The Driggers D1-A is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-built light high-wing single-seat sporting

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

of the late 1920s.

Design and development

Willard A. Driggers of

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and

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...

designed and built the D1-A in 1929. It is a parasol high-wing

with the

aerofoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

braced from the upper fuselage and lower fuselage. A fixed tailwheel

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

is fitted. The

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplane ...

is set high on the rear fuselage and is braced. The rounded fin has a large rudder area. The 60 h.p.

Lawrance L-4 The Lawrance L-3 and L-4 were early aircraft piston engines with three radial cylinders, designed and built by the Lawrance Aero Engine Company in the early 1920s. The L-3 / L-4 series were marketed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation as the W ...

engine is fitted within an elegant curved

cowling A cowling is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings are a cove ...

with the

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heads protruding to allow

air cooling Air cooling is a method of dissipating heat. It works by expanding the surface area or increasing the flow of air over the object to be cooled, or both. An example of the former is to add cooling fins to the surface of the object, either by maki ...

. The D1-A has manufacturers number 1 and is registered ''N891H''. Driggers went on to design and build the two-seat Driggers D2-A in 1933.

Operational history

The builder and owner flew the D1-A from 1929 until 1936, when it was damaged in a ground loop. It was named ''Sunshine Girl III''. The aircraft was stored until 1968 when an

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

group rebuilt it for static exhibition. It is currently displayed at the EAA museum at Oshkosh

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

.Ogden p. 559

Specifications

Notes

References

Details of the Driggers aircraft Aerofiles.com
*Ogden, Bob, Aviation Museums and Collections of North America, 2007, Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, . {{refend 1920s United States sport aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft