Homebuilt hero

[wildwatson1]

wow what a great plane.my dad was gary watson from the old days of the watson windwagon.it had very close performance to yours but with a much harder 1/2 vw motor that had to be fabricated.very cool!!!!!

[friedmaniac]

what plane is this?

[NIGHTEHAWK]

i want one!!

[mustafa007ish]

awesome what's is price i want one??

[dhakagod]

ok, I want to make one. How do I ?

[RCvehicleGuy]

HAHA I watched this in TechEd class, cept the whole discovery channel thing, not just this clip

[CHELLIE2408]

Awesome Job on making a plane with a lawn mower engine :) I thought it could be done, but i was not sure, i have seen planes with Harley engines on them :) Keep up the great work, Chellie

[jshalffast]

Finally!!!.....I can put a face to the name of a real genius!! It's been nearly 25 years since I saw his airplanes in the magazines (in the meatime, wife/kids/owning and selling 3 businesses have prevented me from pursuing this passion). I am so glad that he's still out there pushing "the envelope"!

[MrJohndl]

100 miles to the gallon, amazing!

[ushouldntjudgeme]

Leon, you are an inspiration! I liked you DA-2A , but never saw one up close.

[topspeed10]

I wonder how economical that could get with just a tad more streamlined engine cowling and wheel covers ? 20% ?

[dsp75070]

Wow!! What a great little plane. Where can we get plans?

[MrZeddy100]

Love the tumbleweed. This guy is a legend.

[RAGATO62]

Does anyone have the full video of the DA-11 story to share?

[BrutusJones]

Power to weight ratio. Nice work. I'm a metal worker also but wouldn't fiberglass be a better chioce? ? ?  I'm sure I'll be let known if I"m wrong. :)

[texNoz]

@BrutusJones

Other than carbon fibre, aluminium is the lightest choice for aircraft manufacture.

The same strenght in fibre glass and resin would be heavier.

[string11]

@texNoz Actually wood has one of the best strength to weight ratios of any material when used with proper design technique.

[texNoz]

@string11

Woods strength to weight is non-linear and definitely not lighter than aluminium or CF.

The properties that make sitka such a good material is it's resistance to corrosion and it's resistance to stress fracturing or work hardening.

While I'm a huge proponent to such designs as the Ospry GP-4, they are limited. The high G-loading of the GP-4 is attributed to the dirty huge wood spar that weighs a ton.

[karljmonnig]

Thank you WaldoPepper62!!! I watched this video when it originally aired on the

Discovery Channel about a decade ago. I believe it was on Extreme Machines and had the Cri Cri in the same episode and was impressed with both but more so the DA-11. I searched for years and gave up hoping to see the video again. Not sure where you got it but it is much appreciated. Leeon Davis has been an inspiration and is missed by many I'm sure.

[COD5252]

2:03 looks like he is jerking off lol

[suctionplease]

Nice....I want one.

[brin3535]

This guy is just awesome. I'm shocked at what he's able to do in his own shop. Very cool guy and video!

[dreamsfgh]

True genius! 20 hp and 135 mph. Hmm, i want one, badly!

[eqtworld]

@dreamsfgh

[achtungspitfires]

I have loved and respected this great man since i saw this video on discovery channel, years back, its wonderful to see this again.. thanx WaldoPepper62 for posting it here, my fav video ...

[COD5252]

2:59 compressor wheel?why is it picturised?this is a propellor based aircraft

[GMoneyMacFresh]

@COD5252 its a compressor wheel out of a turbo, chances are he's got some sort of turbo charged lycoming or continental engine for real fast home built

[Falcon16R]

Is there a kit of this aircraft??

[strke4ce]

A lawnmower engine....wow! The builder is a genius. Where did they get the materials?

[Alexpaths]

This plane should be entered into NASA/CAFE's Green Aviation Challenge in 2011

[3593893]

Great looking plane. I would like about 100 HP on that after you beef up the wings and airframe a bit.

[tailwheelflier]

a true American Hero!

[xxuncexx]

@tailwheelflier JFK?

[davidredhawk]

i remember seeing this when it came out on discovery,true american genius he was. im sorry he passed on...i get just as excited watching it now as i did back then.

[flyingjohn2005]

It's not the corrupt bankers and CEO's that have made this country! It's guys like this!

[ismasamov55]

@flyingjohn2005 It's these corrupt bastards that are destroying this country, with their insatiable greed and appetite for power.

[DanelRiqar]

This guy should try powering it with a bmw motorcycle engine. Small, and powerful for sure.

[nh3we]

This old man is brilliant. and this tiny airplane is the fantasic

[rahj8786]

i really love this video!

[mjhszig]

THIS IS MY GRANDPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

He actually built 12 airplanes and was working on an experimental glider before he passed away last spring from cancer. His DA-9 (a racer) will soon be hung from the ceiling for display in the Midland International Airport. The blue prints for DA-2A,the easiest and cheapest design, can still be purchased from some Aviation company. Contact me if you want other designs, and I'll see what I can do.

HE WAS AN AMERICAN HERO!

[planecrazydld]

It would be really cool to be able to buy plans for the yellow 20 hp plane.

[rahj8786]

hi! can you please email to me some of his design? cause im also planning to build my own plane. thanks!

[mjhszig]

This is the first time I have been online for months, I apologize for the delay.

Thank You.

I am currently working on getting everyone the information they requested.

Wes Davis

[rahj8786]

hi! can you please email to me some of his design? cause im also planning to build my own plane. thanks!

[Omarcualtl]

mj... where can I get the plans to this little bird... this story is a blast !!!

[Josr65]

Hi I would like to get the plans for this airplane if avalible.

[mjhszig]

This is the first time I have been online for months, I apologize for the delay.

Thank You.

I am currently working on getting everyone the information they requested.

Wes Davis

[f8cleopatra]

Ken is my dad. Leon was an inspiration I grew up around him and all of these planes.

[msjr777]

i do it the same way.

[riflelord2]

were would i be able to get one of his home built plane kits or blue prints?

[MICMECMEXICALI]

Rest in peace, a real genious never become a rich person, they improve again and again an can never finish to improve what they are doing, their brain is so perfect and focused on they work , some people call it crazy inventors, laught from their proposals and visit as the local funy man to talk and learn

the genious are gone????

[shakaloso83]

I am building one like it, but with a larger range, I need to make it from honolulu to the mainland. wish me good luck

[killensworth]

I'm interested to see your progress. Let me know. thanks!

[Aldartry]

So Cool!

[tailwheelflier]

what a man,,another american hero. I'd be so honored to meet this man,,and fly his designs,,,and believe me,,,If I flew his designs,,we'd sell airplanes,,I'll make your mouth water with my flying style

[signig44]

can you get the designs for this plane

[HOTEGETY]

It has always been known that's possible, in fat you can even do it with less; remember that the Wright brothers did it to carry two people with 12hp, and they made both the first aircraft and the first engine.

The airplane in this video has good performance and it's cheap, but it doesn't mean it's safe! There are reasons why an a good aircraft starts at about $250K. Nevertheless, it is a good EXPERIMENTAL job!

[papaoscaroscar]

i couldnt see it being any less safe than other light aircraft! i build home builds and have seen myself plans for two of his aircraft and they do cover all safety aspects of aviation standard! the only thing that would be of concern is the size and the aircraft encountering bad weather patterns.

[seetherage]

What do you mean by "they made the first aircraft and first engine?" i'm confused :)

[HAIRYBAEST]

does any1 know where to get plans/already made planes? please

[dannycarter85]

Awsome planes and great guy

[PsychoSquirrelNZ]

win.

[Rochenbeau007]

Leeon Davis Rules

[eddyriggs]

Unfortunately for us, Leeon Davis passed away in 2007. For those of us who fly his designs he will always be remembered as a designer who made things simple, easy to build, and fun to fly.

[runningmandana]

Davis is a genious, I would like to see an electric engine in this. Hacker makes a 22hp electric for large scale models, using lithium polymer batteries. I'll build it and fly it, any sponsers out there?

[bobalong131]

My worry would be batteries weighing more then fuel for any considerable flight time. Also the aircraft gets lighter as it burns fuel but batteries would just become dead weight.

[ghamari2001]

i loved that. could you please help us find the original video? it seems that this is been taken from a discovery channel film! what is been the name of that film? thanks a lot

[Weaponfreak]

it is Extreme Machines

[dagoberto23]

DUDE this is sick and talk about fuel efficiency. And 90% done in that lil shop now that's amazing. Hopefully a new more powerful engine will emerge from that shop. Exceed the limitations cuz great engineers make great aircrafts. I take off my hat.

[av8tor1969]

Awesome!

[howardyin]

great video, where you get this video, do you have more about this plane?

thanks

[jonnyjmpup]

His V-tail trademark.

[bylondy]

Great!!!!