Stits Playboy

Stits SA-3A Playboy
	Canada's first amateur-built aircraft Stitts SA-3A Playboy C-FRAD at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Role	Amateur-built aircraft
National origin	United States
Designer	Ray Stits
First flight	1952
Introduction	1952
Variants	Van's Aircraft RV-3

Last updated February 19, 2022

The Stits SA-3A Playboy (also called the Stitts SA-3A Playboy) is a single seat, strut-braced low-wing monoplane that was designed by Ray Stits for amateur construction. The aircraft was designed and the prototype was completed in a three-month period during 1952. The design went on to become one of the most influential in the post-war boom in aircraft homebuilding.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Design and development

The Playboy was the third of fifteen different aircraft designs created by Stits, who migrated in the 1960s from selling plans to developing the Polyfiber line of aircraft coverings and related paint formulas.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Playboy was designed to be constructed from either plans or from a series of partial kits. The construction is mixed with the fuselage made from welded steel and the wings built from wood. The aircraft is fabric-covered and incorporates a sliding canopy. The aircraft is unusual in that the low wings are strut-braced.^[1]

The engine range is from 85 to 160 hp (63 to 119 kW) with the 85 hp (63 kW) Continental C85 the most commonly used.^[1]

The first in the series of Van's Aircraft designed by Richard VanGrunsven, the Van's Aircraft RV-1 was a modified Playboy and directly led to the Van's Aircraft RV-3 and the highly successful RV line of aircraft.

Operational history

Having been sold in 1955, the prototype Playboy passed through several owners' hands before being donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association. Ray Stits was the first member of Chapter 1. That plane is now in the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.^[3]

Canada's first licensed amateur-built aircraft was a highly modified Playboy that was built by Keith S. Hopkinson. Hopkinson used the basic Playboy design and incorporated a Piper J-3 cowling, a Cessna 170 propeller spinner, de Havilland Tiger Moth wing struts, Cessna 140 conventional landing gear and Stinson 108 wheel pants.^[2]

In March 2010 there were still 41 Playboys registered in the US, six in Canada and two in the UK.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Variants

SA-3A: Single seat version, powered by an 85 hp (63 kW) Continental C85 ^[1]
SA-3B: Two seats in side-by-side configuration version, powered by a 115 hp (86 kW) Lycoming O-235 ^[4]
Super Playboy: A one-off design with two foot wing extensions powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Franklin^[8]
VanGrunsven RV-1: A 125 hp (93 kW) Lycoming O-290G powered, cantilever aluminium winged modification of an SA-3A.

Aircraft on display

Canada Aviation Museum - first Canadian homebuilt aircraft, modified Playboy C-FRAD^[2]
EAA AirVenture Museum - prototype Playboy N8KK^[3]

Specifications (SA-3A)

Data from Plane & Pilot,^[1] Canada Aviation Museum^[2] & AirVenture Museum^[9]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Length: 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)
Wingspan: 22 ft 2 in (6.76 m)
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Wing area: 96 sq ft (8.9 m²)
Empty weight: 600 lb (272 kg)
Gross weight: 902 lb (409 kg)
Fuel capacity: 14 US gallons (53 litres)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental C85 four cylinder, four-stroke piston engine, 85 hp (63 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 145 mph (233 km/h, 126 kn)
Cruise speed: 130 mph (210 km/h, 110 kn)
Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
Rate of climb: 1,050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)

Related Research Articles

Van's Aircraft, Inc. is an American kit aircraft manufacturer, founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven in 1973.

The Van's RV-4 is an American light homebuilt aircraft supplied in kit form by Van's Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon. It seats two people in a tandem seating configuration with the pilot accommodated in the front seat.

The Van's Aircraft RV-10 is a four-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplane sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. It is the first four-seat airplane in the popular RV series. The RV-10 first flew on 29 May 2003, and the first kit parts were delivered to a customer in September 2003.

The Van's RV-6 and RV-6A are two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplanes sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-6 is the tail-wheel equipped version while the RV-6A features a nose-wheel. The RV-6 was the first aircraft in the popular Van's RV series to feature side-by-side seating and the first to offer a nosewheel option. It was first flown in 1985. Over 2700 kits have been completed and flown.

The Van's RV-7 and RV-7A are two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplanes sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-7 is the tail-wheel equipped version, while the RV-7A features a nose-wheel.

The Van's RV-8 is a tandem two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt aircraft sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-8 is equipped with conventional landing gear, while the RV-8A version features tricycle landing gear. The design is similar to the earlier RV-4, although it is larger than that earlier model.

The Van's RV-3 is a single-seat, single-engine, low-wing kit aircraft sold by Van's Aircraft. Unlike many other aircraft in the RV line, the RV-3 is only available as a tail-wheel equipped aircraft, although it is possible that some may have been completed by builders as nose-wheel versions. The RV-3 is the genesis design for the rest of the RV series, all which strongly resemble the RV-3. The RV-4 was originally developed as a two-seat RV-3.

The Payne Knight Twister is a single-seat, single-engine aerobatic sport aircraft first flown by Vernon Payne Sr. in the United States in 1932 and marketed in plans form for homebuilding.

The Murphy Renegade is a family of Canadian two-seats-in-tandem, single engine, conventional landing gear, biplanes, produced by Murphy Aircraft and intended for amateur construction.

The Smith DSA-1 Miniplane is a single-seat, single-engine sport aircraft designed in the United States in the 1950s and marketed for home building.

The Stits-Besler Executive is a three place homebuilt aircraft designed by Ray Stits, as the Stits SA-4A Executive.

The Stits SA-7 Skycoupe is a two-seat, side-by-side seating, high wing homebuilt aircraft designed by Ray Stits.

The P-5 Pober Sport is an early low-wing homebuilt aircraft designed by Experimental Aircraft Association founder Paul Poberezny. The one example built was flown across the country to every EAA chapter at the time.

The Stits SA-8A Skeeto is an early homebuilt ultralight design by Ray Stits.

The Stits SA-11A Playmate is a homebuilt aircraft design that features a rapid wing-folding mechanism for trailering or storage.

The Stits SA-5 Flut-R-Bug is a homebuilt aircraft designed by Ray Stits.

Richard E. "Dick" VanGrunsven is an American aircraft designer and kit plane manufacturer. The number of VanGrunsven-designed homebuilt aircraft produced each year in North America exceeds the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies.

The RV-1 is a Stits Playboy that was constructed with modifications by Richard VanGrunsven. The aircraft was the first of a series of Van's aircraft that became the most popular homebuilt aircraft produced.

The Stits SA-2A Sky Baby was a homebuilt aircraft designed for the challenge of claiming the title of "The World's Smallest".

Raymond M. Stits was an American inventor, homebuilt aircraft designer, aircraft mechanic and pilot. He designed the Stits SA-2A Sky Baby, which was the world's smallest aircraft in 1952, developed the Poly-Fiber aircraft fabric covering system and was the founder of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Plane & Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 155. Werner & Werner, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0
1 2 3 4 Canada Aviation Museum (n.d.). "Stitts SA-3A Playboy" . Retrieved 2010-03-06.
1 2 3 Experimental Aircraft Association (2010). "Stits SA-3A Playboy – N8KK" . Retrieved 2010-03-12.
1 2 Dupas, Ron (1976). "No. 953. Stits SA-3B Playboy (C-FSHM)" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
↑ Federal Aviation Administration (March 2010). "FAA Registry Make/Model Inquiry Results" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
↑ Transport Canada (March 2010). "Civil Aircraft Register". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
↑ Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom) (March 2010). "GINFO Search Results Summary" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
↑ "Renfro's Super Playboy". Sport Aviation. January 1959.
↑ Experimental Aircraft Association (2010). "Stits SA-3A Playboy – Specifications" . Retrieved 2010-03-12.

External links

Photo of a Stits Playboy

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[P&P-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Plane & Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 155. Werner & Werner, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0

[CAM-2] 1 2 3 4 Canada Aviation Museum (n.d.). "Stitts SA-3A Playboy" . Retrieved 2010-03-06.

[EAAPlayboy-3] 1 2 3 Experimental Aircraft Association (2010). "Stits SA-3A Playboy – N8KK" . Retrieved 2010-03-12.

[Dupas-4] 1 2 Dupas, Ron (1976). "No. 953. Stits SA-3B Playboy (C-FSHM)" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.

[FAAreg-5] Federal Aviation Administration (March 2010). "FAA Registry Make/Model Inquiry Results" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.

[TCreg-6] Transport Canada (March 2010). "Civil Aircraft Register". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved 2010-03-13.

[UKReg-7] Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom) (March 2010). "GINFO Search Results Summary" . Retrieved 2010-03-13.

[8] "Renfro's Super Playboy". Sport Aviation. January 1959.

[EAAspec-9] Experimental Aircraft Association (2010). "Stits SA-3A Playboy – Specifications" . Retrieved 2010-03-12.

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