Nelson Hummingbird PG-185B

In 1949, Nelson began the design of another self-launching glider, but this time, he teamed-up with Harry Perl and Don Mitchell. They called this new design the Hummingbird.[http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19731120000 NASM Nelson BB-1 Dragonfly]

Introduced in 1953, the Hummingbird was an attempt to improve upon the marginal performance of the Dragonfly, of which only seven were produced.

The resulting design is a mid-wing glider built predominantly from wood, with the wing leading edge filled with styrofoam and doped aircraft fabric used on the aft portion of the wing, the tail and the rudder. After the first two were completed the remainder were built from metal in place of wood.

The design features an all-flying stabilator with an anti-servo tab, spoilers on the wing's top surface and dive brakes on the bottom. The Nelson H-59 4-cylinder engine was mounted on a retractable mast aft of the bubble canopy. The aircraft has two wheels in tandem, the front being steerable and connected to the rudder pedals.

The design was not type certified, and the seven built were registered under the Experimental - Racing - Exhibition category. Nelson later sold the rights to the aircraft and the engine to Charles Rhoades of Naples, Florida.{{Cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=68584|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results|accessdate = 12 March 2011|last = Federal Aviation Administration|authorlink = |date=March 2011}}

In the mid-1950s a Hummingbird was flown by Les Arnold to an unofficial US motorgliding distance record of {{convert|321|mi|km|0|abbr=on}}.

In March 2011 there were still five registered in the US, two of which had been transferred to the National Soaring Museum.{{Cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=NELSON&Modeltxt=PG-185-B&PageNo=1|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results|accessdate = 12 March 2011|last = Federal Aviation Administration|authorlink = |date=March 2011}}

A gliderport in Livermore, California was named "Hummingbird Haven" as several of the craft were based there.{{cite web|url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_SanJose.htm#hummingbird|title=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: San Jose area|work=airfields-freeman.com|access-date=5 May 2015}}

• Golden Age Flight Museum{{cite web|url= http://www.goldenageflightmuseum.org/sailplanes.html|title= Sailplanes|access-date= 29 November 2021|author= Golden Age Flight Museum|work= www.goldenageflightmuseum.org|year= 2021|archive-url= https://archive.today/20211129212337/http://www.goldenageflightmuseum.org/sailplanes.html|archive-date= 29 November 2021|url-status= live}}
• Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum{{cite web|url=http://www.waaamuseum.org/museum/aircraft-on-display/|title=Aircraft on Display - Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum|work=waaamuseum.org|accessdate=26 February 2024}}
• National Soaring Museum - 2{{cite web|url = https://www.soaringmuseum.org/glider-collection.php|title = Sailplanes in Our Collection|access-date = 29 November 2021|last = National Soaring Museum|year = 2011|url-status = live|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20210509140257/https://www.soaringmuseum.org/glider-collection.php|archivedate = 9 May 2021}}
• National Air and Space Museum
• US Southwest Soaring Museum{{cite web|url = http://swsoaringmuseum.org/collection.htm|title = Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders|accessdate = 26 May 2011|last = US Southwest Soaring Museum |authorlink = |year = 2010}}

{{Aircraft specs

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{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

• Perl PG-130 Penetrator - another Harry Perl design

|similar aircraft=

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• List of gliders

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{{reflist}}

{{Nelson Aircraft}}

Category:1950s United States sailplanes

Category:Nelson aircraft

Category:Motor gliders

Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft

Category:Mid-wing aircraft