A HOME-BUILT PLANE

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1928, Page 8

A HOME-BUILT PLANE

READY FOR FLIGHT

ACHIEVEMENT OF AUCKLAND YOUTHS.

AUCKLAND, October 22

On the lawn at a Herne Bay resilence on Saturday afternoon a young draughtsman and his younger brother busied themselves in the latter stages at assembling a mono-plane, the building of which has oeupied four months. The ambitous effort is the first of its und in the Dominion to reach such an advanced stage, and the “Evo,” as it has been christened, will essay its first flight at lliumata within a fortnight. Of a keenly mechanical turn of mind. E. Everson, who is only nineteen years of age, lias since he was a boy been deeply interested in aviation. He has •iosely followed its development, building a number of excellent flying models, and about four years ago lie conceived the idea, of constructing something more ambitious than the elastic propelled toys which whirred their way Tver the gardens and lawns of his home. A letailed study of aeroplane types, aidad by a knowledge of draughtsmanship.

va.s converted into action. Several months ago a former commodious hiliard room in the house was transformed into a workshop and aided by his brother, aged eighteen, Everson sot about building a monoplane. The engine is a 7-9 h.p. Big X motor-cycle unit, capable of four thousand revolutions a minute, but required to run only two or three- thousand. The ma-c-bine will weigh three hundred pounds. The .single seat is located just behind the engine, with the petrol tank overhead. The “joy stick” is between the pilots knees and the rudder bars arc operated by the feet. The cost, as the elder Everson puts it, “is about what we could have bought a motor-cycle tor." Neither of the brothers has had any experience of flying, and the- machine will Be piloted on its initial trial by an Aucklander with extensive war-timo flying experience.