AVE Mizar
Advanced Vehicle Engineers · United States · first flew 1973 · light aircraft
The Mizar was a roadable aircraft built between 1971 and 1973 by Advanced Vehicle Engineers of Van Nuys, California. It joined a Ford Pinto to the wings, tail booms and rear engine of a Cessna Skymaster.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.5 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Roadable aircraft made by mating the rear of a Cessna Skymaster to a Ford Pinto car
- Strut-braced high wing with twin booms and twin tail
- Single pusher engine at the rear of the pod
It looks like a small car carried under a strut-braced high wing, with twin tail booms behind. The Pinto could be unbolted from the airframe and driven away.
Specifications
- The AVE Mizar has a length of 8.5 m (28 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.58 m (38 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Two prototypes had been built by mid-1973, one fitted with a 210 hp Continental engine. A flight on 26 August 1973 ended in a forced landing after a wing strut mounting failed.
Variants
Only the prototypes were built. AVE planned to have a purpose-built airframe made by a subcontractor for production models.
Where you'll see it
On 11 September 1973 a test flight at Camarillo ended when the right wing strut again failed and the aircraft disintegrated, with its creator at the controls. Production had been scheduled for 1974.
Related aircraft
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