Le Pou du Ciel .....

[Hagar]

..... or Flying Flea. This one was built to the original 1935 specification on behalf of the Shoreham Airport Historical Association although it was never intended to fly. I spotted it at the Popham microlight do & had an interesting chat with the chap who built it. (The Flea played an important part in Shoreham's history when the demonstrator model of this peculiar aeroplane was flown by its creator, Henri Mignet, at the Official Opening Day of the Municipal Airport, 13th June 1936.)


Here's two examples of the modern equivalent, the Mignet HM-1000 Balerit, also taken at Popham two weeks ago. Shame I didn't spot them until they were ready to leave.








PS. This is the HM-1100 Cordouan with a conventional tractor prop. More like the original Pou. http://www.flyingflea.org/docs/hm1100.htm

[flyboy 28]

I want one.

Nice shots Doug. Thanks for sharing.

[beaky]

So there I was saying the Mistral looked like an updated Flea... and...?  An updated Flea!
Leave it to Hagar...

[ozzy72]

Wasn't the Flea banned for being a death trap?

[Hagar]

Wasn't the Flea banned for being a death trap?

I believe the original Pou was never actually licenced as it's impossibe to spin - therefore it couldn't pass the spin recovery tests. Catch 22.

The idea is sound but unfortunately the construction methods often left a lot to be desired. I found the English translation of Henri Mignet's original book, first published in 1935. http://www.flyingflea.org/docs/hm_14.htm
This fired up the imagination of would-be aviators all over the world. He makes building & flying one sound so simple, which of course it isn't.

[quote]The airframe, which is the principal object of our studies, and which takes most of our efforts, is not a great expense. Here is a summary of the prices of new materials in France, without any special discounts:

2 Wheels - 280 francs
25 sq. meters of fabric - 200
20 liters of dope - 140