Flying used to be daring, sexy, and a little bit dangerous. Barnstorming across the countryside in a cloth and wood biplane, flying airmail through thunderstorms in an open cabin.. yes those were the days.
We have, for good reason, made flying a lot safer, and in the process, removed the thrill that danger brings.
Because of this, we need planes that look dangerous - planes that make us nervous just watching other people fly them! We need…
The Motorcycle Plane!
Fun:
This plane will be fitted with a 600cc motorcycle engine and be made mainly from carbon fiber or other composites. It would have a 12 ft wingspan, and because it would be classed as an ultralight, you would not need a special license to fly this plane. Straddling this plane will further enhance your connection with it and improve situational awareness.
Weighing in at 680lbs loaded, it would only need a short field to takeoff or land and could be stored in a 2 car garage or shed.
Safety:
The whole point is to make the plane seem daring and dangerous. For safety, a carbon fiber roll cage (not Pictured) would be attached to the fuselage and fit over the back of the rider/pilot. Incorporated into this rollcage would be a parachute capable of bringing the entire craft down safely in event of an emergency. An automatic fire extinguisher will protect the pilot from engine fires.
Pictured below is a shortened version:
So, with an idea this good, chances are, someone has already come up with it right? Well, in this case, very closely, yes.
Behold the Wee Bee:
Naturally, I was crestfallen. All that work and thought and here someone had beat me to it. By a man named Ken Coward no less!
Here is what Aerospaceweb.org had to say about this:
The first plane to be so titled was known as the Wee Bee. The diminutive plane was designed, built, and flown by Ken Coward, William Chana, and Karl Montijo in San Diego, California, during the late 1940s. Just over 14 ft (4.25 m) long and with a wingspan of only 18 ft (5.5 m), the Wee Bee was powered by a 30-hp piston engine and could carry a maximum of 200 lb (90 kg), including the pilot and fuel. Weight was kept to a minimum by having the pilot lay in a prone position atop the fuselage.
Only one example of the unusual Wee Bee was built, making its first flight in 1948. The Wee Bee was later placed on display at the San Diego Aerospace Museum but was lost in a fire that swept through the museum in 1978. A replica has now taken the place of the destroyed original. The creators of the Wee Bee also formed a small company called Bee Aviation, or Beecraft, that went on to build a larger version called the Honey Bee. With a wingspan of 28 ft (9.5 m), the Honey Bee could carry a single pilot in a more comfortable and conventional seated position.
Ahah! Only one was built! so there aren’t a bunch of these flying around out there yet. So there is still hope for the motorcycle plane.
Really though, I suppose that german guy from Flight of the Phoenix had me beat a long time ago:
I lol’d
Put me down on the waiting list. I’ll take two.
And another here, but only one. Seriously, there was this WW II movie where they were jumping off the planes wings like that, and at first I was like, ouch that’s gonna hurt, but it was actually like early parachuting.
Oh really? was this a movie?
I loved your graphics. There’s nothing wrong with improving on an idea…especially one that was originally yours even after it was originally someone elses. Obviously, Mr. Coward’s design needed improvement if it never caught one.