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/513537
EAA Experimenter 13 and ample controls made landing a simple matter. The fi rst pro- totype was built from the plans by students at St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago, Illinois, and fl ew for the fi rst time in 1960. Hundreds of the airplanes have been built and fl own. ACRO SPORT By 1970 aerobatics had become an established sport in which the go-to airplane was the Pitts Special, an airplane that still has a reputation (however unearned) of challenging the pilot both in building and on landing. So, in typical Paul Poberezny fash- ion, he sat down at his drawing board (not his computer) and was determined to design an airplane that was not only both easier to build and land but also would still give the pilot true three-dimensional freedom. It wasn't designed to be a g-bustin' competition machine but rather an airplane that would let the pilot explore most of the aerobatic envelope in safety. In addi- tion, with its straight, Hershey-bar wings, it would be much easier and quicker to build than the Pitts. The results of his ef orts were—and are—exactly what he was looking for: a nimble aerobat that's built hell for stout but wouldn't cause the pilot's mouth to dry out on fi nal. ACRO SPORT II As the "II" indicates, this is an Acro Sport built for two full- sized people. It starts where the Acro Sport leaves of but is an entirely new airframe aimed at achieving the same goals: easy build, easy fl ight, easy to af ord. The three-piece upper wing is straight and rectangular, which is another way of saying that, as biplane wings go, it goes together faster. The ribs are all the same size, and the lack of sweepback means all the internal cor- ners of the wing structure are square. The performance of the airplane belies its benign appear- ance. With four ailerons and 180 hp to push its 1,520 gross weight pounds around, the airplane is a more accomplished acrobat than it is sometimes given credit for. It is, however, one of the easier taildraggers in its class to land. EAA Biplane Acro Sport