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Description
| Manufacturer: | Windecker | |
| Base model: | E-5 | |
| Designation: | YE-5 | |
| Version: | A | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Tri-Service | |
| Designation Period: | 1962-Present | |
| Basic role: | Electronics | |
| Status: | Prototype | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| United States Army Aviation Museum | Ozark | Alabama |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Rodney Warren Joshua, TX | My father Linton G. (Jerry) Warren worked for windecker, I remember him talking about it some but find it interesting to read more about the project. One time I ran across an artical that mentioned a guy named Arnold Jew that worked there as well and later was the maker of triggers for guns that he said he got the idea from how the landing gear worked on the Eagle. Interesting stuff!! 12/07/2015 @ 00:47 [ref: 69348] |
| Will Berninger Harrison, OH | Neat story Dan, cool that you can remember all that, and that your father continued in the Composite industry.
Archie, hope you get your wish. The plane sure stands out, even in today's world of Composite aircraft. The Windecker is a large plane by comparison with very good performance numbers for its size. Stay tuned. 01/09/2015 @ 12:47 [ref: 68876] |
| Archie L.Shearer Denison,, TX | A friend and I had heard, and read about a new "fiberglass" airplane being built in Midland, Texas, and thinking that this would be a good idea, we flew to Midland/Odessa Airpark, I believe it was, and looked at the plane itself. We did not know if they would let us in to see it when we left Dallas,but they were very friendly and professional, and invited us in to the hanger. It was, and remains today the most beautiful airplane that I have ever seen. Due to the short life of the company, I never got to fly one, or to buy one, but I still remember how it took my breath away the first time I came in contact with the Windecker Eagle. I only wish that someone would somehow, resurrect this beautiful airplane today. 11/21/2014 @ 09:29 [ref: 68770] |
| Dan Hatch San Diego, CA | My father worked with Dr. Windecker in Midland Tx starting in 1968 thru late 1973. I was in my early teens and remember the the Windeckers, the plant, and the smell of the resin very well. My father went on to be a manufacturing inspector for the F.A.A and the last type certification he did prior to his death was for the Beechcraft Starship. Dr. Windecker was a visonary and we owe him much as a country. 12/21/2013 @ 06:16 [ref: 68240] |
| Will Berninger Harrison, OH | Thanks for sharing Patrick. We had N4196G here in Cincinnati Ohio some time after you had it. I am not sure if Jerry Dietrick owned it or not before Judge William Matthews. In either case Jerry somehow got the original YE-5 out of storage and indeed the military crashed it. It was not the "first" flight though, they had it a while before something happend. I remember them calling us to ask about some flutter in the rudder. It turns out they had removed the rotating beacon from the rudder which serves as a counter balance. They corrected that issue and went on to crash it later.
Jerry got N4196G from the Judge Matthews and they converted it to the replacement YE-5 I think that was the deal. Jerry had to replace the plane if it was lost. The original YE-5 looked pretty much stock while the converted N4196G had extra "stuff" mounted to it to help hide it from radar. I think the cowl and belly were puffed out with radar absorbing foam. I always wondered who had 4196G before it came to Cincinnati and the timeline as it was a long time ago now. And yes, being stuffed into some storage room like that is not a good way to preserve the hard work of the Windecker project. 03/05/2013 @ 08:47 [ref: 67640] |
| Patrick Dunbar Marietta, GA | I was the original owner of Windecker Eagle 4196G, while I was at Boulder Valley Aviation, and flew it in lots of airshows and the Reading Airshow in 1971.
I still have lots of original information about the plane and a few pictures. While I was in Southern California doing flight demonstrations and airshows, Frank Tallman & I flew for a while over the ocean. He loved the plane. I cannot tell you of the joy I had flying this beautiful plane. It was the most responsive plane I ever flew. I will try and upload some pictures I have so you can see the plane in its original beauty, not broken down and stashed away back in storage in Alabama. I would be happy to answer any question about 4196G Patrick Dunbar 2/24/2013 02/24/2013 @ 10:12 [ref: 67613] |
| Ted Windecker Austin, TX | Dr. Leo Windecker and his wife, Dr. Fairfax Windecker, were indeed dentists. Dr. Windecker began his research in Sugar Land, Texas in 1956 while parcticing dentistry in Houston. They left dentistry in 1960 to pursue the development of an all-composite airplane, funded by the Dow Chemical Company. They never returned to dentistry
The composites he developed are virtually identical to the composites used in modern all-composite airplanes such as the Cirrus and Columbia aircraft ... high-strength epoxy resins combined with unidirectional fiberglass. There is no relationship between these materials and dentures. The epoxy resins continue to gain in strength over time because of the nature of the hardening agent used. They are extremely tough and resilient, not brittle. Dr. Windecker was awarded 22 US (and many more foreign) patents on his composite technology, most of which were assigned to the Dow Chemcal Company and many of which have been licensed from Dow by others. The significant fact is that the Eagle was FAA Certified in 1969, 19 years before the second all-composite airplane, the Beech Starship, and 29 years before the Cirrus and Columbia. The development of the YE-5 was the idea of Dr. Windecker, who originally proposed a "radar invisible" airplane to President Kennedy's science advisor in 1962. There was no interest. In 1970, he again proposed the idea. The Air Force tested his personal Eagle, N4195G, and then several technology development contracts later, the YE-5, a highly-modified Windecker Eagle, was delivered to the Air Force in 1973. Subsequent contracts with the Air Force resulted in the Windecker technology being transferred to Lockheed Missles and Space Company who flew their stealth prototype, eventually becoming the F-117 stealth fighter, in 1982. I was the project engineer on the development of the stealth technology and conducted most of the tests that led to the design of the YE-5 and the Army stealth prototype, the "Caddo." 07/07/2008 @ 18:17 [ref: 21789] |
| Ron Ciura buffalo, NY | It was reportedly deigned by a dentist & utilized a "denture-type material" that grew stronger with age. 12/14/2007 @ 18:10 [ref: 18920] |
| David Hatcher Enterprise, AL | The Windecker Eagle N4196G (deregistered) is a replacement for the US Air Force Eagle "01653". The information related to me by museum staff is: A southern state university had requested to "borrow" 01653 for a project. Originally refused by the museum, the university sought political pressure and eventually the museum relented under conditions. Those were if the aircraft was "lost" the university would replace the aircraft and a substantial sum of money. Unfortunately, the first flight resulted in a tragic accident which destroyed the aircraft. However, the university met their obligation. "N4196G" otherwise has no military or historical significance. There is another Eagle at the NASM and a substantial amount of information on this type on their website. I saw 01653 while it was here on display and it certainly was a beautiful airplane.
The photo shows "N4196G" in non display storage. Behind it is the Boeing YL15 Scout and to its left is the DO27. Wings from the museums U8D, L4, L5, YL15, and others are visible. dahat001@aol.com 11/29/2007 @ 05:45 [ref: 18712] |
| Craig Prouse Mountain View, CA | I own the 1998 Cessna 182S that carries the same tail number, N4196G, as this exhibit. I'd love to put a photograph of this plane on the wall next to a photograph of my plane, especially if it still carries the original registration markings! 08/03/2006 @ 17:26 [ref: 13798] |
Recent photos uploaded by our visitors
