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Ray Stits: An Early Homebuilt Designer

Ray Stits in 1952 with the Sky Baby, sporting a
7’2” wingspan.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Ray Stits was a pivotal figure in the early homebuilt aircraft movement, acclaimed for his innovative designs, mechanical expertise, and creation of the Polyfiber fabric process.
  • He famously pushed the boundaries of aviation by designing and flying "the world's smallest monoplane" and "biplane" in the early 1950s.
  • Between 1948 and 1965, he designed and built 15 aircraft, including the more accessible Stits Playboy, and remains active today as a pilot and mentor at 90.
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Few people outside of the Poberezny family had as much influence on the early homebuilt aircraft movement as Ray Stits. Today, at the age of 90, he’s still going strong as a pilot, mentor, and founding member of EAA Chapter One at historic Flabob Airport. Ray has had a sterling career as an aircraft designer, mechanic and creator of the Stits Process, known today as Polyfiber.

Between 1948 and 1965, he designed and built 15 airplanes. Except for the first two designs, he test flew them all. The reason for not flying the first two relates to the nature of the aircraft: they were the world’s smallest monoplane and then the world’s smallest biplane.

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