The Scott Ol' Ironsides is an early homebuilt aircraft using wood construction with stressed fiberglass panel construction.
Design
Ol' Ironsides is a strut-braced high-wing aircraft with conventional landing gear arrangement. The wooden fuselage is made of
Sitka Spruce
''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...
. Fiberglass composite skins were formed in 4 x 8 sheets using two layers of cloth with resin over a waxed
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard, a kind of engineered wood, which is made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood fibers in a process patented by William H. Mason. It is also called Quartrboard, Isorel, hernit, karlit, torex, treetex, and pr ...
table. The landing gear legs, fuel tank, wink tips, wheel pants, and cowling were also formed out of
fibre-glass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
. Scott integrated elements of the
Bowers Fly Baby
The Bowers Fly Baby is a homebuilt, single-seat, open- cockpit, wood and fabric low-wing monoplane that was designed by famed United States aircraft designer and Boeing historian, Peter M. Bowers.Champion J-1 Jupiter construction with the
Wittman Tailwind
The Wittman W-8 Tailwind is a popular two-seat light aircraft for homebuilding. It is a high-wing, braced cabin monoplane of taildragger configuration. It is constructed with a steel tubing fuselage, wood wings, and fabric covering. It offers exc ...
airfoil and general layout into the design.
Operational history
Construction of the aircraft was started in the mid-1960s starting with a model rather than a drawing. Ol' Ironsides first flew on 22 November 1969 with a
Continental C-85
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 sourced from a
Cessna 140
The Cessna 120, 140, and 140A, are single-engine, two-seat, conventional landing gear (tailwheel), light general aviation aircraft that were first produced in 1946, immediately following the end of World War II. Production ended in 1951, and ...
. In 1985 the prototype aircraft was restored and re-engined with a
Continental O-200
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...