You'll fall in love with the Dyke Delta

meet the Dyke Delta a groundbreaking design conceived in a mechanics Garage in Ohio how did a farm boy dream up the fastest homebuilt of its era while the Delta's diamond shape was mindboggling it had one feature which could have completely changed the game in how airplanes are operated stick around and find out born in the heart of Ohio John Dyke was always passionate about airplanes it turns out that only a few miles away in Dayton Ohio was one of the largest air bases in the US right Patterson Air Force Base was a hot bed in military Aviation taking Center Stage since the R Brothers first flights to today's latest generation fighter jets living close to the base Jon had a front row view of the most advanced Fighters and bombers to take to the skies but Jon didn't just want to learn how to fly he wanted to take part in the action and see his own ideas and dreams take flight and this guy wasn't just a dreamer he was a doer while living on the farm he stuck an engine and a propeller on his bike you can see where this is going as a young adult John dreamed of owning his own airplane and flying his family across the country but back in the ' 50s you really didn't have too many airplanes to choose from which really didn't make any sense the 1950s was considered the Renaissance of aircraft Innovation and Technology Jets could easily fly at supersonic speeds so why were small passenger aircraft so slow and clunky sure there were a few options like bonanzas bonanzas were fast comfortable and really expensive so that wasn't an option either there had to be another way his next choice was to build a homebuilt airplane and there were a couple of airplanes you could build from blueprints but then he had another problem in those days home build planes were tiny and could only fit one or two people at most and John didn't want to leave leave his family behind and then it dawned upon him if the ideal plane doesn't exist he'll have to design one himself fortunately inspiration for his new creation was only a few miles away and there was one particular design that totally captured John's imagination the delta wing in the 1950s the delta wing was on the bleeding edge of technology and could be found on some of the most advanced fighter jets of the era The Hustler Delta Dagger Delta Dart and the sreen unlike conventional airplanes deltawing Jets have no horizontal tail from nose to tail the triangle-shaped wing runs the full length of the fuselage the US Air Force seemed in love with Delta wings during the 1950s but the design was actually born in Germany many years earlier Alexander lipsha of deltawing designs at one point John was in the Navy serving in the Mediterranean when he had the opportunity he visited Germany and found a library with lipich his writings Jon soaked up as much knowledge as he could back in the US JN landed his dream job he was now an aircraft technician at Wright Patterson this really helped sharpen up his engineering knowledge John finally knew exactly how his airplane would take shape and it wouldn't be easy there was no computer AED design software howto videos on YouTube or Facebook groups so he had to make up for it with Ingenuity and patience John needed a wind tunnel to test his new design but on a shoest string budget that's not going to happen but don't forget John was crafty he created his own wind tunnel by attaching a model airplane to the hood of his car there was just no stopping this guy in 1960 he rolled up his sleeves and started building his dream plan working non-stop for 2 years years finally the jd1 emerged from his basement and soon took its first flight in 1962 powered by a simple flat for Engine with 125 horsepower the jd1 could see three people it was premiered at an experimental Flyin in Rockford Illinois it turned many heads and John was bombarded with questions by curious Pilots the jd1 was more than an airplane it was a huge challenge to status quo in airplane design and then disaster struck while John was welding in his garage fire broke out the jd1 along with years of hard work was reduced to ashes he could have quit but that wasn't like John fueled by the unwavering support of his wife Jenny he rolled up his sleeves yet again John got to work and his next creation would turn out to be his best design ever Like a Phoenix Rising From the Ashes the new jd2 Delta was much more refined the engine was now upgraded to 180 horsepower with the extra horsepower it can now fit four people and go much faster curiously it also included small stubs on the wings which I mentioned earlier the Delta could now do something no other airplane had ever done before we'll get to that in a moment the Delta not only looked fast but for its time was actually the fastest homebuilt plane in the world every inch of the Delta was designed for Lift from its diamond shaped fuselage to the air foil shaped body which is actually responsible for 50% of its lifting capacity just as he intended John's Flying Diamond had outstanding performance and the numbers were equally as impressive it could take off using about 1,000 ft of Runway climb at 1,500 ft per minute and cruise at 170 m per hour on a full tank the Delta could carry its passengers around 750 MI using up about 47 gallons of fuel it was the ultimate traveling machine flying with a stability never seen before on an experimental airplane with its distinct shape it could cut through turbulence far better than other planes something both pilots and passengers could appreciate asides from his quirky looks it came with a few quirky features that help set it apart from other planes whereas most planes will accommodate two people in the front and two in the back the Delta has space for One Pilot who sits alone in the front and a bench seat for three passengers in the back that's because of the diamond shaped cabin area you also might notice that the Delta sits on the ground with his nose up in the air why is that when it takes off it doesn't need to rotate like other planes instead it simply lifts off the ground with its nose already pointed up at the sky another feature rarely seen at the time was a retractable landing gear which folds using a simple hand lever less things a break plus a nice arm workout while you're at on the ground the Delta took up very little space its wings were only 22 ft wide for a comparison the much smaller cess 150 is 33 ft wide and speaking of wings the Delta shares the same aspect ratio as a locky raptor fighter jet this means its wings are almost as long as they are wide the Delta might be small but its passengers are safely surrounded by a roll cage built out of 4130 steel a material that's both light and durable remember the little stubs on the wings I spoke about earlier so what are those little things for when John designed the Delta his goal was for new owners to tuck their plane away in their garage how could it do that well the Delta's Wings fold up like a butterfly and when locked in position the plane can be towed behind a car with no trailer needed at all the driver behind this idea was cost-saving Hangar space is expensive so John figured you can save money by Towing the plane back home when folded the plane is only 8 ft wide so you can easily tuck it away in most garages so why don't we see thousands of these wonderful Little Machines flying around if the plane is that great what's a catch John new pilots were craving the Delta the thing is John wanted nothing to do with the risky business of setting up a factory in production line so what did he do instead he decided sell blueprints nope you couldn't buy a Delta out of a showroom and John wouldn't sell it as a kit either you had to build this plane from scratch all by yourself not a big deal right all you have to do is become a specialist in welding aerodynamics welding electrical systems welding avionics installation engine installation and more welding plus many other skills most people don't have the patience or ability to learn I certainly don't the Delta on average took between 4 to 5,000 hours to build one Delta owner reported took him only 39 years to build as you can see there's not a lot of people willing to put in all the time and Sweat Equity to build one as a result there's only a small handful left flying the Delta never came close to finding the success John was hoping for but then maybe it was meant to be after all after putting up with years of bruises blisters and tears after years of grinding away relentlessly and slowly seeking the plane take shape you begin to realize that building a complex aircraft like the Delta is a long marathon and the finished product becomes a prize at the end of your building Journey from the beginning John Dyke was very supportive of the small group of Delta Builders who overcame all the hardships and obstacles lead their plane for many years Delta owners have gathered together air shows sharing their experiences on their Delta journey and teaching a new generation on what it was like to build your own little fighter jet as to the few owners who had the willpower and perseverance to build one the Delta was everything they dreamed of in a plane and more JN said it best when describing the Delta it flies like all airplanes should but don't

Channel: Aircraft Adventures

Views: 888,671

Keywords: dyke delta, delta wing, experimental airplane, homebuilt plane

Id: VSGE0rvhy4U

Length: 10min 27sec (627 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2024