The Staib LB-2, also called the Little Bastard, Little Bit and The Monster, is a homebuilt aircraft design of Wilbur Staib. It once held the title as the "worlds smallest monoplane".
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Design and development
Wilbur Staib (1914-1993) was a self-taught aircraft designer from Diamond, Missouri. Staib served as a flight instructor during the Second World War at Chanute, Kansas flying PT-14s. Staib designed and built five different "LB" (Little Bastard) aircraft and a helicopter, of which several had the title "world's smallest" at their time of construction. Staib flew his aircraft in airshows with the title "The Diamond Wizard".
The LB-2 is a single engine low-wing, open cockpit monoplane with conventional landing gear. LB-2 was the considered the "World's Smallest Monoplane" when built to take the title from Ray Stits 8 ft (2.4 m) span aircraft. The wing section was adapted from a Piper Cub airfoil.
Operational history
The LB-2 was flown at near top speed, with stalls untested. The roll rate was good, but turns were difficult. Landing speed was 120 mph (193 km/h). The fuselage was dissembled in 1953 to build the Staib LB-3 biplane.
The LB-3 used new 14 ft (4.3 m) span wings made in the same fashion as Staib's LB-1 with brazed steel spring wing ribs with Taylorcraft airfoil sections. The aircraft cruised at 125 mph (201 km/h) and operated on the airshow circuit for two years. Cliff Baker operated the aircraft one more season, suffering a broken back after a high-speed incident.
Variants
Specifications (Staib LB-1)
Data from Air Trails
General characteristics
Performance