The original FRED is for sale!

http://youtu.be/9HkBPSR9LF0

After a rough year of injuries, Eric Clutton has reluctantly decided to put the original prototype FRED up for sale. The timing is right as on November 3rd, 2013, N4499Y (originally G-ASZY) will celebrate 50 years since its very first flight. That’s a milestone for any aircraft, especially a homebuilt one.

FRED would make a great addition to a museum or private collection and Eric would very much like to see it go back home to the UK. He’s asking $10,000, a fair price for such a well-maintained little plane with a great history and a purring Continental A-65 as you can see in this summer 2012 video clip.

If interested, please reach out to Eric in Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA at +1 (931) 455-2256 or doctordiesel@cafes.net.

Cheers,

Matthew

Ugh!!! I wish I hadn't just bought a Stits project! This would have been great to have.

How long does it take to fold and unfold the wings? Is it practical to tow it to an airport, fly for 2 hrs then tow it back home?

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Originally Posted by martymayes

How long does it take to fold and unfold the wings? Is it practical to tow it to an airport, fly for 2 hrs then tow it back home?

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With practice it can be done in about 20 minutes, so it's certainly possible to treat it like a boat on a trailer. Eric did just that for many years. Here is a slide show I made with Eric and a friend. Personally, I am less interested in frequent towing (though it's nice to have that capability to bring it home for the winter or if stranded due to a mechanical problem. I more interested in the possibility of sharing a hangar or even using an ordinary 20' shipping container for daily storage. That would be even faster--no need to remove the tail surfaces at all, just fold the wings and let them rest on the stabilizer, wheel in it and then rest the wings on a couple of little padded stands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Q1yReILJc

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Originally Posted by JesicaScot

This would have been great to have.

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You still can have it, Eric has had some nibbles but no bite, so FRED is still for sale.

Where is FRED now? Is someone still enjoying it?
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Alexandra
Artys Transit

I'd likely ground loop ole Fred in about a minute...