The Wittman DFA aka Little Bonzo is a

homebuilt Homebuilt machines are machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. This can include different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or ...

racing In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...

aircraft designed to compete in midget racing. Wittman DFA

Development

Steve Wittman Sylvester Joseph "Steve" Wittman (April 5, 1904 – April 27, 1995) was an American air-racer and aircraft engineer. An illness in Wittman's infancy claimed most of his vision in one eye, which convinced him from an early age that his dre ...

had started air racing in 1926 using various aircraft. In March 1931, he designed his own purpose-built aircraft in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

, the Wittman Chief Oshkosh. After World War II, a new class of Midget air racing was formed with Wittman's efforts. Wittman re-engined "Chief Oshkosh" and renamed it "Bonzo". After several successful races in Cleveland in 1948, a cleaner sister ship "Little Bonzo" was built. The name is a reference to Wittman's much larger racer, the

Wittman D-12 Bonzo The Wittman D-12 "Bonzo" was an air racer designed by Steve Wittman for the Thompson Trophy races. The aircraft's top speed of made it faster than any United States military aircraft of the era. Development Wittman purchased a Curtiss D-12 engi ...

Design

The Wittman DFA is a

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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

ed conventional geared aircraft built from a welded steel tube fuselage with

aircraft fabric covering 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 ...

and wooden wing construction. The DFA differs slightly from Bonzo with a smaller tail surface, a longer tail and a larger canopy. In 1968, the engine was replaced with a

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 ...

to compete under new race rules.

Operational history

and Bill Brennand alternated flying "Buster" and "Little Bonzo". The aircraft was never transported by trailer and was instead always flown to events, where Wittman would perform

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

between heats in his racing aircraft. *1948 National Air Races - Cleveland pilot Wittman placed second. *1949 Continental Trophy races - first place *1950 Rebat Trophy - first place *1951 Rebat Trophy - first place *1952 Continental Trophy races - first place *1964 Reno Formula One Championship - second place *1973 Goodyear race - the last competitive race for Little Bonzo. *1994 Wittman flew the newly restored aircraft before it was donated to the EAA museum.

Variants

*The 1934 Wittman Buster rebuilt from "Chief Oshkosh" was the basis for Little Bonzo.

Aircraft on display

The Wittman DFA is on display at the

EAA Airventure Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

Specifications (Wittman DFA "Little Bonzo")

References

External links

Interview with Steve Wittman
{{Wittman aircraft Racing aircraft DFA Mid-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1948 United States sport aircraft