Somehow, I missed this. After attending
the funeral for my uncle Rick Blattenberger at
Arlington National Cemetery (he was a decorated Army Ranger
during the Vietnam era), Melanie and I spent a few hours at the nearby
Udvar-Hazy Center annex of the Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum. I photographed a lot of cool stuff, including electronics packages
used on airplanes, rockets, balloons, and satellites, but in some inexplicable way
I managed to not see this bright red "Flying Flea" that was owned by
Powell Crosley, Jr.,
progenitor of the hugely successful
Crosley
Radio Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. It wasn't until a couple nights ago when
I saw it featured in the April/May issue of
Air & Space magazine
that I even knew it existed.
Mr. Crosley's company dabbled in many types of domestic products other than just
radios. For a few decades it produced washing machines, refrigerators,
freezers, televisions, electric and gas cooking ranges, airplanes, and trucks and
cars. Powell also owned the Cincinnati Reds baseball team for a few years. The
Crosley brand lives on today
as a producer of retro radio sets and telephones as well as air conditioners, washers
and dryers, refrigerators, and furniture.
Powell Crosley's Flying Flea
From the
Udvar-Hazy Annex of the National Air & Space
Museum
Frenchman Henri Mignet designed the HM.14 Pou du Ciel (Flying Flea) in 1933.
He envisioned a simple aircraft that amateurs could build and even teach themselves
to fly. In an attempt to render the aircraft stall-proof and safe for amateur pilots
to fly, Mignet staggered the two main wings. The HM.14 enjoyed a period of intense
popularity in France and England but a series of accidents in 1935-36 permanently
blackened the airplane's reputation.
This Mignet-Crosley Pou du Ciel is the first HM.14 made and flown in the United
States. Edward Nirmaier and two other men built the airplane in November 1935 for
Nirmaier's boss, Powel Crosley, Jr. Crosley was president of the Crosley Radio Corporation.
He believed that the Flea might become a popular aircraft in the United States.
After several flights, a crash at the Miami Air Races in December 1935 grounded
the Crosley HM.14 for good. In 1960 Patrick H. "Pat" Packard donated this Pou du
Ciel to the Smithsonian. In 1987 Packard and Patti Koppa finished restoring the
aircraft. The original ABC Scorpion engine was missing, so these two artisans fabricated
a wooden replica.
Gift of Patrick H. Packard.
Physical Description: Open-cockpit, staggered wing biplane w/ tractor engine
and fixed, tailwheel-type landing gear.
Country of Origin: France
Date: 1935
Location: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA
Hangar: Boeing Aviation Hangar
Type: CRAFT-Aircraft
Dimensions: Wingspan: 5.2 m (17 ft)
Length: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Height: 1.7 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight: 159 kg (350 lb)
Engine: ABC Scorpion air-cooled, two-cylinder, 39 horsepower.
Crew: 1 Designer: Henri Mignet
Builder: Edward Nirmaier
Posted April 5, 2016
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