Adkisson SJ-1 Head Skinner
Adkisson · United States · first flew 1957 · light aircraft
The SJ-1 Head Skinner was a single-seat, gull-wing sports plane built in the United States by brothers Earl and Jerry Adkisson of Tuscola, Illinois, in 1957.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Steel-tube cabin and forward fuselage with squared-off Luscombe tail surfaces |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat sports aircraft with a gull wing
- Wings cut and re-formed from a 1946 Luscombe 8 into a gull shape
- Steel-tube cabin and forward fuselage with squared-off Luscombe tail surfaces
Look for a single-seat aircraft with a distinctive gull wing, a Luscombe tailcone with squared-off tail surfaces, and spring-steel main landing gear taken from a Cessna.
Specifications
- The Adkisson SJ-1 Head Skinner has a length of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.47 m (25 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The brothers joined the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1955 and began collecting material that autumn. The design was patterned after the Polish P.Z.L. P.24 gull-winged fighter.
Variants
The aircraft used the wings of a 1946 Luscombe 8 and a Luscombe tailcone, with standard Luscombe tail surfaces adapted with squared-off tips.
Where you'll see it
It was built by the Adkisson brothers at Tuscola airport. The planned 125 to 145 hp Warner radial was replaced in the initial installation by a 65 hp Continental A65 driving a Beech-Robey controllable propeller.
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