Blast from the (Fly Baby) Past

[rwanttaja]

Which airplanes are what in the photo. I know a few but not all. Thanks!

Front Row: Turner T-40, Bowers Fly Baby, Treft Contestor
Second row: Speizo Tuholer, Lacey M-10, Nesmith Cougar.

October 1962 issue of Sport Aviation covers the contest aircraft starting on Page 4. Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the contestants. Here's a summary of why the other contestants were downgraded:

Turner T-40: "This airplane, while not difficult to handle, was admittedly not for an inexperienced weekend pilot flying from rough strips."

Nesmith Cougar: "The Cougar is a more complex, larger and more costly aircraft. A beginning amateur would find this a more demanding airplane to build and to fly."

Contestor: "Further attention is required in overcoming flight performance deficiencies. ...Complete drawings were not available to the judges, which technically disqualified this entry."

Spezio Tuholer: "...its stalling characteristics indicate that additional work may be required before releasing the airplane to the average pilot.... Cockpit room, however, was at a premium, making it difficult to properly handle the controls. "

Lacey M-10: "Unfortunately complete drawings were not available, nor was the aircraft made available for flight evaluation. This aircraft also was thus disqualified."

Ron Wanttaja

[Ron Blum]

Thanks, Ron W., for the great information and Sport Aviation article reference. It's an amazing story. Paul had me put a different airfoil on the Cougar when I worked for him in the mid-80s. I'm not sure what happened to any of those drawings. It's interesting that only one was a tricycle gear airplane (a sign of the times). The Turner T-40 has always caught my eye. The Lacey M-10 looks like it is simple and fast. A new airfoil (and larger wing) could probably do it wonders. Thanks again. Great article.