Photograph:
Heath Baby Bullet N6784 at Oshkosh, Wisconsin USA in 1995 (EAA, Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat high-performance racing monoplane
Power Plant:
One 24 kw (32 hp) Bristol Cherub two-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 5.48 m (18 ft)
- Length: 3.96 m (13 ft)
- Max speed: 233 km/h (145 mph)
- Landing speed: 89 km/h (55 mph)
- Weight: 107 kg (235 lb)
History:
The Baby Bullet high-performance racing monoplane was one of a range of light aircraft designed by Edward Heath, including the Heath Parasol. The Bullet aircraft was designed for air racing, which was very popular in the 1930s. Plans were marketed by the Heath Airplane Company and some hundreds of kits and plans were sold throughout the United States (US) and overseas but only a few are known to have been completed. The prototype was first flown on 23 August 1928 in Chicago, Illinois.
In recent years there has been a lot of interest in racing aircraft of the 1930s and a number have been built or are under construction. One completed in the US (NX84Y) and registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was donated by David C Cleaniger to a museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A replica was built in the US in the 1990s and was shown at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Convention at Oshkosh in 1995 registered as N6784.
There was some interest shown in the aircraft in Australia. Mr Phillip Hassett of Leichhardt in Sydney, NSW in about 1930 commenced construction of one using plans published in the ‘Modern Mechanics Flying Manual’. Aged 14 years, and employed as a wood machinist by his father, he commenced construction, but due to financial difficulties involved in obtaining a suitable engine, the construction eventually stopped and Mr Hassett turned his attention to the construction of a Clancy Skybaby.
One Albert Moynihan of Brisbane, QLD also showed interest in building a Bullet, indicating his plan to fit the aircraft with an in-line engine, a shoulder wing in lieu of the mid-wing position, and struts in place of wire rigging. He obtained a set of drawings but it is not known if construction commenced. In 2007 a builder was commissioned to build a replica in Sydney but due to the customer suffering an illness the contract was cancelled. One is known to be under construction in Albany, WA, and a couple are under construction in the United States.