Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/323139
20 Vol.3 No.6 / June 2014 AN AIRPL ANE FOR AN ORDINARY PERSON WITH ALL THE COMPOSITE and all-metal airplanes available for today's homebuilder, why would anyone choose to devote years to building a wooden-fuselage, parasol- winged, hang-out-in-the-breeze, two-place airplane that strains to top 75 mph? That's the question I asked Randy Bush of Lexington, Tennessee, as we stood together at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 admiring Miss Le'Bec, his Pietenpol Air Camper. "It's like riding a motorcycle in the air—complete free- dom," he answered. He chose a Pietenpol specifically because: "My grand- father knew a man who had built one, and so I recognized the name when I started thinking about building a plane." Randy had narrowed his choice down to the Pietenpol Air Camper, a 1929 design, and the Hatz Classic biplane, a 1968 design. In the end, two things about the Pietenpol stood out—the smaller parts count compared to the Hatz, and the Brodhead Pietenpol Association (BPA), an enthu- siastic owners group dedicated to Pietenpol designs. The mystical grip that the Pietenpol Air Camper has on its devotees is illustrated by the title of the forum BPA presented at AirVenture 2013—"The Zen of Pietenpol Homebuilding." The Pietenpol Air Camper is a lightweight, tandem- seat, two-place airplane that is plans-built of wood and fabric. Today Pietenpol plans and building manuals are sold by Andrew Pietenpol, the grandson of Bernard Pieten- pol, who was the man who created the original Pietenpol Air Camper design in 1929. The 1929 version was powered by a Model A Ford engine. Since these engines still can be found today, Pietenpol purists still use them. Randy chose, installed, and is happy with a modified Corvair automotive engine. T HE BUIL DE R 'S S T OR Y It's a stretch to understand where Randy found the time to build an airplane since his day-to-day responsibilities include raising his four children as a single parent and working as an over-the-road truck driver. His story is proof that passion always finds a way to express itself. He said, "I built it a little bit at a time." Prior to buying the plans, Randy traveled from his home in Tennessee to attend one of the Pietenpol re- unions held every year at the Brodhead Airport (C37) in Wisconsin. At Brodhead he looked at Air Campers and talked to owners and builders. During that trip, he veri- fied the claim that the Air Camper could be "built by an ordinary man with hand tools and a barn." Randy met William Wynne (EAA 331351) of FlyCorvair.com at the reunion. William, an acknow- ledged Corvair engine expert, told Randy that the Corvair engine was an affordable engine that was reliable and durable and performed well after incorporating Randy says fl ying the Air Camper is like riding a motorcycle in the air. Randy used aircraft-grade spruce and mahogany throughout the aircraft. He covered the Piet using the Stewart Systems fabric and water-borne fi nishing system. Traditional round engine instruments keep Randy's Air Camper looking like a 1929 design should. Photography by Andrew Zaback E A A E X P _ J u n e 1 4 . i n d d 2 0 EAAEXP_June14.indd 20 6 / 3 / 1 4 8 : 3 8 A M 6/3/14 8:38 AM