Three aircraft are said to have been constructed for Arthur L Smith’s exhibition performances at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition by Al Mensaco. The use of “Smith-Curtiss Pusher” in a contemporary journal leads to an assumption of their being Curtiss machines assembled by Smith, or copies using Curtiss motors. Smith was pictured in several different types of aircraft during this period, most of them looking much like the tried-and-true Curtiss designs—or at least faithful replicas.
Engines – Power
Smith 1910 Biplane
Arthur L Smith believed he could build a plane that would fly better than the Wright airplane, and as he worked on his design, he was careful to avoid infringing on their patents. This was the end result of two prototypes that crashed, mainly because Smith was teaching himself to fly as he went along.
It took him and a friend six months to build the single-place, open cockpit, biplane, which they moved through the streets of Fort Wayne at night to a field in what is now Memorial Park.
Built by Arthur L. Smith, a Curtiss-type biplane flown and crashed at Fort Wayne, Indiana, on January 18, 1910. The aeroplane reached almost fifty miles per hour before leaving the ground when suddenly it rose alarmingly, dipped, rose again, and crashed into the field in what is now Memorial Park. Art was thrown onto the frozen ground and badly injured. The machine was ruined except for the 40 hp Elbridge engine and never rebuilt.
A replica of this ship, built by Billy Parker and Bob McComb, is now hung on display at Ft Wayne Intl Airport terminal.
Smith DSA-1 Miniplane / Sky Classic Aircraft Miniplane
The primary appeal of the Smith Miniplane is its small-size construction simplicity and open-cockpit. The fuselage framework is a conventional truss structure of welded steel tubing, faired to shape with wood stringers. As on most similar designs, the vertical stabilizer is welded up as part of the rear fuselage structure. The wings are made from spruce spars and ribs. Several engines can provide the power, the Continental from 65 to 85 hp or the Lycoming from 100 to 125 hp.
The 1956 DSA-1 Miniplane model designation was for “Damn Small Aeroplane”. The prototype first flew on 29 October 1956.
There have been hundreds of the original Smith Miniplane Biplanes built and flying today. In 1996 plans cost US$140.
Sky Classic Aircraft introduced the 2000 version of the Smith Miniplane Biplane. Many of the parts and pieces on the aircraft were simplified to make it easier to build.
Changes include:
1) New wing fittings to simplify building.
2) Stretched the length of the fuselage by 5 inches to accommodate a larger person.
3) Stretched the width of the fuselage by 2 inches to accommodate a larger person.
4) Added a trim tab to the elevator.
5) Reshaped the rudder assembly to look more racy.
6) Added struts to the horizontal stabilizer to stop any cracking like the Pitts did.
7) Changed the wing foil to a NASA 23013. Good for aerobatics yet very stable with less drag.
8) Changed the wing angles of attack to fix an old problem on the old aircraft.
9) Reduced the rudder control speed to make it just a little easier to fly.
10) Aircraft plans on computer CAD so that they are easy to read.
11) Adding springs to the original type landing gear.
Engine: 65- 85-hp Continental, 100-125-hp Lycoming.
Gross Wt: 1000 lb
Empty Wt: 616 lb.
Fuel capacity: 17 USG
Wingspan: 17’.
Length: 15’3”
Wing area: 100 sq.ft.
Top speed: 130 mph
Cruise: 122 mph.
Stall: 56 mph
Climb rate: 1600 fpm.
Ceil¬ing: 13,000 ft
Takeoff run: 450 ft
Landing roll: 500 ft
Range: 275 sm
Seats: 1
Sky Classic Aircraft Smith Miniplane 2000
Engine: Lycoming O-235, 100 hp
HP range: 90-120
Length: 15.5 ft
Wing span: 17 ft
Wing area: 100 sq.ft
Empty weight: 650 lb
Gross weight: 1000 lb
Fuel capacity: 15 USG
Cruise: 125 mph
Stall: 60 mph
Range: 90 sm
Rate of climb: 1000 fpm
Takeoff dist: 400 ft
Landing dist: 400 ft
Seats: 1
Cockpit width: 23 in
Landing gear: tailwheel
Sky Classic Aircraft Smith Sport Miniplane
Engine: Continental O-200, 100 hp
HP range: 90-120
Height: 5.5 ft
Length: 15.5 ft
Wing span: 100 ft
Wing area: 100 sq.ft
Empty weight: 650 lb
Gross weight: 1000 lb
Fuel capacity: 17 USG
Top speed: 135 mph
Cruise: 125 mph
Takeoff dist: 400 ft
Landing dist: 400 ft
Seats: 1
Landing gear: tailwheel
Smith 1911 Monoplane
The Franklin P Smith 1911 Monoplane photographed for Aero 3/16/12. Apparently it flew only once.
Smidley Rapid Robert
Based on the Lazor-Rautenstrach Belle of Bethany and built by Robert R Smidley in 1959, the Smidley Rapid Robert was a single-place cabin, low wing monoplane.
Engine: 85hp Continental C-85
Wingspan: 17’10”
Length: 15’8″
Useful load: 220 lb
Seats: 1
Smidley 1910 monoplane
Smidley began construction of his monoplane in 1909. It was described in the August 1909 NY Times as having large wings on either side of the central rectangular box. A smaller plane was above and in front, and a fixed semicircular plane was at the tail. Control was a semicircular device at the front with the halves of the semicircle moving together as elevator or separately. It was mounted on four small wheels that ran on rails. This was the 223 pound bamboo version with 18 hp engine. At some point the machine was changed to larger wheels for take-off from the ground and probably rebuilt in other ways. Smidley is credited with three aircraft and a completely rebuilt version of his first machine was reported to be ready for testing in a March 1910 Aeronautics. There is a small picture in November 1910 Aeronautics that shows a machine with the larger wheels, powered by an 18 hp 2-cylinder Stevens Duryea air-cooled engine, and the structure doesn’t look like bamboo. These machines were not powered by an electric motor, but a machine identified as Smidley’s third machine was displayed at a Harrisburg auto show in early 1910, where an electric motor was used to run the propeller in the exhibition. The picture is either the second version incomplete or the third, with the Duryea.
Engine: Duryea auto
Wingspan: 32’0″
Seats: 1
SMAN Petrel
A side by side two seat amphibious pusher biplane. A full detachable canopy that can be converted into an open cockpit with its own separate windshield.
The wings, boom and tail section detach for reduced storage and easy transportation.
Production of the Petrel was taken over by SMAN, who returned it to the market circa 1998.
Engine Rotax 618
Propeller Airplast 166DAS6275/3
Undercarriage retractable
Engine: Rotax 912, 80 hp
Wing span: 8.50 m
Wing area: 17 sq.m
MAUW: 450 kg
Fuel capacity: 53 lt
Max speed: 150 kph
Cruise speed: 130 kph
Minimum speed: 65 kph
Climb rate: 3.5 m/s
Seats: 2
Fuel consumption: 13 lt/hr
Price (1998): 245 000 F
Kit price (1998): 121 000 F sm
Sloane 1912 Biplane
Australian tractor biplane designed and constructed by Douglas Sloane. The engine was also of his own design and one of the things that held him up in his attempt to fly. Despite the stage of progress seen in this photo, the plane was eventually covered. It was towed behind a car to give it extra power but the engine just didn’t have the muscle. However the plane did manage a short hop at “Dick’s Plain” swamp in late April 1912.
Sloane H-2 / Standard H-2 / H-3 / H-4H
Designed by Charles H Day and originally known as the Sloane H-2, the Standard H-2 was built by the Standard Aircraft Corporation. Modified from Sloan H-2, three were built by Standard Aircraft Corp, AS82 to 84.
An early American Army reconnaissance aircraft, ordered in 1916, it was an open-cockpit three-place tractor biplane, powered by a 125 hp (90 kW) Hall-Scott A-5 engine. It had swept-back wings and originally had mid-wing ailerons. Only eight were built; AS82 to AS89.
An improved version, the H-3, with the same engine, swept-back, and equal-span wings, earned an order for eight aircraft, AS85 to 93, while the Navy ordered four with floats as the H-4H, 137 to 140.
These, like J-1 and Curtiss JN-4, were the basis of countless modifications as surplus civil aircraft after the war.
Two Standard H-3s were sold by the US Army to Japan, where a further three were built by the Provisional Military Balloon Research Association (PMBRA) in 1917, powered by 150 hp (110 kW) Hall-Scott L-4 engines. They were used as trainers between May 1917 and March 1918, although they were considered dangerous.
H-2
Engine: 125hp Hall-Scott A-5;
Wingspan: 40’1″
Length: 27’0″
Speed: 84 mph
Range: 350 mi
Seats: 2
H-3
Engine: 1 × Hall-Scott A-5, 135 hp (101 kW)
Wingspan: 40 ft 1 in (12.22 m)
Wing area: 532 sq ft (49.4 m2)
Length: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
Empty weight: 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
Gross weight: 3,300 lb (1,497 kg)
Fuel capacity: 68 US gal (57 imp gal; 260 L)
Maximum speed: 84 mph (135 km/h, 73 kn)
Stall speed: 46 mph (74 km/h, 40 kn)
Endurance: 6 hr
Time to altitude: 10 minutes to 3,400 ft (1,000 m)
Crew: 2
Sloane H-1
The 1916 Sloane Aircraft Company H-1 was a two-place, open cockpit biplane designed by Charles H Day.
Engine: 180hp Hisso E
Seats: 2
All Aero 