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The Unconventional, 440-Pound Aerosport Rail

This remarkable aircraft lacked a windscreen or enclosed fuselage but made up for it with a second engine.

One of the smallest and simplest multiengine designs ever flown, the Aerosport Rail took minimalism to a new level. [Credit: Aerosport]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Aerosport Rail was a unique, tiny (440 lbs), multi-engine homebuilt aircraft from the early 1970s, known for paradoxically combining a minimalist, open design with the complexity and safety redundancy of twin engines.
  • Its design prioritized safety, ease of assembly, low cost, and fun, utilizing twin pusher snowmobile engines placed close together for excellent single-engine performance and an open-air recreational flight experience.
  • Despite offering an innovative, high "fun-per-dollar" experience and being extremely affordable as a complete kit, the Aerosport Rail ultimately failed commercially, with only a handful ever built.
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For as long as homebuilt aircraft have existed, enthusiasts have enjoyed a wide selection of small, single-seat types from which to choose. From speedy, stub-winged racers like the Cassutt to the Monerai P powered sailplane that weighs less than 300 pounds, variety abounds even among these tiny machines. But in the early 1970s, one exceedingly creative specimen emerged that blended a multiengine configuration with an empty weight of only 440 pounds.

The Aerosport Rail is a tiny, multiengine aircraft and a rather interesting contradiction. On one hand, its designers whittled away at it until every last extraneous element of the aircraft, including a windscreen and enclosed fuselage, was omitted. On the other hand, they introduced complexity and parallel systems by integrating a second engine. 

Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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