The Lesher Nomad is an innovative two-place homebuilt aircraft.
Design and development
Designer
Edgar J Lesher had previously worked at
Stinson Aircraft Company
The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.
History
The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward Stinson, Edward “Eddie” ...
in
Wayne, Michigan
Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Wayne is located about southwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,713.
Wayne has a long history of autom ...
on the
Stinson 106 Skycoach. The Skycoach was a four-place aircraft with a pusher propeller, a configuration which captured Lesher's imagination.
In August 1958, he attended one of the early
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. ...
Fly-Ins. The homebuilt aircraft he saw there inspired him to design one himself. Remembering the Skycoach, he began the design of an all-aluminum two-place, side-by-side, pusher propeller aircraft. Construction began in February 1959. In October 1961, after 5,000 hours of construction, he first flew his aircraft, the Lesher Nomad (N1066Z) at
Willow Run Airport
Willow Run Airport is an airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan, Van Buren Charter Township and Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, Ypsilanti Charter Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States, that serves freight, cor ...
in
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's popu ...
. A novel design feature was his use of a Dodge Flexidyne Coupling in the drive train to dampen torsional vibrations. The aircraft was powered by a 100 hp
Continental O-200
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in3 (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
engine driving a 72-inch
Hartzell Hartzell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Andy Hartzell, American cartoonist
* C. C. Hartzell, American confectioner
* Carl Hartzell (born 1967), Swedish diplomat
*Curt Hartzell (1891–1975), Swedish gymnast
* Eric Hartzell ...
ground-adjustable propeller.
Operational history
Lesher flew the Nomad to the 1962 EAA Fly-In in
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...
, where the design attracted a lot of interest. In 1964, flying Nomad, he took the grand prize in the AC Spark Plug Rally. The aircraft was regularly flown until Lesher's death in 1998.
The aircraft is on display in the atrium of the
Francois-Xavier Bagnoud building at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
.
Specifications
See also
*
Allenbaugh Grey Ghost
*
Lesher Teal
The Lesher Teal is a home built experimental aircraft that at one point held seven Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) class is C-l.a records for speed and distance.
Design and development
The Teal was designed to beat the Federation ...
*
PAR Special
The PAR Special was a high-speed experimental monoplane built by a consortium of aviation engineers, and competed in air races in the early 1950s.
Design and development
The Special was a project of four St. Louis-based McDonnell Aircraft emp ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Picture of the Lesher Nomad aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
1960s United States experimental aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1961
Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear
Pusher aircraft
Shoulder-wing aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft