The American Flea Ship (Flea Triplane) is a homebuilt triplane design of the early 1930s. It is one of the first examples of a female-designed-and-built aircraft. One example is displayed at the
Wings of a Dream Museum
The TAM Museum ( pt, Museu TAM), also known as the Museu Asas de um Sonho (Wings of a Dream Museum), was an aviation museum in the city of São Carlos, within the state of State of São Paulo, Brazil. The museum was located from central São Carlo ...
.
Development
The American Flea Ship is a homebuilt triplane variant of the French-designed
Mignet Flea licensed by American Mignet Aircraft, and later Universal Aircraft company of
Ft Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accordin ...
. It is also known as the Flea Triplane. The aircraft was given away by Universal as a marketing effort when a Universal motor was purchased to power it. Later, the fuselage sold for $695. The kit version of the aircraft was designed by
Lillian Holden Lillian or Lilian can refer to:
People
* Lillian (name) or Lilian, a given name
Places
* Lilian, Iran, a village in Markazi Province, Iran In the United States
* Lillian, Alabama
* Lillian, West Virginia
* Lillian Township, Custer County, Ne ...
.
Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company
The Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company was established in Wichita, Kansas in 1929 by Orland Corben to market the world's first homebuilt aircraft, a machine of his own design called the Baby Ace. The enterprise did not last long before US regul ...
maintains the rights to the American Flea Ship and
Heath Parasol
The Heath Parasol is an American single or two seat, open-cockpit, parasol winged, homebuilt monoplane.
Design and development
In 1926, Edward Bayard Heath, a successful American air racer and the owner of an aircraft parts supply business, bui ...
.
Design
The Triplane aircraft does not have ailerons, and uses variable incidence wings for roll control.
Variants
The aircraft has been referenced under many names including;
*American Flea Ship
*Mignet HM-20
*HM-20 Flying Flea
*Flea Triplane
*TC-1 Flea (1954)
Specifications American Flea Ship
Notes
References
{{refend
Homebuilt aircraft
Triplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
1930s United States sport aircraft
Flea Ship