Pietenpol Air Camper

Pietenpol Air Camper: The Grandfather of Homebuilt Aviation

The Pietenpol Air Camper is arguably the most significant homebuilt aircraft in history. Designed by Bernard Pietenpol in 1929, it was created with a revolutionary goal: to get the common man into the air using the most affordable engine available—the Ford Model A automobile engine. It is the definitive “low and slow” machine, a parasol-winged classic that offers the purest open-cockpit experience imaginable.

Why Is It a Legend?

• The Ford Model A Miracle: It was the first airplane to successfully democratize flight by using a heavy, low-RPM car engine. While modern builders often use Corvair or Continental engines, the Air Camper proved that you didn’t need an expensive aero-engine to fly.

• Pure Woodworking: The airframe is a carpenter’s dream, built almost entirely from spruce wood and plywood with fabric covering. It requires very minimal metal fittings. It is built from plans (blueprints), meaning you source your own lumber and build it from scratch, just like they did in the 1920s.

• The Parasol Experience: Its wing sits high above the fuselage on struts (“parasol” configuration). This provides excellent visibility downward and creates a nostalgic, draggy, stable flight characteristic that feels like traveling back in time.

• Timeless Design: It is the oldest homebuilt design still being actively built in large numbers today. Its simple, robust structure has stood the test of nearly a century of flight.

Performance and Key Numbers
The Air Camper is famous for being “slow enough to see the flowers.” It creates a lot of drag, but that’s part of its charm. It flies on the wing, not on the engine.

General Specifications:

• Crew: 2 (Tandem seating – pilot in rear)

• Wingspan: 29 ft (8.8 m)

• Length: 17 ft 8 in (5.39 m)

• Wing Area: 135 sq ft (12.5 m²)

• Empty Weight: 600 – 700 lbs (272 – 317 kg) depending on engine

• Max Takeoff Weight: 1,080 lbs (490 kg)

• Useful Load: Approx. 400 lbs (181 kg)

• Typical Engine Power: 40 hp (Ford Model A) to 100 hp (Corvair conversion)

Performance:

• Glide Ratio: Approx. 9:1

• Cruise Speed: 70 – 75 mph (112 – 120 km/h)

• Stall Speed: 35 – 38 mph (56 – 61 km/h)

• Rate of Climb: 200 – 500 ft/min (1 – 2.5 m/s) (modest climb performance)

• Takeoff Distance: 250 – 400 ft (75 – 120 m)

• Fuel Consumption: 4 – 5 gallons per hour (15 – 19 L/h)

• Range: Approx. 200 – 250 miles (320 – 400 km)

In short, the Pietenpol Air Camper is the perfect choice if you want to build a piece of history, love working with wood, and believe that flying is about the wind in your face and the smell of cut grass, not how fast you get to the destination.