The Swee' Pea was a series of three midget
aircraft racers designed by
Art Chester
Art Chester (1899–1949) was an American barnstormer and air racer of the 1930s and 1940s. Chester was instrumental in the development of the Menasco Pirate and Buccaneer inverted inline engines. He was also the designer of the propeller ...
.
Design and development
The Swee' Pea was a racing aircraft to compete in the new midget racing class championed by race pilot
Art Chester
Art Chester (1899–1949) was an American barnstormer and air racer of the 1930s and 1940s. Chester was instrumental in the development of the Menasco Pirate and Buccaneer inverted inline engines. He was also the designer of the propeller ...
. The aircraft was the third design from Chester with a
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.[mid-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 planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...](_blank)
taildragger
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...
configuration with other midget racers. The aircraft was unique in that it used a
V tail configuration and a single cooling air intake through a large hole in the center of the spinner.
The Fuselage is welded tube steel with plywood covered wings.
Operational history
The Swee' Pea was introduced at the 1947
National Air Races
The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...
, but the V-Tail performed poorly at takeoff speed, and was replaced by a conventional tail for the 1948 Miami races. The top speed was reduced with a conventional tail, so the V-Tail was re-installed.
Variants
;Swee' Pea
:Later Renamed "Sky Baby" - one built
;Swee' Pea II
:Modified with a Y-tail (similar to the
Sonex Waiex). Art Chester died in a crash in this plane at the San Diego Air Races on 24 April 1949. - one built
;Wimpy
:The Swee' Pea modified with the main gear farther back. This aircraft crashed on 25 July 1948 at
Rosemead airfield, due to blanking of the v-tail during a slow manoeuvre. - one built
Specifications (Chester Swee' Pea)
See also
References
{{Art Chester aircraft
Racing aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1947
Single-engined tractor aircraft