Piet with geodetic wing

[Billdit]

Does anyone know the history of this Piet? There is no N number or data plate. It originally had a 90 horse Franllin.

[KenBickers]

I don't have any information about this particular airplane.

The fuselage looks to be straightforward Pietenpol Aircamper. I wonder, however, if the wing has been "borrowed" from one of the old-style Fisher Flying Products airplanes. Those used geodetic construction pretty much throughout their designs, at least in the years immediately after their emergence in the early 1980s. I suspect that there are lots of bits and pieces of those airplanes that migrated onto other airframes along the way. My recollection is even fuzzier on this, but I seem to recall that the original Team Hi-Max may also have used geodetic construction in its wing. That might be a possibility, too.

Hopefully, someone out there will recognize something about your find and provide some specifics for you.

Cheers, Ken

[Billdit]

I am sure it is a Pietenpol wing that was built that way on purpose. It is very rigid but heavy.

[KenBickers]

Interesting. Kind of a head scratcher as to why someone would do that and an object lesson in why sticking to the plans is usually smarter than trying to out-think the original designer.

[taildrags]

Ken, speaking from personal experience, it's not unusual for someone who favors a certain technique or tool to try adapting it to other uses. For some examples, I've fiddled with the notion of aluminum ribs instead of stick-built ones for the Piet and others have fiddled with aluminum wing spars for it. Many builders who are skilled fabricators with the welding torch have used welded steel tubing for the fuselage instead of trussed wood framing. Some people use sheet metal for cowlings; others use fiberglass. As with the geodetic wing, not every material or technique is the best for every application but people still try different methods. And then there are the people who go completely overboard; the ones who perfectly fit the saying that "to a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

Oscar Zuniga
Medford, OR
Air Camper NX41CC, A75 power