The Steen Skybolt is an American homebuilt aerobatic biplane. Designed by teacher Lamar Steen as a high school engineering project, the prototype first flew in October 1970.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 121. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 128. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development The aircraft has a classic structure consisting of a welded tube fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered. It is a tandem open-cockpit two-seat biplane and is stressed for normal aerobatics. The cockpits are frequently constructed as a single tandem cabin with an enclosing bubble canopy. Some aerobatic competition aircraft are built as single seaters with the front cockpit closed off.

The original Skybolt had a Lycoming HO-360-B1B engine, but powerplants of can be installed.Simpson, 2001 p.521

Operational history The Skybolt has become popular as an amateur-built sporting biplane, with over 400 aircraft having been completed from construction plans sold in over 29 countries. A Skybolt won the Reserve Grand Champion Custom Built for 1979 at the Experimental Aircraft Association airshow in Oshkosh Wisconsin.Sport Aviation, Oct 1979, page 71 Sixteen examples were registered in the United Kingdom in January 2009.Pither, 2009, p.650

Variants

Skybolt (S) The standard Skybolt as originally released for home-building Skybolt (D) A revised structure and capability to have engines from fitted. Skybolt (R) A radial engined derivative, with revised fuselage plus the improved structure of the (D), fitted with either a Vedeneyev M14P or a Vedeneyev M14PF nine-cylinder radial. Skybolt 300 A derivative of the Skybolt fitted with a engine. Super Skybolt A two seater version created by John Shipler by amalgamating a Pitts S-2 with a Skybolt, the prototype of which is named Storm Warning. Starfire Firebolt A development of the Skybolt with a Lycoming IO-540 powerplant that gives a cruise speed of and an initial climb rate of 4,000 ft/min (20 m/s).Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 257. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.

Specifications (Skybolt (D))

See also

Notes

References

External links