Hegy R.C.H.I. El Chuparosa
Ray Hegy · United States · first flew 1959 · light aircraft
The Hegy "El Chuparosa" (Hummingbird) is a homebuilt, enclosed-cockpit biplane designed in the early 1950s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Short fuselage with a tail swept to a sharp tip |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat homebuilt biplane with an enclosed cockpit
- Short fuselage with a tail swept to a sharp tip
- Engine cheek cowlings made from Fairchild 24 wheelpants
A tiny single-place biplane, 4.29 m long, with a 65 hp Continental A-65 engine and an enclosed cockpit.
Specifications
- The Hegy R.C.H.I. El Chuparosa has a length of 4.29 m (14 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 3.91 m (13 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The aircraft was designed as a low-cost, high-performance machine by Ray Hegy, using full-size wall drawings and wooden mock-ups. Construction began in February 1950 and finished in May 1959, and it first flew on 1 May 1959.
Variants
Only a single prototype was built, with a welded steel-tube fuselage and wooden wing spars from a J-3 Cub.
Where you'll see it
The prototype was displayed at the Rockford EAA Fly-In in 1960 and donated to the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on 14 August 1977.
Related aircraft
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