FORD-EAA CHAPTER 159 FLIVVER – 268
Ed Kitzman of the Saginaw Valley EAA Chapter 159 based in Midland, Michigan conceived the idea of building a replica of Henry Ford’s answer to the “everyman’s airplane”. Jackie Yoder was one of the leaders of the project and also designed the custom trailer for hauling the replica to EAA Headquarters. Ed Yoder, Jackie’s father, was the general handyman and hoist operator.
The Ford Flivver was designed in 1926 by a young aeronautical engineer named Otto Koppen. The airplane had an all-wood wing and fuselage with a welded tubular steel empennage. The steel landing gear was fastened to the wing and used rubber doughnuts in compression for shock absorption. Power was supplied by a 3 cylinder 35 hp Anzani air-cooled engine.
The original Ford Flivver was short lived in that Henry Ford’s personal pilot, Harry Brooks, attempted a non-stop flight from Dearborn, Michigan to Florida with the improved second model of the Flivver in February of 1928. For some unknown reason, the Flivver spun into the ocean near Melbourne, Florida and Harry Brooks was lost. Henry Ford felt so discouraged he cancelled the Ford Flivver project and the prototype Flivver 268 was placed in the Ford Museum in 1928.
With no published plans to go by, the Saginaw Valley bunch had to scrounge for measurements and details in order to build the replica Flivver. Many trips were made to the Ford Museum, even though the original Flivver was hanging high in the air and officials would not allow the machine to be lowered to the floor for examination. Many exceedingly clever and ingenious ideas were employed to come up with the near correct measurements and the many details of the airplane.
A gallant effort on the part of the Chapter 159 team was put forth to make their Flivver airworthy, but the Anzani engine they had would not cooperate. With extreme regret, the chapter members decided on a static display Flivver. The engine was cleaned up externally to look almost like a new one. The final touch was a new mahogany propeller capped with an aluminum spinner.
After five years of consistent work by the entire Saginaw Valley Chapter, the replica Ford Flivver was ready to make the trip to Oshkosh. In June of 1991, Jackie, Ed Yoder, and Ed Kitzman delivered the Flivver to the EAA AirVenture Museum where it now has an honored place in aviation history.
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