Yackey A

A, Sport 1924 = 2pOB; 90hp Curtiss OX-5. Converted Thomas-Morse S-4C for exhibition pilot Charles "Speed" Holman.

Yackey BRL-12 on expedition (Skyways via Nico Geldhof coll)

BRL-12, Transport 1926 = 3pOBF; 420hp Liberty 12; span: 48'3" length: 29'1" load: 2400# v: 120/114/32. Conversion of war surplus Breguet 14.B2 with corrugated-metal fuselage. $7,500; POP: 1 for Dr Matthew Stirling 1926 New Guinea expedition, as "The Ern." When glue on the wooden floats deteriorated after two months, the plane was abandoned on the Mamberamo River.

Cruiser, Scout 1925 = 2pOB; 80hp LeRhône rotary. Modified Thomas-Morse Scout; [202] as Cruiser, [234] as Scout.

Yackey Prototype [C1296] (1927 Aero Digest )

Monoplane 1927 = 3pOhwM; 225hp Wright J-5; span: 41'2" length: 26'2" v: 140/115/40. Art Chester. POP: 2; [C672, C1296]. Company was involved in converting surplus Thomas-Morse TM-1s into 2-3p civil models in 1923 for $1,275-1,475, as well as surplus Renault-powered Breguets into transports for $4,750 and up.

Yackey Sport at Checkerboard Field (Frank Rezich coll)
Yackey Sport? Possible Yackey conversion

Sport 1926 = 3pOB; 90hp Curtiss OX-5. Conversion of Thomas-Morse S-4 with side-by-side front cockpit. POP: ?? [3905, 5833, et al].

Gilbert Experimental c.1945 = 2pOlwM post-war version of Oregon O; 125hp Martin 333. [N1333N].

Oregon O c.1932 = 1pOmwM; 40hp Salmson AD-9. Wooden geodetic basket-weave construction. POP: 1 [N15508], possibly one other.

Yates Stiper [10657] (Lloyd Phillips via R Nortell coll)
Yates Stiper [10657]

Stiper 1930 = 2pOhwM; 125hp Martin 333. Built for Elmer Stipe, later refitted with 90hp Cirrus [10657].

Twin SEE Greenwood-Yates.

June Bug 1954 = 1pOlwM; 80hp Continental A-80; span: 23'6" length: 16'0" v: 125/x/x; ff: 11/x/54. Home-built designed for "cow pasture operation."

Y-2 1966 = 1pClwM; 125hp Lycoming O-290-G; span: 19'8" length: 18'6" load: 367# v: 145/130/55 range: 575. [N6101].

XHC-22 Yorkopter 1956 = 1pCH, tilt-rotor technology. No specs or data found.

c.1922 = 1pOH coaxial rotor helicopter. The rotors consisted of carved propellers driven by a rotary engine. It is not known if the machine was flown.

1909 = Little was documented about the intriguing adventures of this young Chinese immigrant. Yue (or the now more accepted spelling of his name, Feng Ru) founded an aircraft factory and constructed two aircraft. On its test flight the first one crashed into his own workshop, starting a fire that burned it to the ground. Assumably the airplane went with it, but Yue was undaunted, and built a second ship that he flew from the Piedmont Hills on 9/21/09, as reported by Associated Press. After 20 minutes a bolt on its propeller shaft broke and it, too, crashed, and its creator was thrown out, but escaped injury. He returned to China in 1911 with his mechanic and two Curtiss planes, and built China's first aircraft. Yue was killed in a crash there in 1912, but his legend is perpetuated by a play, "Dragonwings," last presented, as known, in San Francisco 1992.

Y-1, Y-2 1929-1930 = 3pOB; 165hp Warner (Y-1), 165hp Wright R-540A (Y-2). Felix Knoll. POP: 2 [421N, 490N] c/n 1 and 2; the latter crashed 3/27/30 and its reg was cancelled. John M Jarratt finds that c/n 1 wore a Wright J-6, and that when the company floundered it sold for a whole dollar ($1) to Carrol Beckwith of Larned KS. Registration cancelled by CAA 1/7/33 after he informed them it was dismantled.

Parasol 195? = 1pOhwM; 40hp Continental A-40; span: 22'0" length: 15'0" v: 85. Empty wt: 436#. [N69270].

C-2, C-3 Sport 1934 = 1pOM; 65hp Velie [13692] on C-2 and 40hp Salmson AD-9 [18243] on C-3.

P-1 Sport 1928 = 3pOB; 180hp Hisso E; no data. POP: 1 [7580] c/n P-1; scrapped 11/10/39.

This plane was confused by DoC with the following Zenith Z-6 when both companies submitted applications about the same time, causing many problems with sale(s) of this plane. (— John M Jarratt 6/22/03)

Albatross Z-6 1927 = 6pO/CB; 220hp Wright J-5; span: 38'5" length: 30'0" load: 1667# v: 110/95/54 range: 500. Charles Rocheville, Albin Peterson. POP: 3 [X578K, 7076, X707E], and one conversion [X7580].

Zenith Z-6-A [NC392V] (Clark Scott coll)
Zenith Z-6-A [NC392V] (Don Parsons coll)
Zenith Z-6-A [NC392V] Peck restoration (Don Parsons)

Albatross Z-6-A 1928 (ATC 2-212, 2-269) = 7pO/CB; 420hp P&W Wasp C; span: 47'6" length: 29'9" load: 2100# v: 155/130/58 range: 650. Cabin seated four. $20,000; POP: 1 for Bennett Air Lines in Idaho [NC392V], and 1 with (2-212) for 450hp Wasp SC conversion [NC134W]. The former was restored 2006 at PAR, Maryland Heights MO.

Zenith Z-6-B [NC935Y] (Frank Rezich coll)

Albatross Z-6-B 1929 (ATC 2-315) = 7pO/CB; 420hp P&W Wasp C; span: 41'6" length: 30'0" load: 1918# v: 150/125/58 range: 650. $20,000; POP: 3 [NC835Y, NC935Y, NC977Y].

Zenith Z-12

Zenith B-1 [X6772] (Dan Shumaker coll)

American Albatross B-1 1928 = 8pCHwM; 260hp Menasco-Salmson; span: 56'0" length: 39'0" load: 2350# v: 128/92/40 range: 1000. Charles Rocheville. POP: 1 [X6772], sold in 1929 to (Alva Roy) Ebrite Aero Corp of Long Beach CA, for charter work and is sometimes seen as Ebrite New Albatross, reportedly repowered with 400hp P&W Wasp. Used for 1929 endurance record attempts by John Gugliemetti and Lee Schoenhair, but without success.

CH-100 Mono-Z 1974 = 1pClwM; VW 1600cc; span: 22'0" length: 19'6" load: 330# v: x/105/47. Chris Heintz. Tricycle gear. Marketed plans and kits for home-builders.

CH-200 Zenith 197? = 2pClwM; 100-150hp various; span: 23'0" length: 20'6" load: 550# v: x/150/53. Tricycle gear. Marketed plans and kits for home-builders.

CH-250 Zenith 197? = CH-200 with wing tanks.

CH-300 Tri-Z 197? = 3pClwM; 125-180hp various; span: 26'6" length: 22'6" load: 750# v: x/145/53. Tricycle gear. Set new 3,000-mile non-stop record in July 1978.

CH-300 Zenith 19?? = 2pClwM; 100-150 various; span: 23'0" length: 20'6 load: 550# v: x/150/53. Rear window; tricycle gear. Marketed plans and kits for home-builders.

Zenith CH-601 [NC41013] (Zenair)

CH-601 Zodiac 1984 = Kit-built. 2pClwM; various motors; span: 27'0" length: 19'0" load: 630# v: 135/120/40 range: 480 ceiling: 12,000'. Chris Heintz. Engine options of 120hp Jibaru 3300, 100hp Rotax 912, and 100-125hp Subaru. Bubble canopy, but available with open cockpit; taildragger, trigear, twin-float options. Suffix models: HD basic trainer, kit: $12,620 basic airframe; HDS Super Zodiac (span: 23'0" v: 150/138/48 range: 540), kit: $13,640 basic airframe; XL Super Zodiac to meet requirements in new Sport Pilot category (span: 27'0" load: 640# v: 158/145/49 range: 500), kit: $15,890 basic airframe. POP 601 series: 275 kits, 200 from plans as of Oct 1998.

Zenith CH-701 [NC300W] (Zenair)

CH-701 1986 = Kit-built. 2pChwM; 65hp Rotax 582 or 85hp Rotax 912; span: 27'0" length: 20'0" load: 520# v: 85/75/28 (85hp: 95/80/30) range: 210 (85hp: 200) ceiling: 12,000'. Chris Heintz. All-metal construction; twin-floats option STOL performance. Kit: $12,360 basic airframe; plans also offered. POP: 125 kits, 95 built from plans as of Oct 1998.

Zenith CH-801 [C-GCUI] (Zenair)

CH-801 199? = Kit-built. 4pChwM; 180hp Subaru CF4-20 (Crossflow modified), 180hp Lycoming O-360, 150-240hp various; span: 30'10" length: 23'2" load: 1005# v: 125/110/39. Chris Heintz. STOL performance; take-off roll 200', landing roll 150'. Tri-gear; high-lift wing with slats and flaps. Kit (basic airframe): $18,490; $20,950 in 2002.

CH-2000 19?? (TC TA5CH) = No data.

Zerbe Air Sedan (1914 Aeronautics)

Air Sedan 1909 = 4pC quadruplane; 100hp Gnôme or 90hp LeRhône rotary. Four short-span, double-cambered, forward-staggered wings, apparently with a ganged variable angle of attack; plywood-clad cabin. Flown by Tom Flannery from a field on the Washington County fairgrounds for a distance of about 1,000' before being damaged on landing. No other flights were recorded.

Zerbe Quintaplane (clip: Dave Hatfield coll)
Zerbe Sextuplane (Library of Congress archives)

Quintaplane 1910 = Another of Zerbe's oddities, with five wings attached to what appears to be a flying motorcycle. Whether or not it ever flew is unknown, but at the 1910 Dominguez Hills Air Meet in Los Angeles it was reported as being "a casualty before becoming airborne." Zerbe then produced a sextuplane with six 15' wings forward-staggered over a framework bearing two tractor props, but again there are no records of its success, if any.

Pete Jordon and I have established his identity as James Slough Zerbe (1849-1921). Pete recently found a newspaper photo from around 1908 that supposedly shows the 5-6 wing "multiplane" (not the Air Sedan) in the air, although the photo is so bad it may have been faked. (— Steve Koons 12/26/07)

1925 = Circular-wing experimental reportedly built, but not flown.

Zimmerman Wind tunnel testing (NACA)

1935 = A 1pO low-aspect-ratio "flying pancake" developed in off-times by C H Zimmerman, John McKellar, and Richard Noyes, then with NACA, for design competition with Ercoupe and Stearman- Hammond; two 25hp Cleone; span: 7'0". Although rejected by NACA at too radical, despite its potential as a stall-proof airplane, elements of the design surfaced later in Vought V-173 and Vought-Sikorsky XF5U-1. US patent #2,108,093 issued to Zimmerman in 1938. POP: 1, never flew. Unable to synchronize the motors, rather than risk an accident the project was abandoned. SEE ALSO Hiller VZ-1, McCormick-Romme.

1931 = 1pOB; 90hp Wright-Gypsy (originally Ford). [995N].

Edge 540 1996 = Specific aerobatic craft. 1pCmwM; 327hp Lycoming IO-540. Made of composites, carbon-fiber spar. 3700fpm climb rate. $177,407; POP: 8 at the end of 1997.

Libra-Det c.1940 = 2pOlwM; 130hp Franklin; span: 33'4" length: 24'8" load: 480# v: 122/108/55 range: 325. Horace Keane.

Plane-Mobile Concept art by Ted Grohs (Tim Kalina coll)
Plane-Mobile [NX30031] (Tim Kalina coll)

Plane-Mobile 1947 = 2pChwM roadable airplane; 40hp Continental A-40; span: 31'6" length: 15'6" load: 375# v: 90/80/40 range: 285. [NX30031]. Floating, or pivotal, wing, free to change its angle of attack according to the vagaries of the air currents. There were no rudders or elevators in the tail, instead the wings had "ailerators," a combination of ailerons and elevators. Looking somewhat like an Aeronca C-3 gone haywire, it reportedly suffered a severe ground loop during a test flight. Attached graphics are from Daniel Zuck's book, An Airplane In Every Garage (1958 Vantage Press).