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Robert H. Starr (February 6, 1924 – June 15, 2009) was the designer, builder and pilot of The World's Smallest Piloted Biplane Airplane, the
Starr's memoirs page
"On several occasions, me and my wing man had visual confirmation of what could only be described as a UFO, mostly cigar shaped objects with no visible means of propulsion and yet each time we gave chase at full throttle, they left us behind as if we were standing still. I had many experiences with UFO sightings during my time with the Air National Guard".
Bumble Bee I
which he flew on January 28, 1984. He made modifications on his design and then built the Bumble Bee II the following year. He flew the Bumble Bee II on May 8, 1988, and broke his previous record making the Bumble Bee II the World's Smallest Manned Biplane according to Guinness Book of Records. During one of the subsequent flights of th
Bumble Bee II
the engine failed on downwind and the plane was destroyed in the resulting crash. Starr sustained serious injuries in the crash but subsequently recovered. The Bumble Bee I previous world record holder plane is on permanent display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
In civilian life he had participated in most of the largest Air Shows in the United States and had also been a test pilot for experimental aircraft over the years.
Starr Bumble Bee II The Starr Bumble Bee II was an experimental aircraft designed and built specifically to acquire the title of “The World’s Smallest Airplane”.
Design and development
The Bumble Bee II was designed, and built by Robert H. Starr in Phoenix, Ar ...
. The Guinness Book of Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
awarded The Bumble Bee the official world record title in 1985 and with the flight of the Bumble Bee II, the record still stands today 2022.
Military service
After his military service he flew P-51 andF-86
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
's in the California Air National Guard. Spent a year on active duty with Air Defense
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
off the southern California coast. During his duty with Air Defense Command he was scrambled to investigate bogies in radar range off the California coast. FroStarr's memoirs page
"On several occasions, me and my wing man had visual confirmation of what could only be described as a UFO, mostly cigar shaped objects with no visible means of propulsion and yet each time we gave chase at full throttle, they left us behind as if we were standing still. I had many experiences with UFO sightings during my time with the Air National Guard".
Flying small planes
In 1950, Starr was the primary test pilot of the previous world's smallest airplane record holders named Sky Baby andStits SA-1A Junior
The Stits SA-1A Junior is a world's smallest monoplane designed by Ray Stits
Raymond M. Stits (20 June 1921 - 8 June 2015) was an American inventor, homebuilt aircraft designer, aircraft mechanic and pilot. He designed the Stits SA-2A Sky Ba ...
. The partnership on the Sky Baby project ended, but he knew he could build a smaller more stable airplane. So, in 1980 at the age of 60 he designed and built thBumble Bee I
which he flew on January 28, 1984. He made modifications on his design and then built the Bumble Bee II the following year. He flew the Bumble Bee II on May 8, 1988, and broke his previous record making the Bumble Bee II the World's Smallest Manned Biplane according to Guinness Book of Records. During one of the subsequent flights of th
Bumble Bee II
the engine failed on downwind and the plane was destroyed in the resulting crash. Starr sustained serious injuries in the crash but subsequently recovered. The Bumble Bee I previous world record holder plane is on permanent display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
In civilian life he had participated in most of the largest Air Shows in the United States and had also been a test pilot for experimental aircraft over the years.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Robert H. Aircraft designers 2009 deaths 1924 births