The Weinberg S.E.5a Replica is an American

homebuilt Homebuilt machines are machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. This can include different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

that was designed by William Weinberg of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. The aircraft was supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction, but the plans seem to no longer be available.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 152. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. The Weinberg S.E.5a Replica is an 80% replica of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

Design and development

Like the original S.E.5a fighter, the S.E.5a Replica features a biplane layout, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is predominantly made from wood with the aft

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 aircraft t ...

and tail made from welded steel tubing. The span wings are built with wooden

spars The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

, wooden ribs and center-section. The wings, tail and aft fuselage are covered in doped aircraft fabric, with the forward fuselage covered in

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

. There is a small baggage compartment behind the pilot's seat. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload is only .

Operational history

At least one example was constructed in 1970 and registered with the US

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 m ...

as an ''Experimental - Amateur-built''. The aircraft was removed from the registry on 30 April 2016.

Specifications (S.E.5a Replica)

References

{{reflist S.E.5a Replica 1970s United States sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Homebuilt aircraft