I met Peter Bowers and his Fly Baby at the long defunct Henley Airdrome near Athol, Idaho in the nineteen seventies. He was flying to or from Oshkosh, I think. It was my first time meeting two legends. Great memories.
Excellent. I knew I recognized that Vert Stab. I bought an "overseas" R/C balsa kit that had no name. I wasn't impressed. It's been about a year since I last looked at it, but today, after watching your presentation, the plans for this little piece of history are now on the bench. It's kind of difficult to get dope these days, so I think my wing will be ok.
I bought one N85RM when I was a junior in highschool 17 years old. (1978 I believe) Flew it about 60 hours and had alot of fun with it. I sold it to a fellow in Michigan and flew it 3 hours to deliver it in December and it was about 15 degrees F. I paid 15 dollars a month for a small T hangar at the old Ottawa Illinois airport. 80 octane was about 52cents a gallon. Ive got a few still pictures of it and a short 8mm movie clip. It was a good learning experience but I started hearing about wing failures for the type and decided to sell it.
Thanks, Ron. I think I made only 3 wheel landings with N500F. I can't remember what grass strip I chose. I found it to be an honest airplane, with a notably low glide ratio ;-) I've lost all my N500F photos prior to the shots of it in storage at the museum's restoration center. I wish there had been 85's on all the 7AC Champs I've flown!
That short KIRO video of the Fly Baby, set to an over-the-top Erich Wolfgang Korngold choral film soundtrack, is one of the funniest I've ever seen! I used to play it as a short subject on movie nights at the big hangar at a local airfield here in Virginia. It never got old 😂
There is a Chinese-made equivalent of the Rotax 912 on the market now, in several versions. It's made by ZongShen, but seems to be marketed as Zonsen. ZongShen makes license-built versions of Honda CB and CG 175cc motorcycle to the tune of around 5 Million (!) of them a year, as well as motorcycle engines for KTM and for smaller European-market BMW motorcycles. They also bought the manufacturing rights to the newly revived Norton Atlas motorcycle engine when Norton decided to not put it on the market. It's used in a couple of Chinese export 300cc and 400cc motorcycles.
Being the owner of the remains of a low serial number Tailwind, the aircraft certificate only lasted one year. The early home built aircraft were only allowed to be airworthy was for just one year.
Great presentation. I've never seen a Fly Baby, but they are cool looking and I'm sure a fun project and airplane. I wonder if a Subaru engine would be a possible alternative for the A65 or Corvair option; it's more modern and should be more readily available.
When I was a kid I had like a Piper Cub model radio control and crashing screwed up the cabin everything I cut the Wings off the canopy off I moved to download my father told me it look like a a fly fly baby and that's been 50 years ago
This is so cool !
Fun presentation! Ron was one of the leaders of my Civil Air Patrol cadet squadron 50+ years ago! Good to see and hear him again.
I met Peter Bowers and his Fly Baby at the long defunct Henley Airdrome near Athol, Idaho in the nineteen seventies. He was flying to or from Oshkosh, I think. It was my first time meeting two legends. Great memories.
Thank you for a lovely presentation Ron! ZS-UFJ and previously ZS-UFI South Africa
Excellent.
I knew I recognized that Vert Stab. I bought an "overseas" R/C balsa kit that had no name. I wasn't impressed.
It's been about a year since I last looked at it, but today, after watching your presentation, the plans for this little piece of history are now on the bench.
It's kind of difficult to get dope these days, so I think my wing will be ok.
I bought one N85RM when I was a junior in highschool 17 years old. (1978 I believe) Flew it about 60 hours and had alot of fun with it. I sold it to a fellow in Michigan and flew it 3 hours to deliver it in December and it was about 15 degrees F. I paid 15 dollars a month for a small T hangar at the old Ottawa Illinois airport. 80 octane was about 52cents a gallon. Ive got a few still pictures of it and a short 8mm movie clip. It was a good learning experience but I started hearing about wing failures for the type and decided to sell it.
Good to see Ron.
A friend of mine built one in 1968-1970. He wrapped the flying wires that were parallel to each other with tape and increased there speed by 10 mph.
The Flybaby is a perfectly designed airplane with perfect lines....
Thanks, Ron.
I think I made only 3 wheel landings with N500F. I can't remember what grass strip I chose.
I found it to be an honest airplane, with a notably low glide ratio ;-)
I've lost all my N500F photos prior to the shots of it in storage at the museum's restoration center.
I wish there had been 85's on all the 7AC Champs I've flown!
That short KIRO video of the Fly Baby, set to an over-the-top Erich Wolfgang Korngold choral film soundtrack, is one of the funniest I've ever seen! I used to play it as a short subject on movie nights at the big hangar at a local airfield here in Virginia. It never got old 😂
Thanks for the video! I have a 1/3 scale kit from Balsa USA I’m going to build
Nice presentation!!!
There is a Chinese-made equivalent of the Rotax 912 on the market now, in several versions. It's made by ZongShen, but seems to be marketed as Zonsen. ZongShen makes license-built versions of Honda CB and CG 175cc motorcycle to the tune of around 5 Million (!) of them a year, as well as motorcycle engines for KTM and for smaller European-market BMW motorcycles. They also bought the manufacturing rights to the newly revived Norton Atlas motorcycle engine when Norton decided to not put it on the market. It's used in a couple of Chinese export 300cc and 400cc motorcycles.
Being the owner of the remains of a low serial number Tailwind, the aircraft certificate only lasted one year. The early home built aircraft were only allowed to be airworthy was for just one year.
Great presentation. I've never seen a Fly Baby, but they are cool looking and I'm sure a fun project and airplane. I wonder if a Subaru engine would be a possible alternative for the A65 or Corvair option; it's more modern and should be more readily available.
what is the wing dihedral angle? thanks darren
The show was at Rockford Illinois not Oshkosh! I was there!
When I was a kid I had like a Piper Cub model radio control and crashing screwed up the cabin everything I cut the Wings off the canopy off I moved to download my father told me it look like a a fly fly baby and that's been 50 years ago
Ron Wanttaja is at least known that Fly Baby.
Bowers