Flying Flea plans wanted

EAA

Some interesting material here:

http://www.eaa.org/homebuilders/kitplans/flyingflea.asp

http://http://www.flyingflea.com.ar/home/traditional-fforg-menu-1

There’s lots of useful stuff on this site, including a complete HM290 plan (look under Pou Review) and all manner of more up to date material.

http://http://www.bright.org.uk/

Practical Mechanics plans from halcyon days before the war. Turn the sound down though, the site plays the tune of “When I’m 64”, it’s enough to drive a fellow to distraction!

The Flea is an ideal machine to build under the new SSDR rules for microlights, having a short fuselage and useful wing area. An ordinary tractor configured aeroplane is penalised as the tail surface area cannot count towards total wing area.

I’ve got the book. Hardback, how to build, plans etc and even a list of now defunct materials suppliers. No idea how to copy it though as its a book and pre-ISBN numbers!

Does anyone have details of the colour scheme of the Flea used by RAE to test the design?

I want to build a model of it but all I have is the registration.

Flea flying

It has recently come to my notice that the CAA have created a new category of aircraft called “Deregulated” which I presume means any old thing anyone can cobble together. It must weigh no more than 115kg and have a minimum wing area of 11.5 sq mtrs. Robin Morton, LAA inspector, has been weighing original HM14 Fleas in museums and concludes that a HM14 could be built and therefore legally flown within these limits. The Fleas built to H Mignet`s instructions used some fairly hefty steel parts including a massive steel axle, wheels, rudder pivot and tail wheels. In fact no aluminium alloy was allowed by Mignet because he considered it a “treacherous metal”. He was probably right there but modern alloy steels like 4130 chrome molly are much stronger than Mignet`s gas pipe componentry and therefore in thinner gauges would save a lot of weight. Modern engines also are lighter for their power output, not to mention more reliable.
There is a lot of understanding now of the 1935 Fleas `s aerodynamic faults and Fleas like the Shuttleworth`s one have flown successfully with the post ban modifications. The aforementioned Robin Morton has been encouraging me to build another one but not this year. Dave Tigwell.

Here’s a pic of a modern variant I took in French France a couple of weeks ago…

Tom Campbell Black organised a British Empire Air Display at Marsh Leys Farm,Kempston,Bedford(now a huge Argos distribution warehouse) on 09.4.36. Admission was 1/- Flights from 3/6d. They used as part of the display, Flying Fleas G-ADPW,flown by Robert “Dotty” Doig,and G-AEEW.

Chief pilot was Pauline Gower. I have no record of Campbell Black overturning in a Flea although he fronted/financed the British Empire displays.

I think I read once that Tom Campbell Black (DH Comet fame) had a Flea turn upside down on him and lived to tell the tale. Is that right?

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God bless Youtube.

And here’s ‘modern’ examples flying…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn_vyRs5IxI&NR=1

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Nice vid…i had model aricraft bigger than some of them 😀

Be nice to build tho 🙂

God bless Youtube.

And here’s ‘modern’ examples flying…..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn_vyRs5IxI&NR=1

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This might inspire you to build http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oiCuHpMEOCc

The R.A.E Farnborough wind tunnel tests proved a design fault. By virtue of it’s layout,the Flea’s flight attitude was roughly parallel to the ground at all times. In so doing,the front wing incidence(angle of attack) was reduced towards a critical angle approx 15 degree’s where the vital slot-effect vanished and the elevator function became ineffective. The result was an out of control dive into the ground.

The original version of the HM.14 was unsafe, occasionally entering uncontrollable dives. After wind tunnel tests at the RAE, Mignet in 1936 changed the airfoil and moved the wings slightly further apart, and the design was then as safe as any of the later fleas. Unfortunately the reputation for being dangerous stuck with the design, and in any event people moved on to improved variants.

HM.14s have been built and flown safely in modern times-

Correct, essentially it tries to do an outside loop, which is ok if you have the height, but most didn’t hence it dived into the ground. The fix involved making the fuselage longer (i.e. rear wing was set further back) amongst other minor changes, but even though HM.14’s are indeed flown successfully…. the CAA won’t allow them at all in the UK

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The original version of the HM.14 was unsafe, occasionally entering uncontrollable dives. After wind tunnel tests at the RAE, Mignet in 1936 changed the airfoil and moved the wings slightly further apart, and the design was then as safe as any of the later fleas. Unfortunately the reputation for being dangerous stuck with the design, and in any event people moved on to improved variants.

HM.14s have been built and flown safely in modern times-

XM692 is correct the HM.14 is banned is not allowed to fly in the UK.

There are other versions of the Flying Flea allowed to fly all with a similar wing layout.

My interest in the plans was just to have a read. Maybe one day I would build one for fun but more than enough on my list of jobs to do at the minute.

Edit: Just noticed that XM692 has beat me to it by making the above points.

Really? Not even the modern ultralight version? How come?

Modern versions are allowed, not the subject of this topic and book/plans… the HM.14 version. That said, the modern versions are, as you say, ultralights and only commonality is the design.

To avoid confusion, this is the pre-war home built design…..

Link

And this is a modern variant (one of many)………

Another link

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Why ?

The CAA won’t let an HM.14 fly, modified or otherwise.

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Really? Not even the modern ultralight version? How come?

Don’t ask, don’t tell!!:diablo:

….. you need the updated version!

Why ?

The CAA won’t let an HM.14 fly, modified or otherwise.

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I seem to remember the original book being dangerous. It had a design error which caused several crashes. you need the updated version!