HM 16 Pou Bebe

HM.16 Pou-Bébé: Flight at its Absolute Minimum

The Mignet HM.16, nicknamed the “Pou-Bébé” (Baby Flea), is the purest distillation of Henri Mignet’s philosophy. If the original HM.14 was simple, the HM.16 took that concept to an almost comical extreme. It was designed to be the smallest, lightest, cheapest, and easiest-to-build airplane in the world, with the goal of flying on the power of a moped engine. It is, quite literally, the minimum amount of material required to safely lift a person off the ground.

Why Is It So Special?

• Simplicity Taken to the Extreme: The HM.16’s fuselage is little more than a wooden box. All the curves and complexities of the original design were eliminated, resulting in a structure that was incredibly easy for a complete novice to build. If you could build a drawer, you could build a Pou-Bébé.

• The Ultimate Featherweight: This aircraft is tiny and absurdly light. With an empty weight of barely 175 lbs, it was a true “microlight” decades before the term existed. The fuselage was so light that one person could lift and move it without help.

• The Same Mignet Safety: Despite its size, it retains the heart of the Mignet philosophy: the tandem wings and pivoting front wing. This makes it inherently resistant to stalls and spins, keeping safety as the absolute top priority.

• Minimalist Powerplant: It was designed specifically for the smallest and cheapest engines of the era, like the 25 hp Poinsard, a twin-cylinder engine that was barely more powerful than a motorcycle’s. This made the operating cost almost zero.

Performance and Key Numbers

The HM.16’s figures demonstrate its focus on being an “airborne go-kart”: light, slow, and designed for pure, low-cost fun.

General Specifications:

• Crew: 1 pilot

• Front Wingspan: 13.1 ft (4 m)

• Length: 10.2 ft (3.1 m)

• Total Wing Area: 86 sq ft (8 m²)

• Empty Weight: 165 – 200 lbs (75 – 90 kg)

• Max Takeoff Weight: 375 lbs (170 kg)

• Typical Engine: Poinsard 25 hp (or similar from 12 to 25 hp)

Performance:

• Maximum Speed: 56 mph (90 km/h)

• Cruise Speed: 47 mph (75 km/h)

• Minimum Flying Speed (No stall): 25 mph (40 km/h)

• Rate of Climb: 300 ft/min (1.5 m/s)

• Takeoff Distance: 165 – 200 ft (50 – 60 m)

• Landing Distance: 130 ft (40 m)

• Fuel Consumption: Negligible, around 1.5 gallons per hour (5-6 L/h)

In summary, the HM.16 Pou-Bébé isn’t just an airplane; it’s the answer to the question, “what is the absolute simplest and cheapest way to fly?” It’s the perfect machine for the purist, the minimalist, and the dreamer who wants to feel the air with the most honest and simple structure ever designed.