Headwind  by Don Stewart

The prototype Headwind was built over a period of 5 months and was first flown on March 28, 1962. The airplane flew well right off the drawing board but in the intervening years, many structural (to simplify and make it easier to build) and aerodynamic improvements have been made to the design so that now the only part of the original design still used is the engine mount and the portion of the fuselage between the cockpit and the stabilizer. Everything else is new.

In the forty some years that the Headwind has been in existence, many examples have been built all over the world. Well over one hundred airplanes are now in service powered by a variety of engines, however, only the Volkswagen engine is shown on the plans. No other engine data is published.

The Headwind was the first design to use the Volkswagen engine in the United States and much development work was required to get the engine to it's full potential as an aircraft engine. The most important development in the engine work was the design and patenting of a propeller speed reducing unit (PSRU) to allow the engine to developed it's full horsepower.

Construction Notes:
Built by Don Gregory Mission Hills, California
Flight Characteristics:
Cub type single seater. Docile, forgiving, no surprises. Flies like a Champ or Citabria