Bowers Flybaby Prototype
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Manufacturer: Bowers Model: Flybaby Span: 8.53m / 28ft Year: 1962 Length: 5.64m / 19ft Height: 1.98m / 7ft Wing Area: 11.15m² / 120ft² Short Title: Bowers Flybaby Prototype Empty Weight: 274.43kg / 605lbs Gross Weight: 419.13kg / 924lbs Maximum Speed: 193.08km/h Cruise Speed: 172.16km/h / 107mph Power Plant: One Continental C-85, 85 h.p. engine Registration: N500F Range: 514.88km / 320miles   |
Bowers Flybaby Prototype This Flybaby was the winning entry in the 1962 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Design Contest. Designed and built by Seattle resident Peter Bowers, the little plane specifically met EAA’s requirements for low-cost, folding wing plane that can be towed or trailered and is easy to build and fly. A popular design with many homebuilt aircraft enthusiasts, the Flybaby’s plans sold for about $65. The finished airplane could fit in a standard garage and could also be built in biplane and twin-float seaplane versions. A life-long aviation enthusiast, Bowers wrote his first aviation article as a high school student in 1938. He became one of the world’s most respected aviation historians with numerous books and hundreds of articles to his credit. Never far from a camera, the Bowers’ collection is one of the United States’ largest collections of aviation prints and negatives and is held in the Museum’s archives. During WW II, he served the U.S. Army Air Forces as an intelligence officer and later worked for The Boeing Company for 36 years. |
