The Culver Rigid Midget 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 con ...

, single seat

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

Irv Culver Irven Harold Culver (May 11, 1911 – August 13, 1999) was an American aeronautical engineer. Most notable of all his accomplishments, Culver is credited for solving a fatal flaw in the Lockheed P-38, related to high-speed compressibility pr ...

in 1941. The prototype was constructed by Ray Parker and Bill Bowmar and completed in 1947Rogers, Bennett: ''1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 50. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920Said, 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 in ...

'', page 58,

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...

November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

Culver designed the Rigid Midget as a development of the Screaming Wiener in 1941, but due to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

no prototype was constructed until 1947. The Rigid Midget resembles the Screaming Wiener, but the Midget has a wingspan that is greater and it uses a different airfoil. The first Midget was built by Parker and Bowmar and is registered with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

as a ''Bellow Flex CC 4-36''. Bowmar completely restored and rebuilt the aircraft in about 1971 and donated it to 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 ...

. The aircraft is constructed from wood, with the wings and tail surfaces finished in doped aircraft fabric covering and the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

covered in wood. The wing is of a small span at just .

Landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

is a fixed monowheel. A second Midget was constructed from plans by George Groff of

Canoga Park, California Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and the ...

. A third one, also built from plans, was noted when it was offered for sale during the 1970s in

. The Parker PJ-1 Tiny Mite was developed from the Midget and built by Parker and Dick Johnson, although by the time it was completed it had evolved considerably from the Midget.

Operational history

The first Midget was completed in time for Parker to fly the aircraft in the 1947 US Nationals, held at

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

, in which he finished third. Parker's flights at that competition included a flight. Bowmar and Parker flew over 1000 hours in the aircraft and Bowmar noted that it had nice handling characteristics, no vices and, with its short wingspan, was highly maneuverable.

Aircraft on display

- Parker and Bowmar's prototype, listed as in "storage"

Specifications (Rigid Midget)

References

{{Irv Culver aircraft 1940s United States sailplanes Homebuilt aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947 Mid-wing aircraft

Design and development

Operational history

Aircraft on display

Specifications (Rigid Midget)

See also

References