PlaneBuilds.net: Beachey-Eaton Biplane by Jim Hoyle

[Jon]

This Beachy-Eaton biplane, built by Jim Hoyle on RotecEngines.com, is an extremely rare replica build of a legendary historical biplane.

The first Beachy-Eaton biplane was built in 1914, by a legendary aviator named Lincoln J. Beachey.

The builder had previously observed the only other Beachy-Eaton biplane replica, which had been built in 1968 and was eventually displayed in an aviation museum. Careful construction and rigid attention to detail allowed the builder to reproduce the biplane, this time powered by a Rotec R2800 engine.

Beachey's original biplane was one of the first aerobatic planes ever built. Because it was designed to perform loops, it was known as the "Little Looper". Beachey was enshrined in aviation history when he was the first to fly over Niagara Falls. He was also the first to safely recover from a tailspin, the inventor of figure 8s, an altitude record holder at the time, and the first pilot to achieve terminal velocity by flying straight down. Orville Wright once said of Beachey: "He is the most wonderful flyer of all."

Beachey performed his final maneuver to a crowd of 250,000 people. During a loop followed by inverted flight, he lost control and his plane crashed into San Francisco Bay. Thanks to modern plane builders, his legacy, and his designs, live on.



Beachey-Eaton Biplane by Jim Hoyle on RotecEngines.com

Beachey-Eaton Biplane by Jim Hoyle on RotecEngines.com

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