Baynes Bee (Swivel wing aircraft)

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In 1936 L.E.Baynes came up with the idea of an unconventional swivelling wing two-seat aircraft design called the Baynes Bee. The design is also referrred to as the Carden-Baynes Bee in contemporary articles.

Power came from two side-mounted 40 hp Carden-Ford engines driving pusher propellers. Construction was of plywood with wooden non-load bearing parts fabric covered. It was possibly the first twin-engine cantilever light twin built in Britain. The wing featured 90 degrees of swivel to enable ease of storage with the wing able to be rested on and in line with the fuselage. Seating was side-by-side and the control column was located centrally between the two.

The sole example built was registered G-AEWC. It was initially tested by de Havilland test pilot Hubert Broad in April 1937. Overheating of the engine proved to be an issue due to the buried install of the engines in the wing. The sole example was scrapped in 1939, but not before Baynes had proposed a twin Walter Mikron powered three seater variant with a mid-wing.

Details:
Engine: 2 x Carden Ford Sp.1 (40 hp each)
Wing Span: 29 ft 10 in
Length: 23 ft 0 in
Length with Folded Wing: 29 ft 10 in
Width with Folded Wing: 9 ft 0 in
Wing Area: 140 sq ft
Empty Weight: 880 lb
Loaded Weight: 1,350 lb
Wing Loading: 9.57 lb per sq ft
Power Loading: 16.85 lb per hp
Maximum Speed: 140 mph
Cruise Speed: 100 mph
Stall Speed: 40 mph
Rate of Climb: 700 ft per minute
Endurance: 3 hours (with a 210 lb payload)

Source:
Aeroplane Monthly July 1992
Flight 11 March 1937
 

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There is also a nice write-up of this plane in Richard Riding's great book Ultralights: The Early British Classics.
 

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