The Stits SA-3A Playboy (also called the Stitts SA-3A Playboy) is a single seat,

strut-braced In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

low-wing

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 planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

that was 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 Baby, which was the world's smallest aircraft in 1952, developed the Poly-Fiber a ...

for amateur construction. The aircraft was designed and the prototype was completed in a three-month period during 1952. The design went on to become one of the most influential in the post-war boom in aircraft homebuilding.Plane & Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 155. Werner & Werner, 1978. A side-by-side two seat version is known as the SA-3B.

Design and development

The Playboy was the third of fifteen different aircraft designs created by Stits, who migrated in the 1960s from selling plans to developing the '' Polyfiber'' line of aircraft coverings and related paint formulas. The Playboy was designed to be constructed from either plans or from a series of partial kits. The construction is mixed with the fuselage made from welded steel and the wings built from wood. The aircraft is fabric-covered and incorporates a sliding

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

. The aircraft is unusual in that the low wings are

. The engine range is from with the

Continental C85 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. ...

the most commonly used. The first in the series of Van's Aircraft designed by

Richard VanGrunsven Richard E. "Dick" VanGrunsven (born 1939) is an American aircraft designer and kit plane manufacturer. The number of VanGrunsven-designed homebuilt aircraft produced each year in North America exceeds the combined production of all commercial gen ...

, the Van's Aircraft RV-1 was a modified Playboy and directly led to the

Van's Aircraft RV-3 The Van's RV-3 is a single-seat, single-engine, low-wing kit aircraft sold by Van's Aircraft.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 74. Belvoir Publications. Unlike m ...

and the highly successful RV line of aircraft.

Operational history

Having been sold in 1955, the prototype Playboy passed through several owners' hands before being donated to the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

. Ray Stits was the first member of Chapter 1. That plane is now in the

EAA Airventure Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's first licensed amateur-built aircraft was a highly modified Playboy that was built by Keith S. Hopkinson. Hopkinson used the basic Playboy design and incorporated a

Piper J-3 The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

cowling, a

Cessna 170 The Cessna 170 is an American light, single-engined, general aviation aircraft produced by the Cessna Aircraft Company between 1948 and 1956. It is the predecessor of the Cessna 172, the most produced aircraft in history, which replaced ...

propeller spinner,

de Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

wing struts, Cessna 140 conventional landing gear and Stinson 108 wheel pants. In March 2010 there were still 41 Playboys registered in the US, six in Canada and two in the UK.

Variants

;SA-3A :Single seat version, powered by an

;SA-3B :Two seats in side-by-side configuration version, powered by a Lycoming O-235 ;Super Playboy :A one-off design with two foot wing extensions powered by a Franklin ;

VanGrunsven RV-1 The RV-1 is a Stits Playboy that was constructed with modifications by Richard VanGrunsven. The aircraft was the first of a series of Van's aircraft that became the most popular homebuilt aircraft produced. Design and development The first R ...

:A Lycoming O-290G powered, cantilever aluminium winged modification of an SA-3A.

Aircraft on display

* Canada Aviation Museum - first Canadian homebuilt aircraft, modified Playboy C-FRAD * EAA AirVenture Museum - prototype Playboy N8KK

Specifications (SA-3A)

References

External links

Photo of a Stits Playboy
{{Stits aircraft 1950s United States sport aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1952