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The Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross is an American
The aircraft were known for their poor pitch handling characteristics. The famous aerodynamicist Irv Culver told Albatross owner Jeff Byard that the problem came from three sources. First, the rotation axis of the all flying horizontal tail was located at 35% chord instead of slightly in front of the aerodynamic center at 25% chord. Second, the horizontal tail rotation hinge had high friction. Third, the relatively soft pitch axis cable control system stored elastic energy reacting the friction in the tail hinge. As the pilot tried to input pitch controls into the unstable tail, the friction of the tailplane hinge prevented initial movement which then stored up energy in the control cables. The pilot then applied more force to get the desired reaction. Eventually, the high friction would break loose and the horizontal tail would move much farther than desired due to the higher than necessary force applied by the pilot and releasing the force in the control cables. The resulting over control often resulting in PIO and when near the ground would likely damage the aircraft. Culver instructed the owner to move the hinge axis forward to 24.5%, add a downspring to the pitch control, and liberally lubricate the hinge axis before each flight to reduce friction. According to Byard, the plane flies significantly better with the improvements.
As of September 2013 there were still 12 Baby Albatross on the US
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Images of the BA-100 in the National Soaring Museum
{{William Hawley Bowlus aircraft designs 1930s United States sailplanes Bowlus aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1937
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...
, strut-braced
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...
, open cockpit, pod-and-boom glider that was designed by Hawley Bowlus and introduced in 1938.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', pages 6-7. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
Design and development
Bowlus designed the Baby Albatross as an inexpensive glider during theGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. The aircraft initially sold for US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
750 ready-to-fly, and US$385 as a kit for amateur construction. Initially produced as a kit by Bowlus, the rights to the design were purchased in 1944 by Laister-Kauffmann, although that company went out of business before commencing production.
The BA-100 is of mixed construction. The wings and tail surfaces are of wooden structure, covered in aircraft fabric
Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...
. The tailboom is made from a metal tube and the cockpit pod is of molded plywood
Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
. The aircraft features no glide-path control devices, although some were later modified with spoilers. The airfoil is a modified Gö 535 section.
The production of the BA-100 totaled 156 kits delivered.
Operational history
Many well known soaring pilots owned and flew the BA-100 as their first aircraft. These include Dick Johnson, Richard Schreder and Joe Lincoln. Despite its modest performance the BA-100 has been flown on many flights of over . One BA-100 was modified bySchweizer Aircraft
The Schweizer Aircraft Corporation was an American manufacturer of sailplanes, agricultural aircraft and helicopters located in Horseheads (town), New York, Horseheads, New York. It was incorporation (business), incorporated in 1939 by three Sc ...
, replacing the plywood cockpit pod with a steel tube one.
The aircraft were known for their poor pitch handling characteristics. The famous aerodynamicist Irv Culver told Albatross owner Jeff Byard that the problem came from three sources. First, the rotation axis of the all flying horizontal tail was located at 35% chord instead of slightly in front of the aerodynamic center at 25% chord. Second, the horizontal tail rotation hinge had high friction. Third, the relatively soft pitch axis cable control system stored elastic energy reacting the friction in the tail hinge. As the pilot tried to input pitch controls into the unstable tail, the friction of the tailplane hinge prevented initial movement which then stored up energy in the control cables. The pilot then applied more force to get the desired reaction. Eventually, the high friction would break loose and the horizontal tail would move much farther than desired due to the higher than necessary force applied by the pilot and releasing the force in the control cables. The resulting over control often resulting in PIO and when near the ground would likely damage the aircraft. Culver instructed the owner to move the hinge axis forward to 24.5%, add a downspring to the pitch control, and liberally lubricate the hinge axis before each flight to reduce friction. According to Byard, the plane flies significantly better with the improvements.
As of September 2013 there were still 12 Baby Albatross on the US Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
civil aircraft register.
Variants
;BA-100 Baby Albatross :Original single-seat version, type certified. ;BA-102 Two-Place Baby Albatross :Two-seat version with extended rearfuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
by to accommodate a passenger, with two small portal-type windows. The first one was constructed by Bowlus and Don Mitchell in the winter of 1938. Three were built and registered as experimental aircraft.
Aircraft on display
*National Soaring Museum
The National Soaring Museum (NSM) is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located in Big Flats Town, New York, on top of Harris Hill near Elmira.
The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's ...
- BA-100 Baby Albatross and BA-102 two-place Baby Albatross (N33630)
*Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also called the Udvar-Hazy Center, is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia. It holds numerous exhibits, ...
- BA-100 Baby Albatross (NX18979) is on display at this annex of the National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States, dedicated to history of aviation, human flight and space exploration.
Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, ...
*The Seattle Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight is a private Nonprofit organization, non-profit Aircraft, air and Spacecraft, space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of Boeing Field, King County International Airport (Boeing Fi ...
- BA-100 Baby Albatross currently in restoration at Paine Field.
*Port Townsend Aero Museum
Port Townsend Aero Museum is an aviation museum located at Jefferson County International Airport in Port Townsend, Washington.
History
The museum was founded in 2001 by Jerry and Peggy Thoutte with six flyable aircraft. The museum was initial ...
- BA-100 Baby Albatross (NC17864).
*San Diego Air and Space Museum
The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. It is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Plac ...
- BA-100 Baby Albatross.
* Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum - BA-100 Baby Albatross undergoing restoration.
* Wings of History Air Museum - BA-100 Baby Albatross.
Specifications (BA-100)
References
External links
Images of the BA-100 in the National Soaring Museum
{{William Hawley Bowlus aircraft designs 1930s United States sailplanes Bowlus aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1937