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An interesting find the D-1 can be quite the rare site with only 12 built and 9 still registered as of 2009. It was designed by John Thorp famous for being the lead on the preliminary design team for the T-16 / PA-28 for Piper and the Thorp T-18 kit-plane. The prototype was originally powered by O-200 engines but where later upgraded to more powerful IO-320′s.
It’s quite the good looking twin but due to many factors it was not produced in mass.
YouTube videos are very limited, here are a few I found:
The Sling High Wing is a recent E-AB kit plane available from Sling Aircraft. First Flight was at the end of 2020. The first time it actually cut through the noise is when I saw it in a recent Trent Palmer video where N669JP was flying along with Trent’s new Cub on an Idaho adventure. An N number look up let me know the aircraft make & type. Being very familiar with the general Kit Plane offerings this one was rather unique having a slick fuselage, a Tail Wheel configuration and fairly new construction. I knew it was way to big to be a Jabiru and not the right shape to be a Glasair 2+2.
MoJoGrip’s YouTube Channel has been a great ambassador for the Sling TSi where I learned a lot about there low wing aircraft.
The HW is offered in a tail wheel or nose wheel configuration. uses a Rotax 915 iS for power.
The Integral R is a recent 2 seat acrobatic training aircraft from France. It’s powered by a Lycoming AEIO-390. I think its a fairly sharp looking acrobatic aircraft for a side by side configuration and it reminds me of a CAP 232 also from France. The Integral R is available in a tail draggier and nose wheel config.
This aircraft of the month is the Global Explorer, designed by Dean Wilson for Hubert de Chevigny. Dean was the “grandfather of Idaho bush planes” founding Avid aircraft in the early 1980’s. While Piper Cub configuration aircraft dominate most bush aircraft Avid feature side by side seating with folding wings. The front and back wing spars are aluminum tubes and have wood ribs. They also feature full flying flaperons and highly under cambered airfoils. Avid paved the way for aircraft like the Kitfox, Highlander & Rans. My Dream homebuilt aircraft growing up is the Avid Magnum (9/22 aircraft of the month) a larger o-360 powered version of the flyer series.
As post in Facebook and Instagram can get lost quickly or even deleted thought I would pay tribute to Dean Wilson with this article.
Here is a copy of the text from the Facebook article above:
“Wouldn’t it be great to have a flying RV? Meet the Wilson Global Explorer. Possibly the largest homebuilt aircraft ever built, this monstrous machine was developed in the early 90s by Dean Wilson, prolific designer of the Avid Flyer line of homebuilts. The aircraft was built to order for french explorer Hubert de Chevigny, and designed as a “flying lab”, allowing the frenchman to explore remote regions days at a time. (like Jacques Cousteau)
With a gross weight of 8,000 lb, it was powered by 2 Lycomings (250hp and later upgraded to 300hp). Considering its huge wing area, it was more akin to a powered glider than aircraft, with a cruise speed of 95 kts. Perfect for exploring down low and slow. The cavernous fuselage could comfortably accommodate a small family, and even had enough room to fit an Avid Flyer or Robinson R-22 inside. A glass window built in the rear of the fuselage floor allowed you to watch the fishies..just like a glass-bottom boat!
Surprisingly, given its mission, there are not many pictures to be found, in fact some of the cabin interior shots are screenshots from a video.
Explorer 1 crashed in France, as the pilot attempted to takeoff unaware the spoilers were deployed. “Explorer 2” was promptly built, where it resumed exploration flights in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego and Bolivia. It was then sold, and also crashed during a ferry flight. Last known location is somewhere in SW France – not sure if there’s plans to resurrect the Explorer. ”
As you can see the global explorer is one huge homebuilt aircraft, the sea plane configuration and twin engines allow this aircraft true global reach.
The interior space of the aircraft is comparable to an RV, fuselage like its Avid predecessors is all small diameter welded 4130N chromoly tubing.
I’m surprised Jimmy Buffet or Kermit Weeks did not have one commissioned for their own use.
Was only able to find 2 videos on YouTube of the aircraft:
Additional info on the Global Explorer is very limited, there are some wood models on ebay (proceed with caution). With a good 3 view an RC scale model would not be too difficult to do.
Gould Aero 