Flying for Fun
D.B. Mathews 909 North Maize Road, Townhouse 734, Wichita, KS 67212
A Detective Story
Researching drawings, photos, colors, and data on aircraft can become a hobby unto itself. The challenges and potential rewards are directly proportional to the prototype's rareness and obscurity. There is voluminous documentation on some full-scale prototypes, while virtually nothing exists for others.
One of my most challenging and frustrating searches has been for materials on a really rare airplane. I had a set of drawings for a CL-scale prototype Ford Flivver done by Don Pratt, Aviation Archives. What I really wanted to find was similar documentation for the second Flivver, #3218. The usual sources simply did not have a thing. So in the October 1993 column I made an appeal for information on the Ford Flivver as pictured in Underwood and Collings' Lightplanes Since 1909.
This prototype is much more appealing than the well-documented and frequently modeled three-cylinder Anzani-powered first prototype. Its much more pleasing overall aesthetics, horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine, longer wingspan, and more attractive nose and empennage make it an ideal scale-model subject.
Bill Hannan, who had developed the plastic kit of the Anzani-powered Flivver for Williams Brothers, and Cedric Galloway suggested making contact with N. H. Hauprich of Greensburg, OH, who they knew had modified the Williams kit into the twin-cylinder version. Hauprich has proven to be a gold mine of information, and is the preeminent authority on the Flivvers. He kindly shared material with us.
Longtime friend Dick Gibbs sent a clipping from an aviation magazine with information that the Florida Aviation Historical Society was constructing a replica of #3218. A contact was made with them, and Warren Brown responded with photos of the project, some of which are reproduced here.
The following is excerpted from several issues of the newsletters of the Florida Aviation Historical Society (Box 127, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 34635).
Florida Aviation Historical Society (excerpt)
In 1926 Ford employee Otto Koppen, a young engineer from MIT, was assigned the design of a small single-place airplane that anyone could fly . . . really a Model T of the air.
The first Ford Flivver was built in great secrecy, behind locked doors. It was completed and made its first public appearance on Henry Ford's 63rd birthday, July 31, 1926. The Flivver was flown that day by Harry Brooks, the son of one of Henry Ford's neighbors.
On August 10, 1927, Detroit-born Charles A. Lindbergh arrived in Detroit on his tour of America following his epoch-making flight in May. He viewed the Flivver and asked Mr. Ford if he could fly it. "Of course," replied Ford, "but you will be only the second person to do so."
In late 1927 a second Flivver, also designed by Koppen, was built. This new design was larger than the first, featured a single-place steel-tube fuselage, and a fabric-covered low wing of wood construction. The Ford two-cylinder engine was supposed to develop 40 hp but actually delivered only 29 hp.
Brooks departed Detroit on February 21, 1928, bound for Miami in an attempt to set a new distance record for aircraft under 1,000 pounds gross weight. Mechanical trouble and bad weather forced the attempt to be terminated at Asheville, NC.
Brooks departed Detroit again bound for Miami. He had a starting sendoff by Edsel Ford, and Henry was waiting for him in Miami. A fuel leak forced a landing at Titusville, FL, but the nonstop distance of 1,010 miles set a new record. On this flight the Flivver used 40 gallons of its available 52, and the average speed was 78 mph.
On February 25, late in the afternoon, with the fuel leak repaired and a new propeller, Brooks started for Miami. He had only traveled 40 miles near Melbourne, FL, when his aircraft was observed to plunge into the water just off the beach. Brooks' body was never recovered, but the wreckage washed ashore early the next morning.
With the Ford family ordering further development, the first Flivver was discontinued. The first Flivver is on display at the Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI. In later years Otto Koppen retired to Florida and participated in the resurrection of the second prototype; his drawings advised the Florida Aviation Historical Society in the replication of the Flivver. Sadly, Mr. Koppen passed away before the replica could be completed. As of writing, mid-February 1995, the replica has completed ground-running tests, has developed some brake problems, and is still unflown.
Enough material has been gathered to develop a scale model.
Building 1/4-scale models
Duane Dahnert of Richfield, MN, and I are currently building 1/4-scale models to be powered with twin four-stroke engines.
I relate this narrative to illustrate a couple of points:
- With some diligence and a bit of luck, one can adequately document prototypes still unmodeled.
- People who are "airplane nuts" will make every effort to help someone with a serious interest in modeling historical projects.
To illustrate the latter, contributors over the years have included:
- A banker in Lawrence, KS, who offered extensive help documenting his unrestored Monocoupe used in a construction article.
- The Schweizer Corp., which provided photos of their rare 1-30 for another construction article.
- Charles LeBrecht of Wonder Lake, IL, who owns the last registered Porterfield Zephyr and provided photos for an article.
- The late Walt Mooney, who provided three-views of the Aeronca Defender (published in the April 1995 issue of this magazine).
- Dick Jackson of Rochester, NH, who provided excellent material on his Spartan C2-60.
Many other airplane enthusiasts have provided material over the years, and I hate to try listing them for fear someone will be left out.
Superb help and cooperation has also been received from:
- The Air Force Museum
- The National Archives
- The Smithsonian
- The Imperial War Museum, London
When I request help, I try to illustrate my seriousness by enclosing a photo of some other subject already built. I think this establishes credibility, since so many full-scale owners, manufacturers, and builders are deluged by less-than-sincere inquiries. It would seem that the sources would like some assurance that they aren't wasting time with some "dreamer" who likely is never going to produce a model. As always, enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope is just common courtesy.
A nice touch that seems to be much appreciated is sending photos of the completed model to the sources. A roll or two of film to replace the film used is a neat way to say thank you.
If you have a scale subject you've always wanted to develop, use the resources at your public library (and the network) to find as much information as possible, such as the FAA registry; full-scale and model magazines and books; and scale plan and photo services. Then — and only then — start writing the museums, owners, manufacturers, etc.
Don't send one of those "send me all you have on P-51s" letters. Do your homework, and learn your subject. Then you can reasonably expect cooperation.
A Little History
In the mid-1920s America was becoming airplane mad. Lindbergh's 1927 flight electrified the country as no event before or since has ever done. Every city was leaping into airport development; investors were eager to provide startup capital to anyone who wanted to build an airplane factory (Wichita had nearly thirty new manufacturers start up in 1927 alone); newspapers and newsreels were filled with reports of aviation activities from the incredible to the absurd; and America's preoccupation with technology was reaching its zenith.
Also at its zenith was the family-owned industrial giant Ford Motor Co. Their Model T Flivver had put the common man behind the wheel of an automobile, reducing time between marketplace, work, and home, and starting the social/economic revolution that we now know as the urbanization of America.
Henry Ford and his son Edsel recognized travel by air as the next great social/economic change. They hired Bill Stout (AMA has a perpetual trophy named for him) to develop a passenger-carrying aircraft that, through several evolutions, became the ubiquitous Ford Trimotor. This aircraft introduced affordable, reliable, scheduled airline service to much of the developed world, and was the backbone of the systems for many years.
Edsel also envisioned a Model T of the air: a simple and inexpensive airplane for use by the common man for daily flights to work, etc. Strangely, the commercial airline dream came true, but the concept of a single-place "everyman's airplane" has remained an elusive dream.
The Flying Flivver never found a mass market; nor have other concepts such as the Mooney Mite, the Piper Skycycle, the Lockheed Little Dipper, or many others. Only in very recent times have some ultralights and home-built kits again been developed to fill this niche.
I'll keep you posted on the Flivver project as we go along. Hopefully everything will turn out well, and it will be something to Fly for Fun. ✈
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
