The one & only M-19 "Flying Squirrel" designed, built & flown by Marvin Barnard
Oscar Zuniga carries the design forward after Marvin passed away in
2004. The official site is
http://flysquirrel.net
Read the design concept goal & specifics here;
http://flysquirrel.net/m_19info.html
Read about the Flying Squirrel prototype here;
http://flysquirrel.net/prototype.html
Oshkosh video of Marvin and the Flying Squirrel;
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qetX_KbDfbQ
Bou's M-19b Project - or "My Flying Squirrel"
I'm currently flying a KR2S and that covers the "fast & inexpensive" aspect
of VW-powered wood & composite aviation.
My buddy Steve has
Taylorcraft Model F-19 Sportsman and we have a goal to explore all the Oregon state
airports. Some of them are definitely NOT "KR-friendly" due to short length or
rough conditions.
Enter the "slow & inexpensive" aspect of VW-powered wood & composite aviation.
Here is where the Flying Squirrel comes into the plan.
I visited Oscar in 1999 and looked at his project in progress. I was interested due to it being the same construction techniques and powerplant as the KR family. It was fun to see and didn't fit into what I saw as my goal for going fast. It still doesn't but 20 years later my goal changed. I just like it! And I've come back to the Squirrel...
Fast forward: I visited Oscar January 2020. His project is much further along but it isn't flying yet. I got a few detail photos. Sitting in his fuselage I realized I wnat more head room. So my take on the M-19 is the M-19b with an additional 3" cabin height. There will be a few other changes along the way, mostly intended to make the airframe better suited for my 73" overall height as well as adapting some processes to use more comonly available building materials instead of the the heavy use of the equipment Marvin had available to bend 4130. I'll call this out as I introduce these changes in later progress chapters.
So, if you're following along, September 2021 I moved Marvin's built airplane across the country into Oscar's KMFR hangar and later visited it December 2023.
My build progress [Chapters] follow;
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