Story ID: 021Aug
In the Works: Windecker Eagle
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: The four-seat Windecker Eagle will be flying in the experimental exhibition category.
Word Count: 236

The oldest and first-certified fiberglass airplane is taking to the sky again, but this time the four-seat Windecker Eagle will be flying in the experimental exhibition category. Originally FAA certified in 1969, the Eagle never went into volume production, but it preceded more recent composite designs by decades. The current owner of the type certificate, Austin, Texas-based AC7 (owned by Chinese entrepreneur Wei Hang), is restoring the Eagle, and it should fly in late summer or early fall.

Most of the components and wiring are being replaced, including the engine (a new Continental IO-550-N replacing the original IO-520), new Hartzell composite propeller (which seems appropriate as it replaces a metal prop) and all-new Garmin avionics, including the G3X Touch system designed for the experimental amateur-built market.

“We found that virtually every piece of metal in the airframe had to be replaced,” said Don Atchison, head of the restoration team. “Remarkably, the fiberglass held up thanks to a UV protective coating that was applied at the time of manufacture.”

Original performance specs include 170+ knots true airspeed, 1,400-pound useful load and 84-gallon fuel capacity. There is no word yet on future plans for the design, but the Eagle certainly earned its place in the pantheon of historical aviation artifacts, and it will be neat to see it fly again and see how it compares to modern high-performance single-engine airplanes.