Is this "the ultimate homebuilt"??

[HighWing]

Thanks for posting these pictures. For sure, genius comes rarely and it is good to feel we have had the opportunity to participate in it.

We had a neighbor here in the Airpark who was a missionary to Africa - Bill Finke. We always refer to him as Reverend Bill. He would spend a month at home, then two months in his compound there. Since ground transportation was such an issue, Bill was heavily into airplanes to get him around. He contracted with Dean Wilson to design him a short field biplane. It was assembled here then put into a container for the trip to Africa where it served for several years until damaged in a landing. Several years after these pictures were taken, Bill died here at home while testing a Rotorway Exec.

Note the Flaperons and the design of the top one. I never flew in it, but took these pictures during Phase 1 Folks here called it the Venetian Blind.

[avidflyer]

Hi Lowell, that is a different looking airplane for sure. I'm wondering what I"m seeing in the second picture on the verticle stabilizer above where the N # is. Almost looks like it's a.... I'm not sure what it looks like. Can you tell us anything more about the plane or show any more pictures. Thanks Jim Chuk

[HighWing]

Jim,
I have no other pictures that are significantly different - all of the others are while in flight.

I think what we are seeing is an optical illusion derived from the angle of the sun and a sort of primitive airfoil shape on the vertical stabilizer and the right rudder deflection as the picture was taken. I think we are seeing the forward half of the vertical and the rudder in the shade of the late afternoon sun. Looking at the vertical stabilizer and rudder in the in flight picture gives a more accurate view. Looking again at the pictures reminded me of the very short wing chord on the lower wing with the flaperon essentially acting as an aft section of the wing that was movable giving an opportunity to bend the airfoil during slow approaches. There is no doubt that Dean Wilson was way beyond most that are out there today.

[jrevens]

My friend Scott Christiansen in South Dakota built a beautiful example of an Ellipse. He's had it at Oshkosh the last 2 or 3 years. I believe that there are only 3 or 4 of them in existence.

[av8rps]

My friend Scott Christiansen in South Dakota built a beautiful example of an Ellipse. He's had it at Oshkosh the last 2 or 3 years. I believe that there are only 3 or 4 of them in existence.

I remember well when Dean talked about building the Ellipse. He said he was going to build a 4 seat airplane that you could fold the wings on like an Avid, trailering it to and from the airport with just a hitch that attaches to the tail, and it was going to haul 1000 lbs for 1000 miles at 150 mph, climb at 1000 fpm, all on a 150 hp lycoming with a fixed pitch prop. Sounded like a tall order to me, but lo and behold, about a year after talking about it, his prototype Ellipse proved it was possible.

That airplane looks pretty common and conventional at first glance. But the closer you look at it, the more innovative and uncommon it is. I think it is just a beautiful, and incredible design. It's just too bad there aren't more around.

For any of you that missed the earlier link on the Ellipse, here's an excellent article on it

http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepEllipse.html

It's an interesting read.

[g2em3]

Spruce Goose 2?