Hal Stewart

THE FULL-SIZE version of this aircraft is considered to be a flying hot rod by home-built aircraft pilots. It was designed by John Thorp as a two-place low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction that could easily be built by one man equipped with a poprivet fastener gun and ordinary tools such as wrenches, tin snips, and screwdrivers. Several have been built in basement workshops and family garages. The 1965 edition of Air Progress Homebuilt Aircraft Annual provides documentation photos of the Thorp T-18 Tiger and a fascinating pilot's account of flying various home-built versions-from the standard 125-hp model to the 180-hp Super Tiger. A small airplane of 20-ft., 10-in. span, this sharp-looking but simple tail-dragger features tip dihedral without sacrificing responsive aileron control. Climbing out at 110 mph and with a max speed of 200 mph, this little hot rod cruises at 175.