Sighted at Queensand’s Watts Bridge Memorial Aerodrome in 2010 was a Bleriot XI parked on the grass. Built by Keith Fearnside, this aircraft adheres to the original fabric covered, wire-braced timber construction techniques (including wing warping controls).
Keith’s aircraft has been fitted with a modern Rotax power plant but he has concealed it behind a dummy Anzani requiring close inspection before the actual details of the installation are revealed.
Muhammad Fayaz, a popcorn seller and part-time security guard, was inspired to make an aeroplane after watching the National Geographic series Air Crash Investigation in 2015, and had sold a field, used his savings and taken out a bank loan to pay for it. He had visited Lahore several times in order to “have a glimpse of a Boeing plane and examine how it looks like and what material and parts have been used”.
Starting the build in late 2018, the 92kg craft cost him a total of Rs50,000 (£270) to make and he claims it can fly to 1,000 feet. The programme, namely Air Crash Investigation on National Geographic, had helped me a lot and he became familiar with the parts of an airplane and their functioning, then started working on the project.
His friends and family reportedly made fun of him and his mother expressed her concern about the test flight, but this apparently did not deter him.
He experimented with second-hand engines until he found one light enough, powerful enough and cheap enough to use for the plane.
Mr Fayaz told reporters he had been told to contact Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to gain permission for his test flight, but he did not do so. Owing to limited resources, he was unable to contact the civil aviation officials and finally decided to take test flights without getting permission.
With a crowd of 500 watching, he reportedly used a length of road free from telegraph poles as the runway for his maiden flight and “took several rounds in the air”.
“I made the aircraft with my hard work. My plane can fly till 1,000 feet. Give me one chance so that I can prove that I am a patriotic Pakistani. I informed every department but no one responded me,” Mr Fayyaz said, according to Pakistan Today.
Mr Fayaz was then reportedly arrested for building an aircraft without a permit and “performing aerobatics in the makeshift flying machine”, the “first incidence report” filed by local police said.
The police at the station where Mr Fayaz was held after the incident had taken Mr Fayaz into protective custody and the “unreliable machine impounded to ensure it did not cause any harm to villagers who had gathered to witness the experiment.” The aircraft was confiscated.
Since his release, he asked that the prime minister and army chief give him an opportunity to serve the nation, as “I can make the planes for the country at a low cost.”
He also asked the government to help him get his plane back.
“No one can believe a person who has never been to college has built his own aircraft. This is the result of my passion and constant effort.”
But the impoverished man couldn’t complete his studies after his dad Muhammad Ishaque died and had to quit education after middle school aged 14.
Fayyaz was forced to instead sell popcorn to earn a living – but didn’t stop dreaming of flying a plane.
Married dad-of-four Fayyaz, who has no professional pilot training, said: “It feels great my childhood dream has come true.
Fayyaz learned the basic rules of air pressure and flying techniques with the help of experiments he carried out on his own. He also watched National Geographic’s ‘Air Crash Investigation’ show to learn about why planes crashed and to understand the different parts of an aircraft and their functions.
Fayyaz said: “I saw various models of aircraft and the thought came in my mind that if I cannot afford buying a plane, I must try to build my own.
“I took some pictures of the aircrafts at the museum and then took help from internet and my mechanic friends to design and build this aircraft.
The fruits of Fayyaz’s labour have now been appreciated by the Civil Aviation Authority which has also extended all the help and efforts to promote and support his innovation.
In a statement, the CAA said they ‘appreciated the passion and skills of the mini airplane maker’ and would provide him the required guidance to achieve more expertise in the field.
The body said under the country’s New Aviation Policy 2019, developed in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, every effort will be taken to promote the sector and support innovation.
“My family had opposed me due to the risks involved and anticipating the failure of my invention, but I told them that they have to have faith and believe my hard work will pay off.
“But unfortunately, when I tried to make the solo flight, I was arrested by the police.
“They also took my plane into custody for a week, and I had to pay a fine of £17 to release it.
“I am very happy that now I will get technical support from Civil Aviation Authorities and I will be able to fulfil my childhood dream of flying an aeroplane.
This Australian 4-seat high-wing cabin monoplane was designed by Luigi Pellarini in 1953 and built by Fawcett Aviation of Bankstown, as a replacement trainer to the Tiger Moth for their subsidiary, the Illawarra Flying School.
First flight November 1954.
Only one prototype was constructed; after unsuccessfully competing for an Army contract, it was stored at Bankstown until the late 1970s, when it was rebuilt with a four cylinder horizontally-opposed engine. The aircraft has always carried the registration VH-BQC.
Of all metal construction (quite new in its day for light aircraft), the Fawcett 120 has a tricycle undercarriage, has dual controls and is fully aerobatic.
Wingspan: 10.87 metres, length 6.91 metres, height 2.06 metres, maximum speed 204.36 km/h, ceiling 14,600 feet.
Originally powered by a 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major 1 Series 1 four cylinder in-line piston engine, the aircraft was re-engined in 1979 with a four cylinder horizontally -opposed piston engine.
M Fauvel developed the Pygmee in collaboration with E. de Coucy because he had been unable to find an entirely suitable engine for powering his tailless types, and this motor was also to power the AV 46. Bench testing of the Pygmee began early in 1967 and it was hoped that a large industrial concern would eventually produce the engine, but this did not in the end happen.
After having designed and flown the AV-221, Charles Fauvel developed a version for amateur construction, the AV-222. Lighter and of a less complex structure, this flying wing could be disassembled into three sections (the center section had no dihedral). It had a laminar airfoil (optional, or the more conventional Fauvel airfoil), and could be equipped with a choice of a classic landing gear or a mono-gear – a non-retractable monowheel from a Piper Cub in a large under-fuselage fairing supplemented by outrigger wheels under the wings and a small steerable tailwheel. Tthe last being the recommended one because it is lighter, more economical to fabricate and easier to install, and a single fin and rudder. The craft mounted either a Rectimo engine (40 HP), Limbach (60 HP) of Volkswagen origin, or the 2-cycle Rotax. The Rectimo and Limbach engines drive a two-blade fixed-pitch wooden propeller of 3ft 5.25in diameter. Fuel tanks could contain up to 30 liters (with 45 as an option).
The AV 222 was fitted with a conventional landing gear with twin main wheels to improve handling over rough ground; this new undercarriage consisted of cantilever self sprung laminated glassfibre legs and Duruble wheels with hydraulic brakes and streamlined wheel fairings. With the new undercarriage a larger dorsal fin was fitted to compensate for the smaller side area of the spats compared to the monowheel fairing.
In February 1971 M Fauvel decided to end the commercial production of his sailplanes, but plans of the AV 222 were available for amateur constructors, who were building examples of this version in France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the USA.
Several sets of AV-222 plans were sold in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and in the United States. The first AV-222 flying wing, constructed by Hans Martinson and registered SE-XSL, flew in Sweden in May 1992, while several other construction projects are pursued in France, Germany and in the United States.
AV 222
Engine: Limbach, 45 kW / 60 hp
Span: 53 ft 9.75 in / 16.4 m
Length: 17 ft 1.5 in / 4.95 m
Wing area: 247.6 sq ft / 23.05 sq.m
Airfoil: Fauvel F2 17%
Aspect ratio: 12
Empty weight: 716 lb / 350 kg
Max weight: 1,212 lb / 650 kg
Water ballast: None
Max wing loading: 23.91 kg/sq.m / 4.89 lb/sq ft
Min sinking speed: 2.85 ft/sec / 0.87 m/sec at 46 mph / 40 kt / 74 km/h
Best glide ratio: 26:1 at 53 mph / 46 kt / 85 km/h
Max. speed: 210 km/h
Stalling speed: 40 kt / 74 km/h
Take-off run: 361 ft / 110m
Rate of climb at sea level: 591 ft/min / 180 m/min
This motorglider was a new derivative of the side-by-side two-seater AV-22 and flew for the first time on April 8, 1965. It was exhibited in August of that same year to the 18th national gathering of the amateur builders of Montluçon. This motorglider was a two-seater side-by-side that was equipped with a Rectimo 4 AR 1200 39 hp engine (Volkswagen aircraft conversion) mounted on the nose, driving a fixed-pitch fully feathering wooden propeller. The prototype originally had a single glider-style main landing gear and was later changed to a more classic main landing gear of two wheels with hoop-style fiberglass gear legs. The wing was copied directly from the AV-22, but the fuselage was an entirely new structure in order to accommodate the new two-man crew requirements and addition of the engine and a single fin and rudder.
First shown in model form at the 1964 Cannes air show, the AV 221 has a short fuselage, mid-set cantilever wooden wings with slight forward sweep and built in three sections, a large fin and rudder with no tailplane and in its original form – a non-retractable monowheel from a Piper Cub in a large under-fuselage fairing supplemented by outrigger wheels under the wings and a small steerable tailwheel.
The prototype had completed six crossings of the Alps by mid-June 1966.
Later, the AV-221 was re-engined with a Survol – De Coucy “Pygmée”, a 4-cycle engine of 40 Horsepower that had the advantage of being very light compared to the Volkswagen. This lighter weight caused a lengthening of the AV-221 fuselage and was newly designated as AV-221 B. But the AV-221 never flew with this engine.
Production AV221s would have been powered by the 61hp Rectimo 4 AR 1600 version of the Volkswagen engine or in AV 221B form – by the 40hp or 50hp Fauvel Pygmee four-stroke ‘flat four’ engine; both these version would have had the wing span increased by 3ft to 53ft 9.5 in, with Hoerner wing tips, and the AV221B was 16.5 in longer than the prototype at 17ft 1.5in.
The AV 221 prototype was later fitted with a conventional landing gear with twin main wheels to improve handling over rough ground; this new undercarriage consisted of cantilever selfsprung laminated glassfibre legs and Duruble wheels with hydraulic brakes and streamlined wheel fairings. This replaces the former fixed monowheel in its large fairing and the two outrigger wheels under the wings, but for amateur construction the monowheel landing gear is recommended as being lighter, cheaper and easier to install. With the new undercarriage a larger dorsal fin was fitted to compensate for the smaller side area of the spats compared to the monowheel fairing.
Another variable of the AV-221, was the result of a reconstruction project on the prototype by Serge Chaintri, of Liévin, after it had been damaged in an accident. It was equipped with a Volkswagen aircraft conversion of 1600 cc. which resulted in greatly improved performance under power over the original and is still flying in 1999. It is registered as F-CRON under the CNRP (French navigability certificate for amateur-built gliders and motorgliders).
The AV221 was followed a few years later by a lighter and simplified version designated AV 222.
Wing span: 15.48 m
Length: 5.22 m
Wing area: 21.75 sq.m
Airfoil: Fauvel F4 17%
Aspect ratio: 10.6
Empty weight: 325 kg
Max gross weight: 530 kg
Max. speed: 160 km/h
Best glide ratio: 23:1
Min. sink rate: 0.87 m/sec
This small one-seater airplane, comparable to the Jodel D-9 bébé or to the Druine Turbulent, was designed specifically for amateur builders. The prototype was constructed by Leonard D. Wolff (assisted by his friend Davidson) at Houston, Texas in the United States. The AV-60 made its first flight on July 14, 1963, piloted by Davidson, when it actually became airborne during a “planned high speed taxi run”. The plane was exhibited at the National Air Show in Texas on November 3, 1963, where it was a big success.
Christened as Leprechaun (the imp of Irish folklore), the AV-60 had been developed by Charles Fauvel in collaboration with G. Jacquemin, an aeronautical engineer working in Canada. The construction plans were produced in English. It is a low aspect ratio flying wing, with a nose-mounted Volkswagen engine (converted for aircraft use) of 1300 cc, weighing 48 kg and developing 40 Horsepower at 3500 RPM. A formed plexiglas bubble canopy covers the cockpit which is located over the low wing. The most remarkable characteristic is the absence of a long conventional fuselage structure with a laminated wood shell structure comprising the vertical stabilizer and the rudder attach beam being further braced by a triangular tubular beam from the wing itself. The prototype was equipped with a standard fixed tricycle landing gear, based on that of the TIPPSY Nipper.
Wing Span: 7 m
Length: 4 m
Empty Weight: 220 kg
Max Gross Weight: 350 kg
Maximum Speed: 157 km/h
Cruise speed: 128 km/h
Takeoff Distance: 180 m
Inspired by two previous German experiences of motorizing the AV-36, and greatly motivated by the concept of the motorglider, Charles Fauvel flew the new AV-45 on May 4, 1960, an AV-36 very modified and powered by a pusher Nelson motor of 37 hp driving a two blade propeller. Later a 45hp Nelson engine was fitted. The second improved prototype, built by the SAN (Société Aéronautique Normande) in Bernay, took off with Charles Fauvel in command in 1962. This copy was equipped with a Solo engine of 23 hp that permitted, in spite of its low power output, enough power to take off in less than 100 ms and to climb at up to 3 m/sec.
This second prototype was representative of production AV 45s, which are intended for amateur construction, and it incorporated several changes, including the introduction of additional windows under the cockpit canopy, moving the pilot’s seat 2.4in further forward, lengthening the fuselage by 3.5 in, and fitting larger vertical tail surfaces carrying at the bottom small steerable skids which replace the underwing curved wire ‘bumpers’ of the first prototype. Hoerner wing tips were also successfully tried on the AV 45, and the original two-blade fixed-pitch airscrew was later replaced by an automatically feathering prop.
Microturbo was anxious to test this 78 Kp turbojet on a glider and Fauvel made available AV45 # 1. In 1967, the Nelson H 59A motor was replaced by a Microturbo Eclair 012-01 turbojet of 68 Kg / 150 lb of thrust in the summer of 1967. It was equipped with an electric starter and battery (NiCd 9.5 kg) for a self-starting it (both in the ground and in the air). The installation was characterized by the need to have a very long nozzle to allow ejection of the jet behind the fuselage.
The first flight was by Charles Fauvel, and the second he was joined by Jacques Hemet Stampe as a photographer filming the event. In this form the prototype was redesignated AV 45-01R and the Eclair gave it a maximum level speed of over 140mph at 2,625ft and the maximum rate of climb 990ft/min, the time to 10,000ft being 15min. The Eclair’s battery permitted repeated restarts in flight as well as ground starting, and this turbojet was also seen as a possible powerplant for two other Fauvel tailless powered glider projects.
The prohibitive price of this jet engine did not allow its use for practical reasons. The prototype was later fitted with a 30hp Rockwell-JLO engine by an amateur builder. The standard engine recommended for production aircraft is the 40-55hp modified Hirth 0-280R ‘flat four’, there being integral wooden fuel tanks in the wing leading edges.
The first AV-45 motorglider of amateur construction, equipped with a Solo engine, was constructed in Japan and flew in South Africa (with Hirth Solo engine), while several copies were begun in the United States, in Finland, Germany and Spain. A French homebuilt AV 45 was flying with a Nelson engine. In France alone, even though some copies were constructed by amateurs, most glider pilots remained for the most part unconvinced of the charms of this motorglider. In early 1978 11 more AV45s were being built by amateur constructors, four in France, three in the USA, and one each in Finland, Germany, Martinique and Spain, the German one having a Solo engine. Like the AV 361, the AV 45 can be fitted with a wing of Wortmann laminar flow section, which gives an improved best glide ratio of 30:1.
Not discouraged, Charles Fauvel further improved the motorglider with the AV-451 version. This ship had its span extended to 15 m (49ft 2.5 in), incorporated a new airfoil design from Wortmann : the Laminar FX 66-H 159, a new fuselage shape obtained by using an existing glass canopy design (the one on the Grob Astir glider). The nose is more tapered, the wheel fairings more streamlined, and the vertical tail surfaces are of Wortmann symmetrical section. The propeller was automatically folded rearward by airflow effect when the engine was stopped.
The Gross (Fauvel) AV 451, actually the first AV 451, was designed and built by Mons Francois Gross with his son’s help and is a modification of AV45 F-CCRM with the 15m wing span and new Wortmann wing section of the AV451, a longer fuselage modified in the cockpit area to take the canopy from a Grob Astir, and with a 38hp Rotax 642 two-cylinder two-stroke engine aft of the cockpit, driving a two-blade Hoffmann pusher propeller. It made its first flight in the beginning of September 1978. The cantilever shoulder wings are of Fz 17% thickness/chord ratio section or Wortmann profile, with no dihedral on the centre section and 5° 13′ on the outer wings. The wings are single-spar wooden structures, with a plywood leading edge torsion box and fabric covering aft of the spar; there are conventional ailerons and the elevators are in the trailing edge of the centre wing, with a large trim tab in the port one. Schempp-Hirth air brakes are fitted in the upper and lower surfaces of each outer wing, just outboard of the fins. The fuselage consists of a short wooden nacelle with glassfibre covering, the pilot sitting under a sideways-hinged blown plastic canopy. The wooden twin fins and rudders are inset at the junctions of the centre section and the outer wings, there being no tailplane; the fins are plywood-covered and the rudders fabric-covered. The undercarriage consists of two wheels in tandem, a steerable front wheel and a rear wheel with mechanical brake, supplemented by small steerable skids at the bottom of the vertical tail surfaces. Endowed with a L/D of 32:1, the AV-451 was the last flying wing of Fauvel. An entirely fibreglas composite version (AV-48) had been considered, but a fire at the shop where the prototype was to be constructed put an end to this adventure.
The death of Charles Fauvel explains in part the fact that the AV-451 didn’t attain the success of the AV-36 and AV-361.
AV 45 second prototype
Span: 45 ft 1 in
Length: 11 ft 9 in
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Wing area: 171.7 sqft
Aspect ratio: 11.84
Empty weight: 476 lb
Max weight: 772 lb
Economical cruising speed: 80 mph
Min sinking speed: 2.62 ft/sec at 43.5 mph
Best glide ratio: 27:1 at 53 mph
Rate of climb at sea level: 550 ft/min
Take-off run: 492 ft
AV.45
Wing span: 13.75 m
Length: 3.6 m
Wing area: 14.80 sq.m
Airfoil: Fauvel F4 17%
Aspect ratio: 10.8
Empty weight: 219 kg
Maximum gross weight: 350 kg
Glide ratio: 26:1
Min sink rate: 0.82 m/sec
AV.45
Engine: Hirth O-280R, 30-41 kW / 40-55 hp
Wing span: 13.74 m / 45 ft 1 in
Length: 3.59 m / 11 ft 9 in
Wing area: 15.95 sq.m / 171.7 sq.ft
Wing section: F2 17%
Aspect ratio: 11.84
Empty weight: 216 kg / 476 lb
Max weight: 350 kg / 772 lb
Water ballast: None
Max wing loading: 21.94 kg/sq.m / 4.49 lb/sq ft
Max speed: 77 kt / 142 km/h
Min sinking speed: 0.8 m/sec / 2.62 ft/sec at 37.5 kt / 70 km/h
Best glide ratio: 27 at 45.5 kt / 85 km/h
T-O run: 493 ft / 150m
Rate of climb: 168 m/min / 550 ft/min
AV45-01R
Engine: Microturbo Éclair, 68 kg thrust
Best glide: 29 @ 85 Km / h
Min rate of descent: 0.78 m / s
Performances tinkering usage provisioning engine
Rate of climb: 240 m / min @ 120 Km / h
Maximum speed (800 m): 225 km / h
Time to 3000 m: 15 min
Fuel capacity: 31 lt
Endurance: 22 min
AV.451
Wing span: 15.0 m
Length: 3.84 m
Wing area: 16.68 sq.m
Airfoil: Wortmann FX-66 H 159
Aspect ratio: 13.5
Empty weight: 250 kg
Maximum gross weight: 380 kg
Glide ratio: 32:1
Min sink rate: 0.72 m/sec
In 1935 Fauvel flew the AV-10, a light two-seater touring craft with a Pobjoy engine. Concentrating his efforts on this machine, Fauvel improved its performance, and in 1937 the AV-10 took the world altitude record in its category, while becoming the first flying wing to receive a Certificate of Navigability.
The AV-10 was the first airplane-only design of Fauvel to be flown. Designed as a two-seater side-by-side and equipped with a Pobjoy engine of 75 Horsepower, it first flew in 1935. It was exhibited at the 25th Salon de L’Aéronautique at the Grand-Palais of Paris, on the 13th to the 29th of November, 1936, along with other light planes of the era : the Salmson Cricri, the Potez 60, the Leopoldoff Colibri and the Peyret Taupin. In 1937, the AV-10 set a new altitude record for it’s category when it reached 5791 meters, and became the first government-certified flying wing. The AV-10 remained a unique prototype, allowing Charles Fauvel to expand his knowledge and expertise in designing flying wings. The AV-10 disappeared in 1940, when it was taken by German troops.
Charles Fauvel modified an Abrial airfoil section for his projects (the Abrial / STAé 230-231, thickened to 17%) and Georges Abrial helped him for the development of his AV-2. The Abrial reflex airfoils were very efficient and the various tests at the St Cyr wind tunnel gave enough data to use them successfully for tailless aircraft.
Charles Fauvel decided, after having obtained a patent on his formula for the flying wing, to put into work a prototype incorporating his theories. The designation was AV-2 (“AV” for Aile Volante, French for Flying Wing), the AV-1 having been intended only as the model to study the formula in laboratory studies. The construction of the AV-2 started about the year 1932, and the work was performed at the Guerchais factory. Equipped with a self-stabilizing airfoil designed and drawn by Georges Abrial, this aircraft was aimed at amateur pilots of motorized flight as well the glider pilot. The engine, mounted on a pylon on top of the back of the fuselage, could be disassembled from the craft in a few minutes to transform the plane into a pure glider.
With the unexpected bankruptcy of the Guerchais enterprise and the end of financial support from the main investor, the Makhonine company, the development of the AV-2 stopped and was ultimately never finished. In a parallel effort, Charles Fauvel designed another prototype, a pure glider designated the AV-3.
Wing span: 12.85 m
Length: 3.6 m
Wing area: 20 sq.m
Airfoil: Fauvel
Aspect ratio: 8.3
Empty weight: 243 kg
Max speed (Vno): 160 km/h
