Early Bird Spad 13
{{Short description|American homebuilt aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Spad 13 | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Homebuilt aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Early Bird Aircraft Company | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status= Production completed | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= SPAD S.XIII | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Early Bird Spad 13 (also SPAD 13) is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed and produced by the Early Bird Aircraft Company of Erie, Colorado. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit and also in the form of plans for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 147. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}
Design and development
The Spad 13 is an 80% scale replica of the First World War SPAD S.XIII. It features a strut-braced biplane layout, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.
The aircraft is made from a mix of steel and aluminum tubing, with some wooden parts and its flying surfaces are covered with doped aircraft fabric. Its {{convert|20.17|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing has a wing area of {{convert|142.0|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. The cockpit width is {{convert|24|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The acceptable power range is {{convert|80|to|100|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and the standard engine used is the {{convert|85|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} fuel injected Geo Tracker four-cylinder, inline, liquid-cooled, four stroke automotive conversion powerplant.
The Spad 13 has a typical empty weight of {{convert|550|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|800|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|250|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|9|u.s.gal}} the payload for pilot and baggage is {{convert|196|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.
The supplied kit included the Tracker engine. The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the kit to be 600 hours.
Operational history
Specifications (Spad 13)
{{Aircraft specs
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|crew=one
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|length ft=16
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|wing area sqft=142.0
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|empty weight lb=550
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|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=800
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|fuel capacity={{convert|9|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Geo Tracker
|eng1 type=four cylinder, fuel injected, inline, liquid-cooled, four stroke automotive conversion engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=85
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden
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|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=90
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|cruise speed mph=80
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|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=45
|stall speed kts=
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|range km=
|range miles=240
|range nmi=
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|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=14000
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|wing loading lb/sqft=5.6
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}}