Engineering:Laird Baby Biplane
| Baby Biplane | |
|---|---|
| |
| Replica at the Florida Air Museum | |
| Role | Homebuilt aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | Emil Matthew Laird |
| Introduction | 1912 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Laird Baby Biplane was the second aircraft built by Matty Laird in the United States of America .
Design and development
The Baby Biplane was built by Laird at the age of 16, with assistance from his brother Charles.[1]
The Baby Biplane was a single-seat biplane made of wood with aircraft fabric covering, having conventional landing gear. Later the aircraft was covered with Irish Linen and French cellulose-nitrate dope.[2]
Operational history
Laird operated from Chicago's Cicero field.[3] A self-taught pilot, his first flight resulted in the aircraft flipping over after becoming airborne. Over time, the aircraft flew up to 30 minutes at a time.[2] The instrument panel consisted of a pocket watch, used to time the fuel supply.[4]
Aircraft on display
A replica of the Baby Biplane was built by Dean Tilton and donated to the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland, Florida, United States.[5]
Specifications (Baby Biplane)
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Powerplant: 1 × Hoefer (Franklin & Indian) , 12 hp (8.9 kW)
References
- ↑ Geza Szurovy. The Baby Wings of Yesteryear: The Golden Age. p. 12.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joe Christy, LeRoy Cook. American Aviation. p. 12.
- ↑ Carroll Grey's Cicero Field aviation history website
- ↑ "Famous Flyers: "Matty" Laird, Super Sleuth". FAA Aviation News 11 (11): 10–11. March 1973. https://books.google.com/books?id=64xESEO0H0IC&q=laird+boneshaker&pg=RA10-PA10.
- ↑ "Retro Flyer". Lakeland Ledger. 31 March 1994.
External links
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