E:mail: hartungj@srt.com     Web:  www.poorboyaviation.com    

 

About the Designer:        April 2011                               

 

  I like the low and slow flying of Ultralights, the minimum airplane,

the attraction of low cost and do-it-yourself. 

 

  I began building Ultralight aircraft in 1979.  I've had composite, wood,

steel tube, and Aluminum tube type planes.  I built a composite in 79 that

didn't turn out very well (unstable flying wing), in 1982 I went into a

partnership with a friend on a Sunburst Ultralight (tube and sail cloth),

they had a flying wire problem but once fixed was a good plane. 

 

  In 1985 a partner and I built a CGS Hawk.  I later purchased more planes

including used wood ultralights with some rebuilding required (two Fisher

303's, and a Minimax).  In the next years through 1998 I bought a Kolb

Firestar, a damaged Chinook, used Kolb Ultrastar, and a Mark III Twinstar

with varying degrees of satisfaction. 

   

  Aluminum tube is the primary building material in the PoorBoy because of 

quick build times, easily viewed joints and tubes for safety inspections, and

damage/repair time advantages.   Wood demonstrates slower construction, has

some repair and weathering difficulties.  I could have built using welded steel

framework but again the build time and repair technique of welding is a

requirement. 

 

  I am motivated to supply an aircraft design for people like myself who have

the flying bug and want to limit the cost.  I started the Poorboy in the fall

of 2000 which produced the PB-1 prototype.  My goals are of an inexpensive plane

designed to be a steady flyer that rely on well established flight and design

principles.  There are a few unique building features in the Poorboy but not

ground breaking design concepts. 

                                          James Hartung/PBA 

       

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