The Backstrom EPB-1 Flying Plank is an American

mid-wing 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 ...

, single seat, tailless

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

that was designed by Al Backstrom, with assistance from Phil Easley and Jack Powell in 1954 and made available as plans for amateur construction.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of ind ...

'', page 12. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

The Flying Plank was intended to be an aircraft that could be built at home, that would be of minimum size and yet still provide reasonable soaring performance. The prototype Plank featured tip rudders and was used for drag-reduction tests conducted at

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

before it was retired. The EPB-1 designation indicates the design team's last names. The EPB-1 is constructed with a wooden structure, with doped

aircraft fabric covering Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as ar ...

. The landing gear is a monowheel, with a nose skid. The "A" model was described in the plans sold and retained the twin tip rudders of the EPB-1, although some were built with a single fin and rudder assembly attached to the cockpit rear. At least one two-place

side-by-side seating Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

version was built in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and another as a

motor glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...

. The standard wingspan is , but versions have been built with spans up to .

Operational history

In March 2011 two EPB-1s were still registered in the USA, including the one in the

National Soaring Museum The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, United States. The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's officia ...

Variants

;EPB-1 :Initial prototype with dual tip rudders ;EPB-1A :Standard model built from plans, also with dual tip rudders ;EPB-1C :Model modified by Al Cleave, featuring a centrally-mounted fin and rudder.

', The EPB-1C, Sport Aviation, 1965, January, p. 31 ;EPB-1H :Model modified with a different airfoil, was not successful, dismantled. ;Flying Plank II :Motor glider version

Aircraft on display

- EPB-1A and EPB-1C

Specifications (EPB-1A)

References

{{reflist

External links

Photo of EPB-1C
1950s United States sailplanes Tailless aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1954