WD-II HOVEY WHING DING

Hovey Whing Ding: The Flying Lawn Chair

The Hovey Whing Ding is the spiritual father of modern ultralights and the absolute definition of a “minimalist airplane.” It is, quite literally, a flying lawn chair, designed to be so ridiculously simple that anyone could build it in a garage with basic tools. It proved you could fly with a go-kart engine and hardware store materials long before it became popular.

Why Is It So Special?

• Ultra-Simple Construction: The fuselage is essentially an aluminum tube. The wings are made of wood with styrofoam ribs, making them incredibly fast to build. The entire aircraft is assembled with bolts and rivets, with no welding required.

• “Pocket Biplane” Design: Its two short wings provide a lot of lift in a very small space, creating a compact and rigid airframe.

• Pure, Open-Air Flight: There is no cockpit. The pilot sits completely in the open, offering a pure flying sensation and perfect visibility.

• Go-Kart Engineering: It uses a brilliant chain-drive system (like a motorcycle) to allow a small, high-revving go-kart engine to turn a large, slow-moving propeller efficiently.

Performance and Key Numbers

It’s a slow aircraft, but its feather-light weight gives it surprising performance to take off from almost anywhere.

General Specifications:

• Crew: 1 pilot

• Wingspan: 18 ft (5.5 m)

• Length: 14 ft (4.3 m)

• Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

• Wing Area: 96 sq ft (8.9 m²)

• Empty Weight: 120 – 130 lbs (55 – 60 kg). It weighs less than the pilot!

• Max Takeoff Weight: 300 lbs (136 kg)

• Typical Engine: McCulloch 101 (12 hp 2-stroke go-kart engine)

Performance:

• Maximum Speed: 60 mph (97 km/h)

• Cruise Speed: 50 – 53 mph (80 – 85 km/h)

• Stall Speed: 25 mph (40 km/h)

• Takeoff Distance: 200 – 230 ft (60 – 70 m)

• Landing Distance: 150 ft (46 m)

• Rate of Climb: 300 ft/min (1.5 m/s)

• Fuel Consumption: 1.5 – 2 gallons per hour (6 – 8 L/h)

In summary, the Hovey Whing Ding is the perfect choice for the radical minimalist. If you want to build an airplane in the space of a single room for the absolute minimum cost and are fascinated by simple mechanics, this is your machine. It is pure, concentrated fun.