Spacewalker

Since the early 1950s the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has been a hotbed of home-built activity in the U.S. Many new designs have seen the light of day; each was the inspiration for someone else to come up with something better, faster, slower, safer, or just different. The movement began with more-or-less conventional designs, but by the 1980s had progressed to slick, fast, composite designs.

Mohawk Pinto

THE PERIOD BETWEEN the First and Second World Wars was an exciting time for the aircraft industry in the United States. In addition to the established aircraft companies, many new firms started designing and building airplanes. One of these companies was the Mohawk Corporation, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They produced several models of the Pinto, the airplane presented here. I only have a little information about the Pinto and its flight characteristics. This version was produced in 1930, designed by Professor John Ackerman. It was powered by Kinner K5 engine. The wingspan was 34 feet 11 inches, and its length was 24 feet 2 inches. I found drawings for a rubber-powered model of this airplane in Worldwide Aeroplans issue number three. The drawings, designed by Dick Gates, were quite detailed and included sketches and a photo of the full-scale aircraft.

Autoplane: Golden Age twin for Speed 400 Electrics

Just as the needle of a compass is compelled to seek the magnetic North, I find myself inexorably drawn to aircraft designs of the 1930s. Although some aircraft from this Golden Age are easily recognizable, I suspect few enthusiasts could readily identify the Autoplane. This British light twin was constructed and successfully flown, despite the fact that neither of its creators (Edmund Hordern and Lord Richmond) had any experience in aircraft design. When the plans were shown to the Heston Aircraft firm, they were approved on the condition that Continental A 40 engines would replace the originally specified Aerial engines.

Pages