I'm sorry I jumped the gun,but I'm excited.
I'll let the first thread dissappear and continue more sanely in future.

The Mid Wing Special was conceived by Jack Poague and Ned Surratt as they studied the wreckage of a Super Cub.
Both Aerobatic pilots,and eager for fun,they designed an Aerobatic plane of sorts.
Gone was the cabin and high wing,replaced by an open cockpit and the wing mounted at shoulder height.
Leaving two rib bays between the aileron and the fuselage,it quite naturally became a clipped wing at the same time.
A couple of models have been built and flown,but it wasn't an epidemic..

Neil Snodgrass campaigned a 1/4 scale model,Tartan twin powered and did very well in the contests he entered.
So building buddy Gene Clark and I connived to build this one.

Reposting pictures here,and discussing the various changes to the Super Cub

Earl, is this scratch or from plans? Going to be a nice one!

Robert

The full size aircraft,now disassembled,resides in a metal hangar at Harford County Airport,near Havre de Grace ,Maryland.

The Airplane was heavily modified,and along with the wing relocation and shortening,came the rudder and fin shapes of a Corben Ace.

Two sets of wheel pants have been mounted,some from an early Piper?,and a newer set,ala Christen Eagle.

We laid out the fuselage parts last season,utilizing 1/8" lite ply as a box structure,and many large lightening holes throughout.Spruce and balsa were used as longerons,and white carpenter's glue as the adhesive.

We are presenting the model partially built,as the new forum had not been imagined yet.We're calling it a "Plans Built" model,as we did not design the plane from 'scratch'

Full size pic will be along soon.Meantime some more of the model.

I gotta get Gene to help me find the Full Scale picture,and post it .
These are of some of the other structures.
Once we get the full scale picture visible,you'll see the major restyling of the Airplane.
It's a 'looker' and has that nostalgic homebuilt look I like.

Neat project Earl! I had several opportunities to see Neil Snodgrass perform with his model and the airplane was beautiful to look at and always performed well. Much more interesting than your run of the mill J-3 for sure!

Here's the real deal.

I have never seen such a beast. Subscribed and looking forward to seeing more.!

Thank you,....I've been trying to pull that photo up with no success...I have written permission to use the photo,taken at Rainbow's End in New Jersey.

That thing just oozes character,doesn't it?

There's a 15 minute video,as soon as buddy Gene comes aboard.

Neil's model is still alive and well,although unflown,as is fitting.

Treated with TLC,the model is as pristine now as it was in it's heydey.

Neil is an artist,and has a shop in Chesapeake City,Md. He has a small Museum collection of modeling paraphenalia on display there.

In a recent conversation with Ned Surratt(owner of the Midwing),he may ship it to Arizona,where he and Meyer Guttman plan to recover and repair it,over the winter.
Ned flys a Skybolt that he built over many years,and I wouldn't be surprised if the Midwing Special gets sold instead. $20 grand...Anybody ?

I couldn't tell by the photo the outline of it due to the planes in the background so found this video online. Interesting subject for sure!

Robert

2000 Air Victory Museum Air Fair - Ned Surrat (15 min 26 sec)

Thank you,also-My life is complete !

This is what I call aerobatics ! Homemade airplane,150 hp,flying on the wing,not the prop !

I live 15 miles from his base field in Md.Used to go watch him fly practice at what was then Aldino Airport.

I can only hope to do him justice with the model...He's seen it to this point.Maybe when he gets back from Arizona,we can do that barrel roll on take off for him.

The stabilizer halves are inserted into tubing receivers as are the full scale ones.
The Stabs are built up using sheet balsa cores,with edge outlines laminated on,made of lite ply.
The ribs are lite ply also,with wider ends to accept the large robart hinge point hinges.
At this point,a discrepancy has reared it's ugly head.The plans we used have trim tabs as part of the construction....But the Aerodynamic tabs that are usually part of the elevators are not shown.
I'm talking of those tabs that extend past the stabilizer ends.
The horizontal tail is in someone's basement,so I can't check them at the moment...Back to the video......

Gene and I went to the Old Fart's Breakfast today,and he said he has some pictures he can post that we took of the partially disassembled Midwing Special last summer...
I hope to get them posted soon....
Meanwhile,I'm getting things ready to seriously build.....

Today we struck paydirt !Gene and I went to Harford Air for an airplane fix,and the Midwing Special boys were there.

Meyer Guttmann,Pitts Pilot extraordinaire.....Ned Surratt,polishing his gorgeous Skybolt,owner of the Midwing Special, and Airshow announcer Howdy McCann,who owns about the most beautiful Cessna 140..

Ned gave a short history lesson,with the notable quotation that the MWS has a 155 hp helicopter engine.