What’s a Wittman Buttercup LSA STOL?
We all want to Fly FAST and Land Slow…..Steve Wittman solved the problem
The Buttercup was built as a UTILITY Hauler…for his wife …to run parts in his early racing days …
She named it Wittman Buttercup LSA STOL.
Wittman Buttercup LSA STOL SAMPLE.ZIP
The Buttercup was designed by Steve Wittman back in the late 1930s. Besides managing the Oshkosh, WI, airport, Steve was one of the premier air racers of that day. (He raced for the last time at the age of 85.)
Steve wanted to demonstrate how much performance he could get from a small-sized engine. The Buttercup became the utility plane that he and his wife flew to support his air racing activities, and handily out-performed airplanes like the Piper J3 Cub and the Aeronca.
Steve never provided plans for this design, but
Earl Luce reverse engineered them while re-creating the Buttercup in 2002.
The Buttercup fits within the “
light-sport” airplane rules, while providing better performance than many newer designs. As we were looking at various LSA designs at
Oshkosh,
Arlington, and elsewhere, my wife and I searched in vain for something with more luggage space than a shoebox: we need to carry just a bit of kit with us for weekend trips. And then we found the Buttercup! It’s got a real fuselage, with real seats, and holds 60 pounds of stuff in a large baggage hold behind the seats.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s a
STOL aircraft? Wittman used the Buttercup to try out new design ideas, and fitted it with a movable leading-edge coupled to the flaps, for outstanding slow-flight performance.
Other basics: It’s a “rag and tube” design: wood wings, steel-tube welded fuselage, two seats side by side. Steve originally used a 50 HP engine. Earl’s plans show an engine mount for a
100 HP Continental, but some hot-rodders are using other small engines such as the
Lycoming O-235.
Wittman W-5 Buttercup is a two place aircraft designed and built by
Steve Wittman in 1938.
The Buttercup was considered as the basis for a four place certified production model by
Fairchild Aircraft. Fairchild executives were impressed with the aircraft that chance landed at their factory airport in
Hagerstown, Maryland.
Wittman sold production rights, but Fairchild did not pursue the effort due to wartime production obligations.
Experimental Aircraft Association member Earl Luce Jr. developed a replica Buttercup design, which first flew on April 14, 2002. He made a set of plans for his design, available for home builders.
Specifications of Earl’s Buttercup:
Engine Model……………..O-200
Engine Horsepower……..100
Propeller…………………..66/55
Cruise Speed……………..125 mph
Top Speed…………………145 mph
Landing Speed…………….40 mph
Maximum Speed(Vne)…150 mph
Stall (clean)………………….51 mph
Rate of Climb………….550 ft./min
Gross Weight…………1290 Pounds
Empty Weight…………790 Pounds
Payload…………………500 Pounds
Wing Span………………..29’5″
Wing Area………………..132 sq.ft.
Aircraft Length………….19′ 6″
Fuselage Height…………Cabin 44″
Fuel Capacity…………..20 Gallons
Seats 2…………..(side-by-side)
Cabin Width………………40″
Takeoff Distance…………300 feet
Landing Distance………..200 feet
