The Payne Knight Twister is a single-seat, single-engine aerobatic sport aircraft first flown by Vernon Payne Sr. in the United States in 1932 and marketed in plans form for homebuilding.Taylor 1989, p.716''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78'', p.551

Design and development

It is a conventional biplane design with slightly staggered wings of unequal span. The wings are of fully cantilever design and do not require the bracing wires commonly used on biplanes or even interplane struts; however, most builders brace the wings with I-struts and at least one pair of wires.Davisson 1999, p.44 The cockpit is open, and the undercarriage is of fixed, tailwheel type with divided main units. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are of wooden construction, skinned in plywood, while the fuselage and vertical stabilizer are of welded steel tube covered in fabric.''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78'', p.552 Payne designed the Knight Twister in 1928 while teaching aircraft design and repair at a school attached to the Aviation Service and Transport Company in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

."Knight Twister Historical Information" Construction of a prototype by Payne and his students commenced the following year but ended shortly thereafter when the school was forced to close as a consequence of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Payne began building a second prototype in 1931, which first flew in fall the following year powered by a

Salmson 9A Between 1920 and 1951 the Société des Moteurs Salmson in France developed and built a series of widely used air-cooled aircraft engines.Gunston 1986, p. 158. Design and development After their successful water-cooled radial engines, developed ...

d radial engine. This aircraft was damaged in a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion during a demonstration flight for the press, and parts of the airframe were reused to build the second Knight Twister in 1935. This machine, powered by a converted Ford Model A automobile engine, was built for an Argentine buyer"The New Knight Twister" 1937, p.35 who eventually declined to take delivery. After it had passed through several hands, Payne himself bought the aircraft back after World War II and his son, Richard, was killed in it during a test flight on which the engine failed shortly after take-off.

Operational history

The Knight Twister built a reputation as a racing aircraft. In 1964, Clyde Parsons flying the "Parsons Twister", won the Sport Biplane Championship race at

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with a speed of 144.7 mph. In the 1970s, Don Fairbanks competed with a Knight Twister preserved initially at the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...

museum in

Novi, Michigan Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,243, an increase of 20% from the 2010 census. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Novi is located about northwest of the city of D ...

, and later in the lobby of Sporty's Pilot Shop at

Clermont County Airport Clermont County Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) west of the central business district of Batavia, a village in Clermont County, Ohio, United States. It is owned by the Clermont County Commissioners. It is also ...

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census. Geography Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

. Fairbanks set the world record in the sport biplane class of 178 mph (284 km/h) with this aircraft. The Knight Twister has a reputation as a "handful" to fly,Davisson 2000 but this has been vigorously denied by both its designerPayne 1985 and by Fairbanks.Fairbanks Both men have attributed this reputation to the controls being lighter and more responsive than those of the light aircraft that most pilots are more familiar with. In the 1990s, the rights to the design were acquired by Steen Aero, who continue to offer plans for sale in 2009.

Variants

''Data from:'' "Knight Twister Historical Information" (except as noted) * KTS-1 - first prototype with

d engine (1 built) * KTD-2 - second prototype with converted Ford Model A engine designated ''Douglas Bear''(1 built), later redesignated Knight Twister Junior 75-85 * KT-50 - version with

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

engine and 18-ft wingspan * KT-75 Knight Twister Junior - version with Continental or Lycoming engine and 17 ft 6 in-wingspanTaylor 1989, p.717"Knight Twister Junior" 1949, p. 34 * KT-80 - version with Franklin engine * KT-85 - standard version with Continental engine of and 15-ft wingspan * KT-90 - version with engine and 15-ft wingspan ** KTT-90 - version with Lycoming engine and 18-ft wingspan * KT-95 - version with Lambert engine * KT-125 - version with engine * KT-140 - version with engine. ** SKT-125 Sunday Knight Twister - version with Lycoming engine and 19 ft 6 in-wingspan * KT Imperial - version with engine of and wing area increased (span: 17 ft 6 in) to comply with Sport Biplane class rules * KT Holiday - version with engine and wingspan of 19 ft 6 in * KT Acro - version with wingspan of 15 ft 6 in * KT Coed - version with passenger seat in tandem with pilot's; wingspan of 22 ft 6 in. * Double Twist - A two place model with an untapered 21 ft M6 airfoil. * Pretty Prairie Special II model 1 - Straight leg conventionally braced based on a Knight Twister, stretched 16 inches * Pretty Prairie Special III - A Menasco powered variant displayed in the

EAA Airventure Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

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until 2006, and now at the

Kansas Aviation Museum The Kansas Aviation Museum is a museum located in Wichita, Kansas, United States, near 31st South and George Washington Blvd. The building was the former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal from 1935 to 1954. The Museum features many display a ...

Specifications (KT-85)

Notes

References