Timber Tiger Aircraft has made the Curtiss Jenny available to homebuilders. They have purchased the rights to sell Dennis Wiley’s Early Bird Jenny design as a kit, but with a twist. While Wiley’s Early Bird Jenny was a 67% scale replica, the kitted Jenny from Timber Tiger will be 75% scale.
Nick Pfannenstiel, Timber Tiger Aircraft President, said the basic kit is a welded steel fuselage with blueprints for the remainder of the airframe. Recognizing that a growing number of builders wish to do less work, additional kits will be offered to reduce build time and each builder can effectively build their kit à la carte, selecting the add-on kits they want without being forced to purchase items they don’t. “We’re trying to bring back a community of Early Bird Jenny builders. In addition to having a slightly larger fuselage, our kits will have CNC-machined components and improved hardware. To differentiate between the original plans-built version and our kit we are calling ours Gen 2.
Engineering and a structural analysis for the increased gross weight are complete and, while no factory prototype will be built before kits will ship, Pfannenestiel said there are no significant changes necessary to the existing, proven design.
Timber Tiger’s gross weight increase over the Gen 1 means you can now take larger passengers (just make sure you have at least 70 hp), and have dual controls.
The Gen2 has revised lines, with the contours pulled directly from original Curtiss drawings.
Simple aluminum tube spars, pre-stamped ribs, pre-routed wood struts, and more are all available, whether you prefer a more plans-built route (Basic Kit) or a more Deluxe Kit route (just add the options as you see fit).
The fuselage comes pre-welded in even the Basic Kit, meaning you have a massive jump start on your project. If you aren’t much of a welder, Timber Tiger Aircraft can finish all other welding for you, too.
Timber Tiger Aircraft will not support any airplanes built without a serial number from Early Bird Aircraft (Gen 1) or Timber Tiger Aircraft (Gen 2).
Gen2
Engine: 70-100 hp
Wingspan: 30 ft
Length: 20 ft 6 in
Empty weight: 600-700 lb
MAUW: 1200 lb
Cruise: 70 mph
Stall: 35 mph
ROC: up to 1000 fpm
