__NOTOC__ The Funk Model B was a 1930s

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 ...

two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Howard and Joe Funk. Originally built by the Akron Aircraft Company later renamed Funk Aircraft Company.

Development

The Model B was the first powered aircraft designed by brothers Howard and Joe Funk, whose previous experience was in homebuilt gliders and sailplanes. The Model B was a strut-braced high-wing

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 ...

with a conventional tail unit and fixed

tailwheel landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...

. The design uses mixed construction with fabric-covered wooden wings and a welded steel-tube fuselage. The aircraft was powered by the brothers' own Model E

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

developed from a

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

"B" motor-car engine. The prototype first flew in late 1933.Simpson, 2005, p. 141

Production and operations

When the test flights proved to be successful the brothers formed the Akron Aircraft Company in 1939 to build the Funk B. After production began, the engine was changed to a 75 hp (56 kW) Lycoming GO-145-C2 horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine and was re-designated the Model B-75-L. In 1941 the company moved from

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and the company was renamed the Funk Aircraft Company. Production was stopped during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and one aircraft was impressed into service in 1942 with the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

as the UC-92. After the war in 1946 production was resumed using a

Continental C85-12 The Continental O-190 (Company designations C75 and C85) is a series of engines made by Continental Motors beginning in the 1940s. Of flat-four configuration, the engines produced 75 hp (56 kW) or 85 hp (63 kW) respectively. ...

engine and the aircraft was redesignated the Model B-85-C and named the Bee. It did not sell well and production was halted in 1948. 380 aircraft of all variants had been built.

Variants

;Model B :Prototype and initial production aircraft with Funk E engine. ;Model B-75-L :Pre-war production aircraft with a 75hp (56 kW) Avco Lycoming GO-145-C2 piston engine. ;Model B-85-C Bee :Post-war production aircraft with a

engine. ;UC-92 :Army designation for one impressed Model B-75-L (s/n 42-79548).

Specifications (B-85-C)

References

Bibliography

* John Andrade, U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, (Page 171) * Bridgman, Leonard. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951. * Simpson, Rod, Airlife's World Aircraft, 2001, Airlife Publishing Ltd, (Page 248) * Simpson, Rod. The General Aviation Handbook. 2005. Midland Publishing. * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing

External links

{{USAF transports B 1930s United States sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933