Warne Bubble Plane
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| Bubble Plane | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Sporting aircraft |
| National origin | American |
| Manufacturer | Monte Warne |
| Number built | 1 |
| Registration | N11TH |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1995 |
The Bubble Plane was an sporting monoplane constructed by Monte Warne of Tennessee. It was notable for being made using components sourced from several different aircraft.
The Bubble Plane was a high-wing pusher monoplane. It was constructed using the fuselage of a pre-owned RLU-1 Breezy, which had been equipped with the wings of a Piper PA-11 lightplane, and the wing-struts from a Piper PA-18, and was powered by a 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming O-320 engine.[1]
In creating the Bubble Plane, Warne retained those components, but modified the fuselage to increase its length, changed the tandem seating arrangement to being side-by-side, and also replaced the original tricycle undercarriage with one that had a conventional tail-dragger layout. A bubble canopy sourced from a Bell 47 helicopter was located at the front of the fuselage, and provided excellent all-round visibility. A fairing was built between the canopy and the engine.[1] It had capacity to carry up to 200 lb (91 kg) of luggage, and sufficient fuel to fly for 32 hours.[2]
The Bubble Plane was given the FAA registration N11TH, with an airworthiness test taking place in 1995. The registration was kept active through to 2011.[3]