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I used to be involved with U.L. aircraft before I litteraly "grew out" of them....
There is a guy by the name of Roger Mann, that used to run an informal business called Rag Wing Aviation.
I built a replica U.L. version of the Pietenpole Air Camper, that was an all wood design, scaled down version of the original tried and true Piet. This was one of the plans built designs put out by Rag Wing. Others included a scaled Pitts Biplane, a two seat Dehaviland Moth, and the Storch. Mann based his designs from an ex-Lockheed engineer...Wayne Ison, of the Mini-Max fame...Ison is like the Quantas Airlines of Homebuilt Ultralight designers...though there have been some fatal accidents involving his designs, they have never been due to structural failure or aircraft design....all pilot error, mostly guys who built their own planes, and never got any formal instruction on how to fly them.
I still have the fuselage of my bird....grandkids love to set in her and make airplane noises....The Red Baron has been shot down countless times in my garage...In 1999, I went thru a house fire, and the Rag Wing I was building escaped fire damage...the fire department wasn't too critical as to where they could put the water either..as the garage wasn't in any danger. I had just finished with the wing construction, and was in the fitting stages of assembling the U.L. when the fire occured... As the fuselage was already varnished, it was in great shape....After two years in dry storage, the wings started showing signs of rot, so I made a rather large bon fire with them, and cooked a few marshmellows and weiners. Fuselage (on gear) has withstood 6 grandkids, and several XX-sized brother-in-laws and neighbors in the last 13 years. It is also utilized by people who want to find out how they will fit inside an ultra light, and also to see if they will be able to get in or out of it...or as I say, " put it on"....yes , I still can, without the wing or it's bracing wires...
In fact, if I don't sell it this spring, one of my sons are thinking about getting the old man to help finish it for flight..
As far as the Storch...I wish I would have started on that project, as it is a two seat design....side by side or tandem...(it would make a great single seat bird for me!) Roger built a few of these and has flown them...He used a Geo Metro 3 cyl. engine, and produced a video showing 50' take-offs and landings...
I believe his were a 3/4 scale..had slats and flaps like the real deal...All wood airframe, easy to build.
G
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