Polen Special
Dennis Polen and Darryl Usher · United States · first flew 1972 · light aircraft
The Polen Special is a homebuilt racing aircraft built to become the fastest four-cylinder aircraft in the world.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Aluminium fuselage and wings with flush riveting |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat low-wing racer with retractable conventional landing gear
- Aluminium fuselage and wings with flush riveting
- Turbocharged Lycoming four-cylinder engine
A low-wing monoplane with hydraulically operated retractable conventional gear and an all-aluminium structure. It is designed to fly at high altitude on IFR routes with the pilot using supplemental oxygen.
Specifications
- The Polen Special has a length of 5.94 m (19 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.53 m (21 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 555 km/h (345 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Development began in October 1967 under Dennis Polen and Darryl Usher, starting as a retractable-gear Midget Mustang modification before a clean-sheet design replaced it. The first flight was in May 1972.
Variants
It is also known as the Polen Special II, and a modification called Stage 3 is underway.
Where you'll see it
It was demonstrated at the 1976 EAA show in Oshkosh, winning Reserve Grand Champion homebuilt, and won the Copperstate Dash in 2000. In 2001 it set the FAI Class C-1.b 500 km circuit speed record of 303.4 mph.
Related aircraft
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