The Pop's Props Pinocchio is a single seat, open-cockpit, mid-wing, single-engine

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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

that was inspired by the

Fokker Eindecker The Fokker ''Eindecker'' fighters were a series of German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Netherlands, Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker.Boyne 1988 Developed in April 1915, the first ''Eindecker'' ("Monoplane") was the ...

and first flown in 1994. The aircraft was produced by

Pop's Props Pop's Props was an American aircraft manufacturer, founded by Scott Land in about 1994 and based in Cooksville, Illinois. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of plans and kits for Homebuilt a ...

of Cooksville, Illinois and made available as plans or in kit form. The company is no longer in business and the aircraft kit is no longer available.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-46. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 223. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 61. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 The aircraft was designed for the

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...

category, including the category's empty weight limit. The standard empty weight of the Pinocchio is .

Design and development

While the Pinocchio was inspired by the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Fokker Eindecker, it is not a replica of that classic

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

. Reviewer Andre Cliche explains: The Pinocchio is constructed of wood and covered in aircraft fabric. The landing gear is conventional with bungee-sprung spoked mainwheels and includes a tailskid. The mid-mounted wing has a double surface and full-span

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...

s. The wing is wire-braced from a kingpost mounted just ahead of the single cockpit. The

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

is square in cross-section and the aft part from the wing root to the

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), 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 ...

is not fabric covered, but is left as bare wooden structure to save weight. The standard recommended engine is the Half VW of , with a starter as optional. The designer recommended power range is . The open-cockpit environment, without a windshield, requires that the pilot wear goggles as was common in World War I. Due to the laborious wood and fabric construction, builder completion time from plans is estimated at 750 man-hours and 500 hours from the kit. At the time the kit was available, it could be ordered as one kit or as several sub-kits.

Specifications (Pinocchio)

References

{{Pops Props 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

Aircraft first flown in 1994 Mid-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear

Design and development

Specifications (Pinocchio)

See also

References