BJ-1 Dyna Mite / DSK Duster

Ben Jansson · United States · first flew 1966 · glider

The BJ-1 Dyna Mite, or California Sailplanes Duster, was a sailplane designed by Ben Jansson in the United States in the 1960s for homebuilding.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage6 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

No component exceeds 5.5 m in length, so the glider can be built and stored in a domestic garage.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The BJ-1 Dyna Mite first flew in 1966, from rough building sketches that Jansson made in 1963. It was a conventional shoulder-wing design, built of wood apart from a few fibreglass mouldings such as the nosecone.

Variants

The BJ-1B Duster, with plans released in 1971, had a lighter weight, an extended wingspan and a lower canopy that required the pilot to fly semi-reclined.

Where you'll see it

By 1977 more than 200 sets of plans had been sold, and in total 371 sets were sold. DSK (Duster Sailplane Kits) sold about 169 kits.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.