Warbird Information Exchange

Plans for these are in the $25 range. The kits (including wood, but not finishing materials and tools) are ~$450, as I recall.

One of the unfortunate things is that they are not steerable, so are not a one for one substitute for a tricycle.

The siteis a bit lacking, but here's a link to the website that sells the plans and kits:

http://www.pedalplanekits.com/

"Regarding Kyleb.....One of the unfortunate things is that they are not steerable, so are not a one for one substitute for a tricycle."

They are very steerable. The stick is moved left and right to move the tailwheel.

Don't have $450?
Want the kids to steer? (And develop those legs to work the rudders of taildragers?)

Build one for a lot less...
Back in 1981 I was a new second lieutenant at Griffiss AFB near Rome NY.
Our neighbor was a B-52 pilot, nne day his kid shows up in a red Fokker DR1 pedal car. Pretty neat.
It was a simple box plywood fuselage that mounded on a tricyce.
Back then, base Public Affairs shops had to submit story ideas to regular magizines with stories aboout AF people, we had a requirement of 4 or 6 ideas per year.
Naturally, I put 2 and 2 together.


After talking to the captain, he agreed to help out with a story about how he designed and built the plane. I wrote up an idea which had to be approved by SAC. It was, so I searched the BX magazine rack to find a DIY magazine. Found one and asked them, they liked the idea (this is in the days before email so all this took weeks) and gave me their requirements for text and photos.
Had a base photographer take photos of the plane (which neatly slipped over the trike) and provided some rough sketches of the design along with a story. To write the story, I had to go to the alert facility where he was stuck for a week sitting ground alert. I recall sitting at a table in the alert dining hall one evening working with him on the feature.

The plane was made out of single 4x8 sheet of plywood. The internal fuselage sides had verticle cuts that allowed the wood to bend enough so the fuselage would taper towards the tail (there is a technical name for this that neither of us knioew but the magazine used in the final story, so we didn't look stupid).
Up front, there was a cowl and engine. I supplied a old Model A volt guage had in my sock drawer (why?) to put something in the instrument panel.

The boy had a child-size AF flight suit his mom made which had the unit patches on it. A set of goggles completed the outfit. It looked great in the photos with his dad kneeling next to him in his flight suit. We also ran a photo in the base newspaper and perhaps, Air Force Times.

Net result, is an early-mid 1982 issue of Workbench magazine ther is a story on how to make a Tricycle Triplane (my title) out of plywood.
They presented the story very well, and turned our rough drawings into some nice plans...which of course werer scaleable to fit various trike sizes.
I have a copy somewhere in my files...but with a bit of work, you could find a copy.
I'm sure the story is still out there, check your library they may have it on microfilm.

Not long afterword my wife died and I was transferred. I lost touch with the pilot and his family. Now the boy is about 35 and probably has kids of his own.
I always wonder I he remembers the red Fokker and the guy who lived across the street with the basset hound puppy?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

I want to make the Mustang!

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Thanks for the correction.

KB

good info guys!

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

The company that I bought my plans from about 18 years ago doesn't seem to be in business and I loaned them out to someone and never got them back....

My plane is all wood, constructed like a stick and tissue kit, using "bendable" plywood (all grains in the plys running in same direction..used to make soapbox derby cars the lumber store told me).

Aircraft Spruce sells plans. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ps/pedalplanes.html

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May all your bent wings be F2G Corsairs!

There are a few places that one can buy plans for these. Arguably the best place is through the Aviation Products, Inc webpage. The EAA Website also sells the same plans. You can also get plans through Aircraft Spruce. AS has a Corsair.

http://www.pedalplanekits.com/

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/p ... lanes2.php

As far as prices go, it depends. How much fabricating do you want to do? If you do all your own, you can do it cheaper. If you get the kits, you'll spend more. I lost track of my cost, but it was somewhere between $500-$800, but I returned some of the unused things I purchased. You can expect anywhere from $200-$800 on these, it all depends.

If pedal planes are that miuch of a "chick magnet" I'll buy one.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

yeah....me too!

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

Lot's of single mom's at this airshow!

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

UPDATE: I just found out the plans I mentioned for the Fokker Dr. 1 body that fits over a tricycle was in the August 1983 issue of Workbench magazine.
If you want a WWI plane for not much money, you might want to check it out.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Bah, if you're going for 'tweener war biplanes, go Curtis F9C. THAT would be stylin'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_F9C_Sparrowhawk

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Phil K.
Yankee Air Museum
Systems Admin / Ramp Crew / Professional Photo Ruiner