UK variant Pietenpol Air CamperAir Camper with a Ford Model A engineA Pietenpol Air Camper under construction, showing its wooden frame structure."Pinocho", an Air Camper made in Mexico by Miguel Carrillo Ayala in 1935 and now in the Museo Militar de Aviación. Powered by a 201 CID engine of a Ford Model A.
The Air Camper was designed to be built of spruce and plywood. One of Pietenpol's goals was to create a plane that was affordable and easy to construct for home builders. Building an Air Camper requires basic woodworking skills and tools. Builders also need to fabricate some metal fittings to attach the wooden parts together. Some welding is required. The plans for the Pietenpol Aircamper were originally published in a four-part serial in the "Flying and Glider" Manual of 1932-33.[4][5]
The original model was flown using an Ace four cylinder water-cooled engine.[4] The Model A Ford engine later became the standard powerplant used; the design was first flown with one in May 1929.[1]
In the 1960s Bernard Pietenpol began to favor converted engines from Chevrolet Corvair automobiles. The Corvair flat six was higher horsepower, smoother, and significantly lighter, compared to the Model A, and was similar to those already available for general aviation use. The length of a Pietenpol varies with the engine choices, as lighter engines needed to be mounted further forward for weight and balance reasons.[7] Over the years over 30 different engines have flown in the Pietenpol Air Camper. Many modern Pietenpol builders prefer Continental A65, C85 or C90 air-cooled flat fours.[4] Several examples of the Aircamper have been built in Europe and in 2012 were still flying.
In the 1920s and 1930s, kits were available for the design, but there were none available again until 2015 when the Pietenpol Aircraft Company introduced a kit version of the Air Camper, with components supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. The kit includes all parts except the engine, dope, fabric covering, and hardware.[8]
BH Pietenpol also designed and published plans for a single-seat version of the aircraft named the Pietenpol Sky Scout, which was slightly smaller and was powered by the Ford Model T engine.[4] During the late 1920s and early 1930s, this was less expensive than the Model A used in the Air Camper.[9]
UK LAA-approved Pietenpol Air Camper
In some countries, civil aviation authority approval is required for each experimental aircraft design, in addition to the approval of each aircraft an individual makes, as in the US. A variant of the Pietenpol Air Camper was designed by Mr. J. K. Wills, and UK Light Aircraft Association approval was obtained for this variant.[10]
^ ab"Pietenpol Aircraft Company - Pietenpol Air Camper History". pietenpolaircraftcompany.com. Pietenpol Aircraft Company. Retrieved June 20, 2017. By now Henry Ford had come out with his new car, the Model A, powered by a bigger four cylinder engine. At an estimated 40 horsepower, this engine seemed just the thing for Bernard Pietenpol's new aircraft design's needs, and having been on the market for several years, junk yards were starting to get as many of them as Model T engines...So Bernard Pietenpol went to work converting the Ford Model A engine for his new monoplane. In May 1929 Bernard Pietenpol test flew his Air Camper with the new engine. It was a complete success - a perfect match of airframe to power plant.
^Bowers, Peter M.: Guide to Homebuilts, 9th Edition, pages 10-12. Tab Books, 1984. ISBN0-8306-2364-7
^Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 150. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN0-918312-00-0
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