The Christen Eagle, which later became the Aviat Eagle in the mid-1990s, is an aerobatic sporting biplane aircraft that has been produced in the United States since the late 1970s.

Designed to compete with the Pitts Special by Frank Christensen originally of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Eagle II is marketed in kit form for homebuilding. The Eagle II is a small aircraft of conventional configuration with single-bay, equal-span staggered biplane wings braced with streamlined flying and landing wires and an I-strut to form a box truss. The pilot and a single passenger sit in tandem underneath a large bubble canopy. The tailwheel undercarriage is fixed, with the mainwheels mounted on spring aluminum legs. The main wheels are housed in streamlined fairings. The fuselage and tail are constructed of chromoly steel welded tube, with the forward fuselage skinned in aluminum and the rear fuselage and tail covered in fabric. The wing structure is Sitka spruce wood and fabric covered. The engine cowling is fiberglass. By 2011 over 350 aircraft were flying.

In 1979, the Eagles Aerobatic Team (Charlie Hillard, Tom Poberezny, and Gene Soucy) chose the Christen Eagle as a replacement for their Pitts Special airshow act "The Red Devils". The act continued until 1995. All three Christen Eagles hang from the lobby of the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Variants

Christen Eagle I
Single Seat Variant. Lycoming AEIO-540 260 hp (190 kW). First design model, built at the San Carlos Airport. 4 Airframes built, one was White with Black Feathers now based in Dallas Texas, the other 3 are in the EAA Museum in Oshkosh WI.
Christen/Aviat Eagle II
Most common variant, two seat dual controls. Lycoming AEIO-360.200 hp (150 kW)
The first Eagle II produced (Serial #001) is on display at the Connecticut Air & Space Center in Stratford, CT.[5]

Christen Super Eagle I 540
Very rare, two built. Lycoming AEIO-540 300 hp (220 kW). Formerly flown by the IRON EAGLES AEROBATIC TEAM, now owned by Professional Pilots based in Texas and Alaska.
Christen Super Eagle II
Several examples built, two seats, limited fuel tanks.

The Christmas Bullet, later known as the Cantilever Aero Bullet (sometimes referred to as the Christmas Strutless Biplane), was an American single-seat cantilever wing biplane. It is considered by many to be among the worst aircraft ever constructed. The designer, Dr. William Whitney Christmas (1865–1960), had no experience in aircraft design or aeronautical work, despite claiming to have invented the aileron, and obtaining many patents over the years based on his aeronautical research. His far-fetched assertions were proved untrue. It was never proved, but his activities make a fine example of the art of the Con man and Snake Oil Salesman.

To the plane in question.

The single-seat "Christmas Bullet" featured an all-wood construction with a veneer-clad fuselage. Despite his claims to the contrary, neither design feature reduced aerodynamic drag nor was he among the first to use this method of construction; the majority of German World War I-era two-seater aircraft used for bombing and reconnaissance were similarly constructed. The "Bullet" was powered by a prototype Liberty 6 engine. The Liberty L-6, which developed 200–215 hp, was built by the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corp. and Wright Aeronautical Corp, based on the same engine design as the more successful Liberty L-12 V-12 liquid-cooled aviation engine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_L-6

 Although the US Army had been persuaded to loan an engine, the proviso was that the prototype engine was to be fitted into an airframe for ground testing only.

Merely by looking at the aircraft one can see that the design had a serious flaw in that it lacked any kind of struts or braces for the wings, with Christmas' insistence that they should be flexible. Control of the aircraft was meant to be achieved by wing warping to its flying surfaces. Although the Chief Engineer of Continental Aircraft Company, of Long Island, Vincent Burnelli, tried to institute changes, the "Christmas Bullet" was completed with the original design features intact. Construction materials were scrounged from available wood and steel stock and were not "aircraft grade", which was also a concern to Burnelli.

On its maiden flight in January 1919, the wings of the "Bullet" peeled from the fuselage and the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot, Cuthbert Mills. The destruction of the prototype Liberty engine was never revealed to the US Army and a second Bullet was built powered by a Hall-Scott L-6 engine. Despite the crash, Christmas placed an ad in Flying magazine stating that the Christmas Bullet achieved a 197 mph top speed demonstrated in front of Col Harmon at Central Park, Long Island. The second aircraft was displayed in Madison Square Garden on 8 March 1919 as the "First Strutless Airplane". It was also destroyed on its first flight, again with the loss of the test pilot, Lt. Allington Joyce Jolly. 

A contemporary technical description with photographs and drawings appeared in Flight, 13 February 1919, claiming that "it would seem that such construction would result in a low factor of safety, but the designer claims a safety factor of seven throughout". https://archive.org/details/Flight_International_Magazine_1919-02-13-pdf/page/n15/mode/2up

The Specs and claimed performance

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m)
• Wingspan: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
• Wing area: 170 sq ft (15.79 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,820 lb (826 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Liberty 6 , 185 hp (138 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 175 mph (282 km/h, 152 kn) (anticipated)
• Range: 550 mi (885 km, 480 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 14,700 ft (4,481 m)

What was it supposed to fly like?

The SR20 was the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute to lower the airplane safely to the ground after a loss of control, structural failure or mid-air collision. It was also the first manufactured light aircraft with all-composite construction and flat-panel avionics.

The SR22t is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsepower (231 kW) engine.

The SR22 series has been the world's best-selling general aviation (GA) airplane every year since 2003. With 6,149 units delivered from 2001–19, and in combination with the SR20, a total of 7,645, it is among the most-produced aircraft of the 21st century, and is the single most-produced GA aircraft made from composite material, accounting for over 30% of the entire piston aircraft market.

The Cirrus SR22 is equipped with a whole-plane emergency recovery parachute system: the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This has contributed to its market success and has given it the name "the plane with the parachute".

For more details of these aircraft, click here for the SR20, and here for the SR22.

The specifications below are for the Cirrus SR22.

The Vision SF50 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by a single Williams FJ33-4A-19 turbofan, producing 1,900 lbf (8,500 N), mounted above the rear fuselage. It has a V-tail and retractable tricycle landing gear. The design is made entirely of composite material, a first for a production jet. The enclosed cabin is 5.1 ft (1.56 m) wide and 4.1 ft (1.24 m) high. It can seat up to seven occupants. The cockpit, second and third rows each seats two and an extra seat slides between the second and third row, but the third row is only large enough to accommodate children. It has a 300 kn (560 km/h) cruise speed.

Access to the cabin is through a clamshell door on the left hand side of the fuselage.[85] The SF50 is designed for a life limit of 12,000 flight hours. This is not a type certification limit.[9] The SF50 is the first jet to come with a whole-aircraft ballistic parachute, the company's CAPS, deploying from the aircraft's nose.

For more information on the design and development of the SF50, click here.

The Cirrus VK-30 is a single-engine pusher-propeller homebuilt aircraft originally sold as a kit by Cirrus Design (now Cirrus Aircraft), and was the company's first model, introduced in 1987.

As a kit aircraft, the VK-30 is a relatively obscure design with few completed aircraft flying. Its most important legacy is that the work done on developing and marketing the aircraft convinced the designers, the Klapmeier brothers, that the best way to proceed in the future was with a more conventional layout and with a certified production aircraft. Thus the lessons of the VK-30 were directly responsible for the design of the Cirrus SR20 and SR22, which have been the best-selling general aviation airplanes in the world every year since 2003. The VK-30 also served as a significant inspiration for the creation of the company's latest aircraft, the Cirrus Vision Jet, which in 2018 won the Collier Trophy for becoming the first single-engine personal jet with a whole-plane parachute recovery system.

The VK-30 design was conceived in the early 1980s as a kit plane project by three Wisconsin college students: Alan Klapmeier and Jeff Viken from Ripon College, and Alan's brother, Dale Klapmeier, who was attending the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Together after college, in the Klapmeier brothers' parents' dairy barn in rural Sauk County, Wisconsin, they formed Cirrus Design in 1984 as the company to produce the VK-30 ("VK" standing for Viken-Klapmeier). Jeff's wife, Sally Viken, designed the aircraft's flap system. During the kit's early developmental phase, the Klapmeiers and Vikens sought frequent help and advice from homebuilt innovator Molt Taylor, who specialized in pusher configurations dating back to the 1940s.

The aircraft has an all-composite construction and was designed to achieve natural laminar flow over the fuselage, wing and tail surfaces to provide for very low drag—using a NASA NLF(1)-0414F airfoil designed by Jeff Viken. The original prototype incorporated scrapped parts from production aircraft out of junkyards the Klapmeier brothers visited in order to reduce cost, including both a control system and nose landing gear from a Piper Cherokee (welding parts onto it to convert it to a retractable gear), as well as an O-540 (290 hp) engine off a wrecked de Havilland Heron. The VK-30 was designed to be a five-seat aircraft from the start, which made it considerably larger than most other amateur-built aircraft of its day. It incorporated a mid-engine design, driving a three-bladed pusher propeller behind the tail through an extension shaft. The powerplant in later models was a Continental IO-550-G piston engine developing 300 hp (224 kW).

The VK-30 was introduced at the 1987 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and first flew on 11 February 1988. Kit deliveries commenced shortly thereafter.

In the late 1980s, the Klapmeier brothers approached jet engine manufacturer Williams International about the possibility of installing a small, single Williams FJ44 turbofan engine on the VK-30. The idea never materialized at that time, however, it significantly inspired the original design concept of the Vision Jet in the mid-2000s.

Cirrus discontinued production of the aircraft in 1993, and in 1996, announced plans to develop a stronger replacement wing for about 28 VK-30s supplied to past customers.

Cirrus delivered about 40 kits, and built four additional factory prototypes. The company estimated that there were 13 customer VK-30s completed. As of 11 February 2018, four were still registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, although at one time a total of 12 had been registered.

Variants

Cirrus/Israviation ST50
The VK-30 was the predecessor of the Cirrus ST50, which had an almost-identical configuration to the VK-30, but included a larger ventral fin on the tail of the aircraft, a slightly larger fuselage, and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-135 turboprop engine in place of the piston engine used in the VK-30. Cirrus designed and initially developed the aircraft under contract to an Israeli aircraft manufacturer named Israviation, and first flew it in Duluth, Minnesota in 1994. Isravation attempted to certify and market the ST50 in the proceeding years but it never entered production by the company.

It was first produced as the Rearwin Skyranger, was the last design of Rearwin Aircraft before the company was purchased by a new owner and renamed Commonwealth Aircraft.

The Skyranger was a high-wing light plane seating two people side-by-side. It had a conventional landing gear with a tailwheel. It was constructed with a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and wooden wing (with a semi-symmetical airfoil cross-section. The Skyranger was powered by a variety of opposed engines made by Continental Motors and the Franklin Engine Company

ranging from 65 to 90 horsepower. It sold for $1,795 to $2,400.

The Skyranger handled differently from the other planes in its class (such as the Cub, Taylorcraft, Cadet, Collegiate, and Aeronca Chief) -- with a "heavy-airplane feel" (heavy controls, exceptional stability). With an unusually large vertical stabilizer for its size, the Skyranger was exceptionally susceptible to crosswinds during landing and taxiing. Unusually for the time and aircraft in its class, the Skyranger was also designed with slots in its outer wings to allow controllability at lower speeds.

For further details of the development history and seven variants, click here.

Specifications below are for the Skyranger 185 variant.

The Comp Air 6 is a stretched and widened development of the four-seat Aerocomp CompMonster which had first flown on 3 April 1995.

The Comp Air 6 has a fore-and-aft fuselage splice to widen and lengthen the cabin from the original design. It is usually supplied in kit form. The design is configured as a conventional high-wing monoplane and may be built with either tricycle or tailwheel undercarriage and may alternately be equipped with floats as the CA6SF, amphibious as the CA6AF, or with skis.

The basic piston engined design has been modified with rotary or turboprop engines.

Specifications below are for a Comp Air 6 with a 220hp Franklin engine.

Tailwheel piston version

Radial engine version

Turboprop version

Tricycle version

Amphibious CA6AF version

The Comp Air 8 is an American kit turboprop-powered light civil utility aircraft manufactured by Comp Air of Florida.

The aircraft is a Comp Air 7 with its fuselage stretched by 2 feet (0.6 m) to accommodate six adults and two children. The Comp Air 8 is configured as a conventional high-wing monoplane with optional tailwheel or tricycle undercarriage. It can be fitted with large floats for water operations.

The Comp Air 8 fuselage and tail are constructed with carbon fiber. Fuel capacity can be determined by the builder and can be as much as 180 U.S. gallons (680 L; 150 imp gal). The useful load is 2,000 to 2,500 lb (907 to 1,134 kg) and the aircraft has a standard gross weight of 4,800 lb (2,177 kg). The gross weight can be increased to 5,200 lb (2,359 kg) or even 5,600 lb (2,540 kg) with factory-supplied reinforcing kits. The standard engine used is the Walter M 601D of 657 hp (490 kW).

The Comp Air 9 is a turboprop, high-wing, cantilever monoplane with tricycle landing gear produced as a kit for amateur construction by Comp Air. A total of one example had been completed and flown by the end of 2011.

The aircraft is built from carbon fiber and is powered by a Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop powerplant of 1,000 hp (746 kW) or similar engine.

On 19 March 2016, a Comp Air 9 owned by Brazilian entrepreneur and former Vale SA CEO Roger Agnelli crashed shortly after takeoff from Campo de Marte Airport, São Paulo, and exploded on impact, killing all seven on board, including Agnelli and injuring one bystander on the ground.

The Coupé-Aviation JC-01 is the first of a series of very similar designs of two seat, single engine sports aircraft, amateur built from plans in France from 1976. These provided a range of engine sizes and undercarriage layouts, but total production was small.

The JC-01 and its variants were designed as conventional two-seat side by side light aircraft that could be built from plans by amateurs. The different models are chiefly distinguished by engine choice, though undercarriage configurations vary and there are slight alterations to the vertical surfaces. The J-01 and the J-2 have identical spans, wing areas and lengths, though the J-2, with a 90 hp rather than 65 hp engine and a tricycle rather than conventional undercarriage weighs more: empty, the J-01 weighs 330 kg (728 lb), the J-2 500 kg (1,103 lb).

The J-2 has a constant chord, one piece low wing. Its inner panels have no dihedral but the outer ones are set at 4°. Both the main box spar and the rear spar have spruce booms and plywood webs. The leading edge is ply covered and fitted with fixed slots. The wing, including ailerons and flaps is Dacron covered overall. The empennage of the J-2 is conventional and cantilever, with the horizontal tail mounted on top of the fuselage; both fin and rudder are swept, the latter only slightly. The fixed surfaces are ply covered but control surfaces are fabric covered. The elevator has a trim tab.

The fuselage of the J-2 is a three frame truss structure with a ply covered forward section and fabric covering aft. A 67 kW (90 hp) Continental C90 flat four engine in the nose drives a two-blade, fixed pitch propeller. Its fuel is stored in a tank immediately aft of the engine firewall. The cockpit, placed over the wing, seats two side by side under a large, rearward sliding canopy, with a space behind the seats which can take up to 20 kg (44 lbs) of baggage. The J-2 lands on fixed tricycle gear. The mainwheels have oleo-pneumatic damping and mechanical brakes; the nosewheel swivels.

Plans were available to amateur builders for the construction of the JC-01 and its variants and about a dozen JC-01s were built. Two remained on the French civil aircraft register in 2010, together one example of each of the other variants making the total number of all variants built at least fifteen. Some builders included their own name and initials in the aircraft description, for example the Dessevres-Coupé JCD 01 and the Coupé-Brault JCFB 01.

Variants
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1984/85[1] and Fox-Papa

JC-01
Original version with 48 kW (65 hp) Continental A65 engine and unswept rudder. Later the prototype was modified with a swept rudder. At least one was built with a Limbach L1700 engine. Tailwheel undercarriage. First flown 16 March 1976.
JC-2        (Specifications below)
Similar to JC-01 but with a 67 kW (90 hp) Continental C90, 50% heavier, swept vertical tail and tricycle undercarriage. First flown May 1981.
JC-3
Lightened JC-01 with swept vertical tail and 51 kW (68 hp) Limbach L 1700 or 60 kW (80 hp) L 2000 engine.
JC-200
"Refined" version of JC-2 with a 75 kW (100 hp) Rolls-Royce Continental O-200 engine, first flown 18 August 1989.

The Croses EC-6 Criquet ("Locust") is a 1960s French two-seat homebuilt aircraft designed by Emilien Croses.

The EC-6 Criquet is a design for a homebuilt aircraft with a tailwheel landing gear, and tandem wing configuration similar to the Mignet Pou-du-Ciel family. It has two side-by-side seats. It first flew in 1965, and seven examples had flown by 1977, with more than 60 known to be under construction.

The EC-6 Criquet Léger (Mini Criquet) is an ultralight variant.

The LC-6 Criquet is an improved version developed by Gilbert Landray.

The LC-10 Criquet was developed by a Mr Millet of Société Co-Plasud who used fibreglass construction throughout the entire aircraft. It was used as a trainer by the Aéro-Club du Maconnais. While considerably more expensive to build than a conventional wooden Criquet, the fibreglass version was also 80 kg (180 lb) heavier.

As well as being used for local flying, the Criquet has been flown to both national and international light aircraft rallies. A French owned example visited the 1992 rally at RAF Wroughton airfield near Swindon, Wiltshire, England.

Variants

EC-6 Criquet
(English:cricket) The original version designed by Emilien Croses.
EC-6 Criquet Léger
An ultralight version.
LC-6 Criquet
(LC - Landray-Coses) The EC-6 modified and improved by Gilbert Landray.
LC-10 Criquet
(LC - Laibie-Coses) An all fibre-glass version of the EC-6 built by M. Millet of Société Co-Plasud (president of the Aero-club de l'Aude). A second LC-10 was built by M. Barrière

The CubCrafters CC19 XCub is an American light aircraft, designed and produced by Cub Crafters of Yakima, Washington, introduced in June 2016. The aircraft is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.

In 2020 the manufacturer certified a new version of the design, the NXCub, (Nosewheel XCub) with tricycle landing gear, only available with the Lycoming IO-390 (CC393i) engine. With additional parts, an XCub or NXCub can be readily converted between conventional and tricycle landing gear configurations, with NXCub simply being the model designation for aircraft factory-built with tricycle landing gear. The task of converting an aircraft requires two people and takes around four hours. An XCub or NXCub can also be fitted with floats.

In a 2020 flight review of the tricycle landing gear-equipped CC19-180 NXCub model, KitPlanes magazine editor Marc Cook wrote, "truth is, for many pilots who came up in the period after 'real' Cubs made taildraggers the everyday airplane, the presence of a nosewheel on an airplane that’s as capable of off-pavement work as the NXCub will make the whole hard to resist. In fact, for many this is probably the backwoods airplane they’ve been waiting for all along."

The Culver Dart was a 1930s American two-seat light monoplane aircraft produced by the Dart Aircraft Company (later the Culver Aircraft Company).

In the early 1930s Al Mooney was working for the Lambert Aircraft Corporation, builders of the Monocoupe series aircraft. He designed a small two-seat monoplane, the Monosport G. When the company ran into financial difficulties Mooney bought the rights to his design and with K.K. Culver formed the Dart Aircraft Company. The aircraft was renamed the Dart Dart or Dart Model G.

The aircraft was a low-wing monoplane designed to be light with clean lines to enable it to use low powered aero-engines. It had a fixed undercarriage and a tailwheel. The initial version was named the Dart G powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 radial engine. That engine was in short supply, so the aircraft was fitted with a Ken-Royce engine and designated the Dart GK. The final version was the Dart GW powered by a Warner Scarab Junior radial engine. Two special aircraft were built with larger engines. In 1939 the company was renamed the Culver Aircraft Company and the aircraft was renamed the Culver Dart.

Variants

Dart G
Initial production version powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 - ca. 50 built.
Dart GC
125 hp (93 kW) Continental O-200 - 10 built
Dart GK
Variant fitted with a 90 hp (67 kW) Ken-Royce 5G engine - 25 built.
Dart GW
Final production version powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Warner Scarab Junior - 8 built.
Dart GW Special
Two aircraft fitted with larger Warner engines, one with a 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engine, and the other with 145 hp (108 kW) Warner Super Scarab SS-50A engine.
X-F 220 Super Dart
An experimental variant modified with a 220 hp (160 kW) Continental R-670, 8 foot wing reduction and a 188 mph (163 kn; 303 km/h) cruise speed. Used by Rodney Jocelyn in national aerobatics.

Based on the pre-World War II Cadet and using the wartime experience with radio-controlled aircraft the company designed a two-seat cabin monoplane. The Model V had a low-set cantilever wing with the outer panels having a pronounced dihedral. It had a conventional or a tricycle retractable landing gear and an enclosed cabin with side by side seating for two. It was unique in that it had a system called Simpli-Fly Control where the aircraft was automatically trimmed for takeoff, landing and cruise, by turning a small metal wheel between the two seats and lining up two arrows with the mode of flying the aircraft. Interconnecting controls then adjusted the trim according to the arrow settings. Simpli-Fly was not popular with pilots. Only a limited production run of 350 Model Vs was achieved before the company went bankrupt.

In 1956 the Superior Aircraft Company bought the assets of Culver and put the Model V back into production as the Superior Satellite. The main difference was the use of a 95 hp Continental engine which increased the cruise speed to 130 mph (209 km/h). Only a prototype and five production aircraft were built.

The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the US Army, the "Jenny" (the common nickname derived from "JN") continued after World War I as a civil aircraft, as it became the "backbone of American postwar [civil] aviation".

Thousands of surplus Jennys were sold at bargain prices to private owners in the years after the war and became central to the barnstorming era that helped awaken the US to civil aviation through much of the 1920s.

Curtiss combined the best features of the model J and model N trainers, built for the US Army and US Navy, and began producing the JN or "Jenny" series of aircraft in 1915. Curtiss built only a limited number of the JN-1 and JN-2 biplanes. The design was commissioned by Glenn Curtiss from Englishman Benjamin Douglas Thomas, formerly of the Sopwith Aviation Company.

The JN-2 was an equal-span biplane with ailerons controlled by a shoulder yoke in the aft cockpit. It was deficient in performance, particularly climbing, because of excessive weight. The improved JN-3 incorporated unequal spans with ailerons only on the upper wings, controlled by a wheel. In addition, a foot bar was added to control the rudder.

The 1st Aero Squadron of the Aviation Section, US Signal Corps received eight JN-2s at San Diego in July 1915. The squadron was transferred to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in August to work with the Field Artillery School, during which one JN-2 crashed, resulting in a fatality. The pilots of the squadron met with its commander, Capt. Benjamin Foulois, to advise that the JN-2 was unsafe because of low power, shoddy construction, lack of stability, and overly sensitive rudder. Foulois and his executive officer Capt. Thomas D. Milling disagreed, and flights continued until a second JN-2 crashed in early September, resulting in the grounding of the six remaining JN-2s until mid-October. When two new JN-3s were delivered, the grounded aircraft were then upgraded in accordance with the new design. In March 1916, these eight JN-3s were deployed to Mexico for aerial observation during the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916–1917.

After the successful deployment of the JN-3, Curtiss produced a development, known as the JN-4, with orders from both the US Army and an order in December 1916 from the Royal Flying Corps for a training aircraft to be based in Canada. The Canadian version, the JN-4 (Canadian), also known as the "Canuck", had some differences from the American version, including a lighter airframe, ailerons on both wings, a bigger and more rounded rudder, and differently shaped wings, stabilizer, and elevators.

As many as 12 JN-4 aircraft were fitted with an aftermarket Sikorsky wing by the then fledgling company in the late 1920s.

For operational histoy and the long list of variants, click here.

The Curtiss Robin, introduced in 1928, was a high-wing monoplane built by the Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company. The J-1 version was flown by Wrongway Corrigan who crossed the Atlantic after being refused permission.

The Robin, a workmanlike cabin monoplane, had a wooden wing and steel tubing fuselage. The cabin accommodated three persons; two passengers were seated side-by-side behind the pilot. Early Robins were distinguished by large flat fairings over the parallel diagonal wing bracing struts; the fairings were abandoned on later versions, having been found to be ineffective in creating lift. The original landing gear had bungee rubber cord shock absorbers, later replaced by an oleo-pneumatic system; a number of Robins had twin floats added. Variants of the Robin were fitted with engines which developed 90–185 hp (67–138 kW).

A single modified Robin (with a 110 hp (82 kW) Warner R-420-1) was used by the United States Army Air Corps, and designated the XC-10. This aircraft was used in a test program for radio-controlled (and unmanned) flight.

Cuba's national airline, Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, was founded in 1929 with the Curtiss-Wright company serving as its co-founder and major investor. The airline's first aircraft was a Curtiss Robin and it was flown on domestic routes as a mail and passenger transport.

From September 1929 to May 1930 a Robin C-1 was used to deliver the McCook, Nebraska Daily Gazette to communities in rural Nebraska and Kansas. The airplane flew a nonstop route of 380 miles (610 km) daily, dropping bundles of newspapers from a height of 500 feet (150 m) to local carriers.

A Curtiss Robin C was purchased by the Paraguayan government in 1932 for the transport squadron of its air arm. It was intensively used as a VIP transport plane and air ambulance during the Chaco War (1923–1935).

For details of the 19 variants, click here.

The Custom Flight North Star is a Canadian amateur-built aircraft, designed by Morgan Williams and produced by Custom Flight of Tiny, Ontario. The aircraft is based on the Piper PA-18 Super Cub and is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The North Star features a strut-braced high-wing, a single-seat, a two-seats-in-tandem enclosed cockpit that is 29 in (74 cm) wide, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft fuselage is made from welded 4130 steel tubing, with the wing constructed from aluminum sheet and all surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 36.3 ft (11.1 m) span wing employs a USA 35B airfoil, has an area of 190.7 sq ft (17.72 m2) and mounts flaps. The wing is supported by "V"-struts and jury struts. The aircraft's recommended engine power range is 150 to 180 hp (112 to 134 kW) and standard engines used include the 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 four-stroke powerplant. Construction time from the supplied kit is 1200 hours. The aircraft can be mounted on wheels, floats or skis.

By December 2011 the company indicated that 20 examples had been completed and flown. By December 2015, 10 examples had been registered with Transport Canada and 13 in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Designed by Anton Cvjetkovic for home construction, the CA-65 Skyfly is a two-seat (side-by-side) wooden low-wing monoplane with a retractable tailwheel undercarriage and optional folding wings. It was first flown in 1965.

An all-metal version (CA-65A) was also designed to be home-built but does not have the folding wings.

The aircraft has an ICAO Type Designator CA65

The CZAW Parrot, also called the CSA Parrot, is a Czech light-sport aircraft that was designed and produced by Czech Aircraft Works, now Czech Sport Aircraft of Prague. The aircraft first flew on 15 June 2005 and, while it was available, it was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.

The Parrot was discontinued in May 2008, after three were completed and the design developed into the PS-10 Tourer.

The Parrot was designed to comply with the US light-sport aircraft rules. It features a cantilever high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The Parrot is made from aluminum sheet. Its forward-swept 11.4 m (37.4 ft) span wing has an area of 9.5 m2 (102 sq ft). The forward sweep allows the cabin to be forward of the wing, providing pilot visibility in turns. Standard engines available were the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS and the 120 hp (89 kW) Jabiru 3300 four-stroke powerplants.

The Parrot was first flown on 15 June 2005 and the prototype was immediately shipped to the United States to be displayed at AirVenture 2005. The design was added to the Federal Aviation Administration's list of approved special light-sport aircraft in January 2006. By May 2008 three Parrots had been completed and the aircraft was discontinued.

The design was included in the intellectual property transferred from CZAW to CSA in 2009 and then redesigned with components from the PS-28 Cruiser and designated as the PS-10 Tourer. The PS-10 Tourer first flew on 6 December 2010 and was first publicly shown at the Aero show in Friedrichshafen in 2011. By December 2012 the PS-10 was not yet advertised for sale by CSA.

Variants
Parrot
Base model with gross weight of 600 kg (1,323 lb). First flown 15 June 2005, discontinued May 2008 after three built.
PS-10 Tourer
Developmental evolution of the Parrot to include common engine cowling, nose gear and rudder assemblies with the PS-28 Cruiser, plus the addition of rear windows, larger elevator trim tab, removal of rudder horn and the empty weight was reduced. First flown 6 December 2010.

The Parsons-Jocelyn PJ-260 was an aerobatic biplane aircraft built in the United States to participate in the 1962 World Aerobatic Championships in Budapest. It served as the prototype for a family of closely related aircraft produced under designer Nick D'Apuzzo's name as the D-260 and D-295 Senior Aero Sport', D-200 Junior Aero Sport and the D-201 Sportwing which were marketed for homebuilding. The original PJ-260 was named for the pilots who commissioned the aircraft and hoped to compete with it, Lindsey Parsons and Rod Jocelyn. The PJ-260 and its derivatives were conventional short-coupled biplanes with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The single-bay, equal-span wings (unequal-span on D-295) were staggered and braced with N-struts, and the outer panels of the upper wing were swept back. The fuselage construction was of fabric over a steel-tube framework, and the wings were of fabric-covered wooden spars and metal ribs.

Variants

PJ-260
D-295 Senior Aero Sport
A two-seat derivative of the original PJ-260 that was marketed to home builders from the mid-1960s onwards. Early examples were distinguished as D-260 for those powered by the same 260 hp Lycoming O-435 engine that powered the PJ-260, while D-295 indicated those powered by the 295 hp Lycoming O-480. Later, this distinction became less meaningful, with D-260s produced with engines of up to 300 hp.[1]
D-200 Junior Aero Sport
A slightly scaled-down version of the PJ-260, designed to use a 180 hp Lycoming O-360. Work on two prototypes commenced in 1964, but was not completed by the time the more complete of the machines was damaged in a fire in 1973. Work resumed in 1975, but was suspended in favour of the D-201 Sportwing.
D-260
D-201 Sportwing
Like the D-260, a two-seater. It was developed in 1977 with the intention of simplifying construction of the aircraft for homebuiders, as well as reducing the weight of the design. The prototype flew in or around 1981, and five sets of plans had sold by 1984.

The Parsons-Jocelyn PJ-260 was an aerobatic biplane aircraft built in the United States to participate in the 1962 World Aerobatic Championships in Budapest. It served as the prototype for a family of closely related aircraft produced under designer Nick D'Apuzzo's name as the D-260 and D-295 Senior Aero Sport', D-200 Junior Aero Sport and the D-201 Sportwing which were marketed for homebuilding. The original PJ-260 was named for the pilots who commissioned the aircraft and hoped to compete with it, Lindsey Parsons and Rod Jocelyn. The PJ-260 and its derivatives were conventional short-coupled biplanes with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The single-bay, equal-span wings (unequal-span on D-295) were staggered and braced with N-struts, and the outer panels of the upper wing were swept back. The fuselage construction was of fabric over a steel-tube framework, and the wings were of fabric-covered wooden spars and metal ribs.

Variants
PJ-260
D-295 Senior Aero Sport
A two-seat derivative of the original PJ-260 that was marketed to home builders from the mid-1960s onwards. Early examples were distinguished as D-260 for those powered by the same 260 hp Lycoming O-435 engine that powered the PJ-260, while D-295 indicated those powered by the 295 hp Lycoming O-480. Later, this distinction became less meaningful, with D-260s produced with engines of up to 300 hp.
D-200 Junior Aero Sport
A slightly scaled-down version of the PJ-260, designed to use a 180 hp Lycoming O-360. Work on two prototypes commenced in 1964, but was not completed by the time the more complete of the machines was damaged in a fire in 1973. Work resumed in 1975, but was suspended in favour of the D-201 Sportwing.
D-260  (Specifications below)
D-201 Sportwing
Like the D-260, a two-seater. It was developed in 1977 with the intention of simplifying construction of the aircraft for homebuilders, as well as reducing the weight of the design. The prototype flew in or around 1981, and five sets of plans had sold by 1984.

The Davenport BD-2 Nuggit (sic) is an American biplane developed for homebuilt construction.

The B-2 Nuggit is a single place biplane with conventional landing gear. The cockpit is covered with a sliding bubble canopy. The fuselage is welded steel construction with aircraft fabric covering. A round cowling covers the engine to appear like a radial engine installation. The wing uses a wooden spar with aluminum wing ribs.

The Davis D-1 is an American light two-seat parasol-winged monoplane of the late 1920s.

The Davis D-1 was developed from the Davis V-3, which in turn was developed from the Vulcan American Moth. The Davis Aircraft Corporation had its factory at Richmond, Indiana. The D-1 is a parasol-winged aircraft of mixed construction with a two-spar wing and a rectangular welded steel-tube fuselage, the whole being covered by fabric. There are tandem open cockpits and it is fitted with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage which is attached by struts to the fuselage top and bottom. The wing is braced by struts from the lower fuselage. Various engines of between 60 and 125 hp (45 and 93 kW) have been fitted.

The D-1 was used from 1929 by sporting pilots and by private pilot owners for leisure flying. In September 1930, Art Chester bought a Davis D-1-85 parasol, and flew it to victory in the 1930 National Air Races. A late model D-1W "The Whistler II" was built in 1933 for Davis with a canopy. It was raced in the 1934 Miami air race by Art Davis winning the category at 133.478 mph. It was later owned by movie star Richard Arlen, and restored to become a Grand Champion antique.

Most Davis aircraft were sold in the United States but at least one went to Argentina. Fourteen examples remained in 2001 in various states of airworthiness and several are still airworthy in 2011.

Variants

D-1
60 hp (45 kW) LeBlond 5D (23 built)
D-1-166
85 hp (63 kW) LeBlond 5DF (4 built)
D-1-K
100 hp (75 kW) Kinner K-5 (10-15 built)
D-1-L
prototype of the D-1-166 with 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 (1 built - also known as D-1-85)

D-1-W   (Specifications below)
125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab (8 converted from D-1-K)

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.

A major design consideration was ease of assembly for a first time home aircraft builder. Examples of this include: few curved components, a V-tail is one less control surface to build, and each wing is made from two sheets of aluminum with no trimming involved.

Plans have been intermittently available over the years. They are as of August 2019, available from D2 Aircraft.

For an interesting illustrated blog on the rebuilding of the DA-2 in the last image below, click here.