Carpenter Special

Wilbur Staib · United States · first flew 1933 · light aircraft

The Carpenter Special, also called Little Dea Dea, is an early homebuilt biplane design.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — FuselageWelded steel tube fuselage with fabric covering
T — TailConventional

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An open-cockpit biplane with conventional landing gear and unequal-span wings, the upper 6.4 m and the lower 6.02 m.

Specifications

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

History

It was a custom homebuilt design by Wilbur Staib, built for M. Carpenter in Joplin, Missouri in 1933. The fuselage is welded steel tube and the wings use wooden spars and ribs, all fabric covered.

Variants

It was built with a Continental A-50 engine, re-engined in 1949 with a 125 hp Warner Scarab, and later fitted with an 85 hp Continental C-85.

Where you'll see it

Built for M. Carpenter in Joplin, Missouri, it was an open-cockpit biplane with conventional landing gear.

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