EAA Biplane

The EAA Biplane was a recreational aircraft designed in the United States in the late 1950s and marketed as plans for homebuilding.

Design and development

The design was produced for the EAA by a team of Allison engineers led by EAA member Jim D. Stewart. This team took the Gere Sport of the 1930s as their starting point and eventually developed a completely new design.

The prototype was constructed by students at St. Rita of Cascia High School, Chicago and first flew in 1960. It was a single-seat biplane of conventional configuration, with staggered, single-bay equal-span wings braced with N-struts. The undercarriage was of fixed tailwheel type. The fuselage was built from fabric-covered welded steel tube, and the wings were fabric-covered wood. Plans for the biplane remained available until 1972, by which time some 7,000 sets had been sold. The prototype is now preserved at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Specifications (typical)

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
• Wingspan: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
• Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
• Wing area: 108 ft² (10.03 m²)
• Empty weight: 695 lb (315 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,023 lb (464 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental C85, 85 hp (63 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h)
• Stall speed: 42 mph (67 km/h)
• Range: 200 miles (322 km)
• Service ceiling: 11,500 ft (3,505 m)

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 347. 
• Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977-78. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 536–37. 
• AirVenture Museum page on type
• airVenture Museum specification page for Biplane with 85 hp engine and open cockpit