Dragonfly Glider - Canadian Museum of Flight - Langley, BC
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T0SHEA
N 49° 05.954 W 122° 37.559
10U E 527302 N 5438554
This glider is one of two remaining Nelson Dragonflies in the world.
Waymark Code: WMGCVX
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 02/15/2013
Views: 5
With side-by-side seating, both retractable landing gear and retractable engine, this was a nifty and inexpensive to operate glider from the post war period.
Technical details:
Serial 506, N34922, CF-IDB/CF-VFA
Manufactured: 1946
Engine: originally powered by a 25 hp Nelson 4 cylinder engine (retractable)
Max speed: 50 mph (80 km/h) (originally 70 mph (113 km/h) with power)
Empty weight: 580 lb (263 kg)
Gross weight: 940 lb (426 kg)
Span: 47 ft 4 in (14.4 m)
Height: 6ft 10 in (2.1 m)
Length: 20 ft 4 in (6.2 m)
The information page accompanying the sailplane:
NELSON DRAGONFLY/BOWLUS BUMBLEBEE BB1
Serial 506, N34922, CF-IDB/CF-VFA, manufactured 1946. Originally powered by a 25 hp Nelson 4 cylinder engine (retractable). Max speed 50 mph (originally 70 mph with power) Empty Weight 580 1b., Gross Weight 940 1b. Span 47'4", Height 6'10", Length 20'4". Once owned by Peter Bowers, well known designer, historian and glider enthusiast, it was sold to an Airplane Supply Center in 1956, by which time its engine had been removed and it was converted to a sailplane and later sold to Val Hinch of Victoria. Val carried out necessary work to license the aircraft and flew it on Vancouver Island in the early 1960s. It was then placed in storage, and rmall¦ donated to CMF in 1983 by Val Hinch.
It is one of less than 10 built and of 2 left in the world. In recent years, it was on loan for display at the BC Transportation Museum in Cloverdale.
GENERAL INFORMATION The Dragonfly was the first auxiliary-powered glider to be produced in the U.S. A development of the Baby Albatross in 1945, the first version was called the Bumblebee. It features 2 place, side-by-side seating, retractable tricycle landing gear and a Nelson engine.
While the concept was good, the airplane never achieved real success, partly because it didn't perform too well and partly because Nelson took his engine and left the partnership.
Some of them had the engine removed, thus converting them to pure sailplanes.