Piper PA-8 "Sky Cycle"
Model Airplane News Cover Art for November, 1945
by Jo Kotula
Click to Enlarge

The Piper PA-8 Skycycle was a 1940s American single-seat light aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft at Lock Haven. Towards the end of 1944 Piper announced a number of aircraft it intended to build after the war. One of these was the PWA-8 (Post War Airplane 8). An aerodynamic test aircraft was built with the name Cub Cycle and it first flew on 27 August 1944 with a small two cylinder Franklin engine. The Franklin engine was replaced by a 37hp Continental A-40-3 and the aircraft first flew with the Continental engine on 12 September 1944. The Skycycle was a fabric-covered mid-wing single-engined single-seat monoplane with a tailwheel landing gear. The fuselage was produced using a belly fuel tank as used on the F4U Corsair. The Cub Cycle was scrapped and a similar but new aircraft was built with the name Skycycle. The Skycycle first flew on 29 January 1945 using the same Continental engine as the Cub Cycle. The aircraft was further modified in 1945 with a 55hp Lycoming O-145-A2 engine and designated the PA-8 Skycycle. No further examples were built

  

Piper PA-8 "Sky Cycle"
Click to Enlarge

Click Here for more information about the Piper PA-8 "Sky Cycle".

Click to go back and select another cover.

Counter for the Entire Site (not just this page..)