Hovey Whing Ding
{{Short description|American ultralight aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name=Whing Ding II |image=Petőfi Csarnok, Repüléstörténeti kiállítás, Pannonautó Vállalat WD-IIM Szöcske.JPG |caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type=Ultralight aircraft |national origin=United States |manufacturer=Vintage Ultralight and Lightplane Association |designer=Bob Hovey |first flight=February 1971 |introduced= |retired= |status=Plans available (2014) |primary user= |more users= |produced= |number built= |variants with their own articles=Hovey Delta Bird }} |
The Hovey Whing Ding is an extremely minimalist American ultralight aircraft that was designed by Bob Hovey of Saugus, California, first flying in 1971. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction by the Vintage Ultralight and Lightplane Association of Marietta, Georgia.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page E-43. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}{{Cite web|url = http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/uz.htm#whing|title = Whing Ding II|access-date = 4 January 2012|last = Virtual Ultralight Museum|date = n.d.}}{{cite web|url = http://vula.org/blueprint_pricelist.html|title = Blueprints Price List|access-date = 23 April 2014|last = Perkins|first = Scott, V.U.L.A. Vintage Ultralight and Lightplane Assoc.|author-link = |year = 2004|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140820004100/http://www.vula.org/blueprint_pricelist.html|archive-date = 20 August 2014|url-status = dead}}
Design and development
Hovey set out to create the lightest aircraft to carry a person ever to fly, with the resulting design being a biplane, with a plywood box filled with Polyurethane foam serving as the fuselage, supporting the pilot's seat. The aircraft features a conventional fabric-covered empennage carried at the end of a short tailboom made of aluminum tube. The horizontal stabilizer is made from reinforced cardboard. Early versions used wing warping for roll control, while later models used full-span ailerons. The specified pusher configuration powerplant is a McCulloch chainsaw engine turning a hand-carved wooden propeller via a chain drive. The first prototype had a monowheel undercarriage, with skids under the wingtips, but this was soon changed to twin mainwheels carried on a spring-type strut. With no brakes to stop the aircraft after landing, pilots were supposed to press their heels against the mainwheels.{{Cite web|url = http://www.airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/Hovey_Estupinan%20WD-11%20Whing-Ding.asp|title = Hovey/Estupinan WD-11 "Whing Ding" – N6272|access-date = 4 January 2012|last = AirVenture Museum|author-link = AirVenture Museum|date = 2012}}{{Cite web |title=Whing Ding II single seat ultralight aircraft. |url=https://www.ultralightaircraftmagazine.com/whing-ding-ii-single-seat-ultralight-aircraft.html |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=www.ultralightaircraftmagazine.com}}
The Whing Ding was designed long before the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles regulations were introduced, but it fully conforms to the rules. The Whing Ding helped generate interest in ultralight aircraft and lead to the ultralight boom of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Hovey conceived of the aircraft as an experimental project and not as a form of transportation. Due to its unreliable powerplant he intended it to only be flown over open areas where a safe landing could be carried out at any time. The plans were complex to follow and were not intended to make construction easy. Construction time typically is about 400 hours.
The Whing Ding was marketed as plans, and sold extremely well - by 1979, over 6,000 sets had been purchased. In 2011 the plans were still available, and at no cost.
On 22 June 2022, the Dingo,{{Cite web |title=Dingo |url=https://www.futurevehicles.eu/dingo-en/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Future Vehicles s.r.o. |language=cs}} a full metal replica of the Hovey Whing Ding, designed by Marek Ivanov since 2021, took maiden flight by test pilot Jan Jílek at the Jaroměř airport (LKJA).{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbZRUTRZLIE |title=Dingo 0722 |date=2022-07-19 |last=Dan Johnson |access-date=2024-10-24 |via=YouTube}} This prototype plane was powered by two-stroke 27 hp Vittorazi Moster engine with 185-cc displacement and air-cooling.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Dan |date=2022-07-20 |title=Maiden Flight of Dingo — An Affordable Part 103 Biplane Honoring Hovey's Whing Ding |url=https://bydanjohnson.com/maiden-flight-of-dingo-an-affordable-part-103-biplane-honoring-hoveys-whing-ding/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=ByDanJohnson.com |language=en-US}} As of 2024, the Dingo is available as a ready to build KIT plane provided by the Future Vehicles s.r.o.{{Cite web |title=Future Vehicles s.r.o. |url=https://www.youtube.com/@futurevehicless.r.o.4896/playlists |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=YouTube |language=en}}
{{Blockquote|text=My long-time dream was to build something like Hovey Whing Ding because I like it, but a little bigger so I can fly it.|author=Ing. Marek Ivanov, Chief Designer of DINGO|source=https://www.futurevehicles.eu/dingo-en/}}
Operational history
Depending on the density altitude and the weight of the pilot, some builders discovered that the aircraft was under powered and suffered from too small a wing area to climb out of ground effect.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By0xQriEPNI |title=Whing Ding II Ultralight - First Flight, Easter 1978 |date=2014-09-29 |last=Graham Percy |access-date=2024-10-24 |via=YouTube}}
Variants
Specifications (typical)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Cliche and the Virtual Ultralight Museum
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=14
|length in=
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=17
|span in=
|span note=
|upper span m=
|upper span ft=
|upper span in=
|upper span note=
|lower span m=
|lower span ft=
|lower span in=
|lower span note=
|height m=
|height ft=5
|height in=6
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=98
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=122
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=300
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|0.5|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=McCulloch MAC-101
|eng1 type=chain saw engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=12.5
|eng1 shp=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=hand carved wooden propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=50
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=40
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=26
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=20
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=4000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=+3/-3
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=100
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=*none
}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |pages=511 }}
- {{cite book |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976-77 |publisher=Jane's Yearbooks |location=London |pages=543–44 }}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/wingding20.jpg Photo of a Whing Ding] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613232834/http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/wingding20.jpg |date=June 13, 2012 }}
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=LdQDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22lightest+aircraft%22+hovey&pg=PA112 World’s lightest aircraft?] Popular Mechanics, September 1973, p. 112 (brief news note on Whing Ding II).
{{Bob Hovey aircraft}}
Category:Vintage Ultralight and Lightplane Association aircraft
Category:1970s United States ultralight aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1971
Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft