Evans VP-1 Volksplane
Evans Aircraft · United States · first flew 1968 · light aircraft
The Evans VP-1 Volksplane is an American aircraft designed for amateur construction by William Samuel Evans of La Jolla, California.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Slab-sided plywood fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Strut-braced low wing
- Slab-sided plywood fuselage
- Open single-seat cockpit
The slab-sided fuselage is built from marine-grade plywood in a warren truss arrangement. It is designed around a modified Volkswagen Type 1 automotive engine, with fabric-covered wings and tail surfaces and no flaps.
Specifications
- The Evans VP-1 Volksplane has a length of 5.49 m (18 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.32 m (24 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Evans began engineering work in 1966, choosing an all-wood, strut-braced, open-cockpit, single-seat low-wing design for ease of building. The VP-1 first flew in September 1968 and was offered as a set of plans.
Variants
The design was developed into a two-seat version, the Evans VP-2, with an enlarged cockpit, although that variant is no longer offered.
Where you'll see it
It was immediately popular with home builders, and about 6,000 sets of plans have been sold. In 1973 the Wosika family of El Cajon, California, built a mahogany-skinned example called Mohog with monocoque wings and a blown bubble canopy.
Related aircraft
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