First flight 1966 | ||
The Staib LB-4 a.k.a. Staib Airyplane is a homebuilt aircraft design of Wilbur Staib.
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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-4 is a high-wing, uncovered welded steel tube fuselage, single seat twin-engine tricycle gear aircraft. It was registered by the FAA in 1966, and was considered at the time to be the world's smallest twin engine aircraft. The wing ribs were a shortened pattern from a Piper Cub, assembled with staples. The tail is section is mounted on a wire braced removable boom for storage. Fuel tanks are made from 1 U.S. gallon (3.8 L; 0.83 imp gal) paint-thinner cans. The engines recoil starters.
Operational history
The LB-4 was test flown in 1966 at Carthage, Missouri. The aircraft cruises at 60 mph (97 km/h) and must be flown at full throttle. Later configurations included a third 10 hp (7 kW) engine mounted on top of the wing in pusher configuration.
Specifications (Staib LB-1)
Data from Air Trails
General characteristics
Performance