Ace_Plumber
Well-Known Member
I would like to clarify some misconceptions a little bit. I take exception to the comparison of the Hummel Bird to the Teenie Two. There is almost nothing the same other than the small size of both aircraft. While they both use monocoque construction and they are all aluminum that's where the similarities end. The Tennie was developed before the Hummel Bird. Maybe that's why people assume that it evolved from the Tennie. Acutely the Hummel Bird was a redesign of the Wind Wagon. The Wind Wagon designed by Gary Watson in Texas. He used the 1/2 VW and it was a small low wing open cockpit, tri gear, all aluminum airplane. I believe that it uses the same method of attachment for the horizontal stabilizer as the Tennie Two but again that's where the similarities end. This was also a week point in the design of the Wind wagon. The rear fuselage bulkhead tended to crack due to the high stress on such a small diameter bulkhead. There are two large holes in the bulkhead for the elevator and rudder push rods that are very near the edge of the bulkhead and that is where cracking could occur. But still It was a nifty and inexpensive little plane to build in a small space. Then Morry Hummel saw the Wind wagon and he thought he could improve on the concept. (And improve he did!). He changed the attach method for the horizontal stabilizer. Change it from a tri gear to a conventional gear. added a turtle deck and bubble canopy for winter time flying (with cabin heat)The turtle deck and dorsal fin helped to beef up the weakness at the rear bulkhead also. The wing was a total redesign too. He made the wing ribs a little deeper top to bottom. Changed the rib attachment to the spar making a nose rib and a rear rib instead of one piece ribs that slid over the spar. He added more ribs to the wing. He also changed the spar construction by making a six foot center section with outer spar sections bolted to it. Starting the dihedral at the attach points instead of in the middle of the airplane. The skin thickness was change on the fuselage as well as the wings. Morry was a very cleaver guy. He had worked in the aircraft industry so he understood structures and how to keep them light but still strong. He put lightening holes in the wing ribs and added stiffening beads to them to save weight. When Morry was finished with the prototype Hummel Bird it weighed less than the Wind Wagon. Someone else called his creation a Hummel Bird and the name stuck. To build a Hummel Bird in the early days you had to get the Wind Wagon plans form Watson And buy the conversion plans form Morry. That was a nightmare! I know I bought both sets and I couldn't even start to build! Morry had flown the Hummel bird from Ohio up to Oshkosh in 1986 I believe. That's where Bill spring saw it and wanted one. Bill is an electrical engineer and he new about drawing up plans. So he did just that after lots of phone calls and taking a lot of pictures of Morry's plane he drew the plans that I was finally able to use to build my Hummel Bird from. That's how The Hummel Bird Came to be. NOTING TO DO WITH THE TEENIE TWO AT ALL
So there you have it folks....and ya didn't even ask!
Happy Aviating,AP
So there you have it folks....and ya didn't even ask!
Happy Aviating,AP
Last edited:
