Harman Patil (Editor)

Stits DS 1

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Stits DS-1

The Stits DS-1 Baby Bird is a homebuilt aircraft built to achieve a "world's smallest" status. The Baby Bird is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Smallest Airplane in the World.” as of 1984. The title was later defined as "world's smallest monoplane" to acknowledge The Robert Star Bumble Bee as the world's smallest biplane.

Contents

Development

The DS-1 is a single-engine, single-seat highwing aircraft. Development started in 1980 to beat Ray Stits' record for World's smallest aircraft, the Stits SA-2A Sky Baby. The fuselage is welded steel tubing with fabric covering. The wing is all-wood construction.

Operational history

34 Flights were conducted in 1984 with Navy pilot Harold Nemer.

Specifications (DS-1)

Data from EAA

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 11 ft (3.4 m)
  • Wingspan: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
  • Height: 5 ft (1.5 m)
  • Empty weight: 252 lb (114 kg)
  • Gross weight: 425 lb (193 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hirth 2 Cylinder, 55 hp (41 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 96 kn; 177 km/h (110 mph)
  • Stall speed: 61 kn; 113 km/h (70 mph)

    • References

    Stits DS-1 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA