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33-400: The Baby Ace is a single-seat parasol wing monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration. Individual examples have been configured with tricycle landing gear. The wing uses a Clark Y -cross-section airfoil ; spars and ribs are spruce. The steel-tube parallel wings struts simplified internal wing structure, and enabled the wings to fold back for over-the-road towing. The fuselage

66-411: A CAA effort to revitalize American aviation by promoting amateur built aircraft. The articles drew intense national interest, resulting in hundreds of the planes being built, with various engines—and elevating then-obscure EAA to national prominence. To avoid compromising its non-profit status, EAA sold the rights to the planes to Cliff DuCharme ( West Bend, Wisconsin ), who resumed kit production, with

99-616: A few specialist types. Jet and rocket engines have even more power and all modern high-speed aircraft, especially supersonic types, have been monoplanes. Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company The Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company was established in Wichita, Kansas in 1929 by Orland Corben to market the world's first homebuilt aircraft , a machine of his own design called the Baby Ace . The enterprise did not last long before US regulations changed to restrict homebuilt aircraft, and Corben

132-608: A light aircraft, the configuration is significant because it offers superior visibility to the pilot. On light aircraft, shoulder-wings tend to be mounted further aft than a high wing, and so may need to be swept forward to maintain correct center of gravity . Examples of light aircraft with shoulder wings include the ARV Super2 , the Bölkow Junior , Saab Safari and the Barber Snark . A high wing has its upper surface on or above

165-407: A pendulous fuselage which requires no wing dihedral for stability; and, by comparison with a low-wing, a shoulder-wing's limited ground effect reduces float on landing. Compared to a low-wing, shoulder-wing and high-wing configurations give increased propeller clearance on multi-engined aircraft. On a large aircraft, there is little practical difference between a shoulder wing and a high wing; but on

198-464: A popular configuration for amphibians and small homebuilt and ultralight aircraft . Although the first successful aircraft were biplanes, the first attempts at heavier-than-air flying machines were monoplanes, and many pioneers continued to develop monoplane designs. For example, the first aeroplane to be put into production was the 1907 Santos-Dumont Demoiselle , while the Blériot XI flew across

231-580: A revised Model D (first flight: November 15, 1956). and a revised Junior Ace Model E. Subsequently, plans, parts, and kits for both the Baby Ace and Junior Ace became available from Thurman Baird's Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company ( Asheville, North Carolina ). "Progressive" kits (buy sections as you build) also became available. and remain so, as of 2015. In 1974, aviation historians John Underwood and Peter Bowers reported 200 Baby Aces were flying, with only one prewar example still active. They noted that only

264-677: A single-seat. open-cockpit, parasol-wing model, and an enclosed, two-seat, high-wing version. In America, state and federal laws banned homebuilding and flight in the uncertified designs by 1938. In 1948, Experimental aircraft were allowed to be built again in America. In 1952, EAA founder Paul Poberezny bought the rights to the Ace designs for $ 200, and produced a sub-$ 800 Baby Ace that was featured in Mechanix Illustrated (; some say Popular Mechanics ). The series of articles were in conjunction with

297-525: A variety of components. Poberezny was one of the founders of the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1953 and was approached by Mechanix Illustrated magazine the following year to write a series of articles on building an aircraft at home. Their publication caused considerable demand for plans, but Poberezny felt compelled to divest himself of marketing them in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest with his position within

330-660: A very few of the Junior Aces had been built before the 1930s CAA crackdown on amateur-built aircraft, with just two of the 1930s two-seaters still flying. However, in 1979, aviation journalist Don Dwiggins estimated the number of flying Baby Aces in the United States and Canada had dwindled to around 70. A 1958 Baby Ace is currently the oldest Canadian homebuilt aircraft flying. Data from General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Parasol wing A monoplane

363-489: A wing of a given size, the weight reduction allows it to fly slower and with a lower-powered and more economical engine. For this reason, all monoplane wings in the pioneer era were braced and most were up until the early 1930s. However, the exposed struts or wires create additional drag, lowering aerodynamic efficiency and reducing the maximum speed. High-speed and long-range designs tend to be pure cantilevers, while low-speed short-range types are often given bracing. Besides

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396-432: Is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes , which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing configuration and is the simplest to build. However, during the early years of flight, these advantages were offset by its greater weight and lower manoeuvrability, making it relatively rare until

429-559: Is of fabric-covered tubular construction, and wing struts are steel tube. There is a door in the right side. Streamlining and fairing was largely done with balsa wood. Its landing gear is a split-axle type, with bungee cord suspension, similar to gear of the Piper Cub . Some are fitted with brakes, using Aeronca -type heel pedals. Under the Corben Sport Plane and Supply Co. ( Peru, Indiana ), two versions were offered, using using

462-410: Is that the fuselage is closer to the ground which eases cargo loading, especially for aircraft with a rear-fuselage cargo door. Military cargo aircraft are predominantly high-wing designs with a rear cargo door. A parasol wing is not directly attached to the fuselage but held above it, supported by either cabane struts or a pylon. Additional bracing may be provided by struts or wires extending from

495-564: The English Channel in 1909. Throughout 1909–1910, Hubert Latham set multiple altitude records in his Antoinette IV monoplane, eventually reaching 1,384 m (4,541 ft). The equivalent German language term is Eindecker , as in the mid-wing Fokker Eindecker fighter of 1915 which for a time dominated the skies in what became known as the " Fokker scourge ". The German military Idflieg aircraft designation system prior to 1918 prefixed monoplane type designations with an E , until

528-665: The Fokker D.VIII and Morane-Saulnier AI in the later part of the First World War. A parasol wing also provides a high mounting point for engines and during the interwar period was popular on flying boats, which need to lift the propellers clear of spray. Examples include the Martin M-130 , Dornier Do 18 and the Consolidated PBY Catalina . Compared to a biplane , a parasol wing has less bracing and lower drag. It remains

561-451: The braced parasol wing became popular on fighter aircraft, although few arrived in time to see combat. It remained popular throughout the 1920s. On flying boats with a shallow hull, a parasol wing allows the engines to be mounted above the spray from the water when taking off and landing. This arrangement was popular on flying boats during the 1930s; a late example being the Consolidated PBY Catalina . It died out when taller hulls became

594-639: The 1930s, the cantilever monoplane was fast becoming the standard configuration for a fixed-wing aircraft. Advanced monoplane fighter-aircraft designs were mass-produced for military services around the world in both the Soviet Union and the United States in the early–mid 1930s, with the Polikarpov I-16 and the Boeing P-26 Peashooter respectively. Most military aircraft of WWII were monoplanes, as have been virtually all aircraft since, except for

627-457: The 1930s. Since then, the monoplane has been the most common form for a fixed-wing aircraft. The inherent efficiency of the monoplane is best achieved in the cantilever wing, which carries all structural forces internally. However, to fly at practical speeds the wing must be made thin, which requires a heavy structure to make it strong and stiff enough. External bracing can be used to improve structural efficiency, reducing weight and cost. For

660-547: The 45-hp Szekeley SR-3 , 40-hp Salmson AD9 , 35-hp Continental A-40 , or 30-hp Heath B4 . A variety of aircraft powerplants may be used, typically in the 65-100 hp (50-75 kW) range. Most versions flying today use the Continental A65 aircraft engine. Examples have been built using 70 hp Corvair engines . The original Baby Ace was built in 1929, in Topeka, Kansas . Designer O.G. ("Ace") Corben later established

693-490: The Corben Sportplane Company ( Madison, Wisconsin ), where six Baby Aces were built, with kits also sold. The Corben Sport Plane and Supply Co. ( Peru, Indiana ), began producing the Baby Ace both in kit form and as a complete, flying aircraft. Kits included pre-welded assemblies for the fuselage, controls, tail and landing gear. Two models were offered, using using the same wings, tails, controls and landing gear:

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726-649: The EAA. Since then, the rights have changed hands several times. They were purchased from Poberezny by Cliff Du Charme of West Bend, Wisconsin, who sold them to Edwin T. Jacob of McFarland, Wisconsin in 1961. Mr. Jacob sold them in 1965 to Thurman Baird of Asheville, North Carolina , who also owned the rights to the American Flea and the Heath Parasol aircraft. The rights were purchased from Baird's estate in 1986 by Denny Meadows of Chesapeake, West Virginia , who sold them to

759-476: The aircraft more manoeuvrable, as on the Spitfire ; but aircraft that value stability over manoeuvrability may then need some dihedral . A feature of the low-wing position is its significant ground effect , giving the plane a tendency to float farther before landing. Conversely, this ground effect permits shorter takeoffs. A mid wing is mounted midway up the fuselage. The carry-through spar structure can reduce

792-521: The approval of the Fokker D.VIII fighter from its former "E.V" designation. However, the success of the Fokker was short-lived, and World War I was dominated by biplanes. Towards the end of the war, the parasol monoplane became popular and successful designs were produced into the 1920s. Nonetheless, relatively few monoplane types were built between 1914 and the late 1920s, compared with the number of biplanes. The reasons for this were primarily practical. With

825-402: The fuselage sides. The first parasol monoplanes were adaptations of shoulder wing monoplanes, since raising a shoulder mounted wing above the fuselage greatly improved visibility downwards, which was useful for reconnaissance roles, as with the widely used Morane-Saulnier L . The parasol wing allows for an efficient design with good pilot visibility, and was adopted for some fighters such as

858-433: The general variations in wing configuration such as tail position and use of bracing, the main distinction between types of monoplane is where the wing is mounted vertically on the fuselage . A low wing is one which is located on or near the bottom of the fuselage. Placing the wing low allows good visibility upwards and frees the central fuselage from the wing spar carry-through. By reducing pendulum stability, it makes

891-415: The low engine powers and airspeeds available, the wings of a monoplane needed to be large in order to create enough lift while a biplane could have two smaller wings and so be made smaller and lighter. Towards the end of the First World War, the inherent high drag of the biplane was beginning to restrict performance. Engines were not yet powerful enough to make the heavy cantilever-wing monoplane viable, and

924-410: The norm during World War II, allowing a high wing to be attached directly to the hull. As ever-increasing engine powers made the weight of all-metal construction and the cantilever wing more practical — first pioneered together by the revolutionary German Junkers J 1 factory demonstrator in 1915–16 — they became common during the post–World War I period, the day of the braced wing passed, and by

957-535: The plane was redesigned for production, becoming the Model D (first flight: November 15, 1956). The similarly redesigned two-seat Junior Ace, became the Junior Ace Model E. The first example flew with a Heath-Henderson B-4 modified motorcycle engine. However, a detachable motor mount accommodated an easy change of engines. Later models utilized various engines -- facilitated by the removeable motor mount -- including

990-493: The same wings, tails, controls and landing gear: a single-seat. open-cockpit, parasol-wing model (the Baby Ace) and an enclosed, two-seat, high-wing version ( Junior Ace ). In 1955 Paul Poberezny , founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association , redesigned the plane with Stan J. Dzik (former Waco Aircraft engineer), calling its version the Model C. EAA sold the rights to the planes to Cliff DuCharme ( West Bend, Wisconsin ), and

1023-449: The top of the fuselage. It shares many advantages and disadvantages with the shoulder wing, but on a light aircraft, the high wing has poorer upwards visibility. On light aircraft such as the Cessna 152 , the wing is usually located above the cabin, so that the wing spar passes over the occupants' heads, leaving the wing in the ideal fore-aft position. An advantage of the high-wing configuration

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1056-439: The useful fuselage volume near its centre of gravity, where space is often in most demand. A shoulder wing (a category between high-wing and mid-wing) is a configuration whereby the wing is mounted near the top of the fuselage but not on the very top. It is so called because it sits on the "shoulder" of the fuselage, rather than on the pilot's shoulder. Shoulder-wings and high-wings share some characteristics, namely: they support

1089-501: Was forced to stop marketing his design. He next commenced operations in Madison, Wisconsin in 1931 under the name Corben Sport Plane and Supply Company and produced a prototype sports plane known as the Super Ace . This endeavor soon languished, and the company remained dormant until Paul Poberezny purchased its assets for $ US 200 in 1952. This included plans to three aircraft designs and

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