WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING
ects that take years to build, FRED is really the only project
for the common people."
Perhaps the best-known FRED after Eric's own prototype is
Evan Belworthy's ZK-FRD, completed down in New Zealand
with his father, Alan, back in 1979 when Evan was still a teenager.
ZK-FRD is modified with a one-piece, non-folding wing, cantilever spring gear, and a rudder with an artistically profiled Fred
Flintstone mascot. Evan wrote to Eric on FRED's 50th anniversary, saying, "Fantastic efort, Eric, FRED turning 50. To mark the
day our FRED went for a fly…great aeroplane, great fun." Evan's
words neatly sum up the spirit of Eric Clutton's FRED: great
aeroplane, great fun. Not bad for a 50-year-old design!
Matthew Long (EAA 389203) is the volunteer editor of the FRED fan
site www.CluttonFred.info, in consultation with Eric Clutton.
SPECIFICATIONS
CLUTTON FRED SERIES 3
Wingspan: 22 feet 6 inches (6.86 meters)
Wing chord: 5 feet (1.52 meters)
Wing area: 111 square feet (10.32 square meters)
Length: 16 feet (4.88 meters)
Aspect ratio: 4.5
Empty weight: 550 pounds (249 kilograms)
Maximum weight: 800 pounds (363 kilograms)
Engine: 40–65 hp*
Cruising speed: 71 mph (114 kph)
Maximum speed (Vne): 100 mph (162 kph)
Stall speed: <40 mph (<64 kph)
Rate of climb: 350–400 fpm (1.8–2.0 m/s)
Takeoff run: <300 feet (<91 meters)
*Note that these specifications reflect a ~45-hp, 1500-cc Type 1 engine
turning a 56 x 26 inch wooden propeller at 2900 rpm in cruise. Most
FRED builders have settled on 1835-cc VW conversions with a resultant
increase in performance, especially climb rate.
Through the years, Eric's original FRED has had many guises: 1) Triumph-powered first flights (note motorcycle and sidecar towing vehicle); 2) neat red-and-white
colors and a VW engine; 3) a "FRED Baron" color scheme complete with faux Spandau and a four-cylinder Franklin; and 4) coming over to the Allies in RAF trainer
yellow with a Continental A-65.
28 Vol.3 No.1 / January 2014
Photography by Eric Clutton, Tony Oliver, and Rick Coombe