Ray Stits
Raymond M. Stits (20 June 1921 - 8 June 2015) was an American inventor, homebuilt aircraft designer, aircraft mechanic and pilot. He designed the Stits SA-2A Sky Baby, which was the world's smallest aircraft in 1952, developed the Poly-Fiber aircraft fabric covering system and was the founder of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1. David Gustafson, a Flabob Airport historian, wrote of Stits, "few people outside of the Poberezny family had as much influence on the early home built aircraft movement as Ray Stits." Life Stits served as an aircraft mechanic in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. He served in the mainland US, with distinction. In 1953, Stits convinced Experimental Aircraft Association founder Paul Poberezny that local chapters would benefit the homebuit aircraft movement and founded Chapter 1 at Flabob Airport in Rubidoux, California. As the result of a flash-burn accident while burning some scrap aircraft fabric, he desig ...
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Stits SA-2A Sky Baby
The Stits SA-2A Sky Baby was a homebuilt aircraft designed for the challenge of claiming the title of "The World's Smallest". Design and development The Sky Baby was designed by Ray Stits and built with Robert H. Starr as a follow-on to the Stits Junior midget racer. The aircraft is an enclosed single engine negative staggered cantilevered biplane with conventional landing gear. The fuselage is constructed of welded steel tubing with aircraft fabric covering. The upper wings have Flap (aircraft), flaps, the lower wings have ailerons. Most aircraft use a flat firewall between the engine and pilot's feet, the Skybaby is configured with the pilot sitting with the engine close to the lap, and rudder pedals located under the oil sump toward the front of the cowling. The powerplant was sourced from an ERCO Ercoupe, modified with water injection to produce . Operational history The aircraft was test flown by Robert H. Starr on 26 May 1952 at Palm Springs, California. The short couple ...
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