Photograph:
Bowers Fly Baby VH-KNV (c/n V110) at Avalon, VIC in March 1995 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat amateur-built light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 75 kw (100 hp) Continental O-200 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- [1-B Biplane]
- Wingspan: 6.7 m (22 ft)
- Length: 5.76 m (18 ft 9 in)
- Height: 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 13.94 m² (150 sq ft)
- Max speed: 177 km/h (110 mph)
- Cruising speed: 140 km/h (87 mph)
- Stalling speed: 72 km/h (45 mph)
- Max rate of climb: 335 m/min (1,100 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 4,572 m (15,000 ft)
- Range: 467 km (290 miles)
- Take-off run: 122 m (400 ft)
- Landing run: 152 m (500 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 57 litres (12.4 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 295 kg (651 lb)
- Loaded weight: 441 kg (972 lb)
History:
The Bowers Fly Baby was designed by the well known American historian and homebuilt designer, Mr Peter Bowers, to compete in a design competition held by the United States Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) aimed at being a simple, low-cost, easy to fly, amateur-built aircraft to be built by inexperienced pilots for recreational flying.
The prototype flew for the first time on 27 July 1960 as a monoplane fitted with a 48 kw (65 hp) Continental C-65 four-cylinder engine, but was extensively damaged in an accident. Subsequently it was rebuilt with a new re-designed fuselage and was fitted with a 56 kw (75 hp) Continental C-75 engine.
Plans were made available to amateur builders and many Piper J-3 Cub parts could be used, including engine mounts, cowling, air scoops, fuel tank, wheels and brakes. Over 3,500 sets of plans were sold to prospective constructors.
In 1968 Mr Bowers designed and built a set of interchangeable biplane wings for the aircraft, the prototype of this model flying for the first time on 27 March 1969. Thus the monoplane model became known as the Model 1-A, and the biplane as the Model 1-B. In 1973 a two-seat variant was designed, having the fuselage widened to 0.97 m (3 ft 2 in), increased wingspan, and a re-designed undercarriage. Engines in the 63 kw (85 hp) to 81 kw (108 hp) range could be installed.
The wing structure was all wood, with Dacron covering. The fuselage was of wooden construction with plywood covering. In the United States examples have been fitted with floats.
First of the type registered in this region was ZK-FWO (c/n AACA-1066), a Model 1-B, at Mt Maunganui, NZ in April 1990, and the first completed in Australia was registered as VH-YFB (c/n W138) in September 1990 at Guildford, WA.
Since then further examples have been completed. Of the examples completed, one was known as the Hevle Classic. This was a two-seat variant of the Fly Baby with a single low wing fitted with a Rotec 75 kw (100 hp) seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, the first such aircraft completed being registered VH-BQZ (c/n 001) to Rotec Engineering Pty Ltd of Mordiallic, VIC on 16 March 2006 and shown for the first time at the Natfly event at Narromine, NSW over Easter 2006.
In mid 2011 two American-built Fly Babys were imported from the United States by Colin Hay of Waimate, NZ, becoming ZK-CFB (c/n 71-23 – ex N3096Z) and ZK-OFB (c/n 65-16 – ex N9122).