilding. While it is a low-wing monoplane of largely conventional design with fixed tricycle undercarriage, the DA-2 is given a distinctive appearance by its slab-like fuselage construction and its V-tail. The pilot and a single passenger sit side-by-side. Construction of the aircraft is sheet aluminum throughout, with the sole compound curves formed a fiberglass cowling and fairings.
The Dyke JD-2 Delta is an American homebuilt aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and marketed for amateur construction. It is a monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and seating for four. The wings can be folded for towing or storage and hinge upwards to lie flat above the fuselage, one atop the other. Construction is of SAE 4130 grade steel tube framework with fiberglass and fabric skins.
The Great Lakes Sport Trainer is an American biplane trainer and aerobatic aircraft. It was originally produced in large numbers before the company building it went bankrupt in the Great Depression in 1933. Owing to its continuing popularity, however, it was eventually placed back into production in the 1970s and again in 2011 by WACO Classic Aircraft.
The Pazmany PL-4A is a single-seat, single-engine sport aircraft developed in the United States and first flown in 1972. It is marketed for homebuilding from plans, and 686 sets had sold by 1985. The PL-4A is a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with an enclosed cabin and fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The design features a T-tail, chosen to facilitate folding the wings. Construction throughout is of metal, using standard extruded sections for the longerons and pop rivets as the basic fastener. The standard powerplant is a Volkswagen air-cooled engine of 60 hp (45 kW) Construction time is estimated to be around 1,000–1,500 hours.
The PDQ Aircraft Products PDQ-2 is a very basic light aircraft originally built in 1973 in the United States, and marketed as plans for a homebuilt aircraft. It was a minimalist design, consisting of aluminum alloy tubes carrying the pilot's seat, a set of monoplane wings and a T-tail. The pilot's position was fully exposed at the front of the aircraft. Power is provided by a single engine mounted pusher-fashion on a pylon above the wings. Originally, this was a Rockwell JLO snowmobile engine, but Ison revised the design to use a converted Volkswagen engine, due to a lack of availability of the first choice of engine. The heavier Volkswagen engine required an increase in structural strength, and the design was revised accordingly. The wings have wooden spars with ribs, and skin of polyurethane foam, all coated in epoxy resin. Fixed, tricycle undercarriage was fitted.
The Piel CP.70 Beryl is a French twin-seat, single-engine sport aircraft designed by Claude Piel. It was first flown in France in the 1960s and marketed for amateur construction.
References
- Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 80.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 256.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977-78. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 507–08, 782.