This 1929 Brunner-Winkle Bird Model A Is a Golden Age ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Originally designed around the Curtiss OX-5 engine, many Brunner-Winkles received air-cooled radial transplants.

The Brunner-Winkle Bird has connections with Charles Lindbergh. [Courtesy: Martin Chorley]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Today's Top Pick is a 1929 Brunner-Winkle Bird Model A, presented as an appealing option for pilots seeking a unique, vintage biplane from aviation's golden age.
  • The Brunner-Winkle Bird is noted for its forgiving, harmonious handling, a quality famously demonstrated by Charles Lindbergh teaching his wife to fly in one.
  • This particular 1929 Model A, with 1,020 airframe hours and an upgraded Continental W670-16 engine (208 hours), is available for $90,000 after a stint at a museum.
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Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1929 Brunner-Winkle Bird Model A.

After years of owning and operating modern all-metal or composite aircraft for the usual business, family travel, and leisure activities, many pilots look for ways to branch out into less-traveled, more adventurous areas of aviation. Some develop a craving for the singular experience of flying a biplane from aviation’s golden age between the world wars.

When the bug bites, you are left with a choice: Which biplane suits me best? Among the numerous candidates, WACOs, Stearmans, Fleets, and Travel Airs often come to mind first. But have you considered a Brunner-Winkle Bird? It was a popular model in its day before the Great Depression cut production short. This 1929 example is looking for a route back into the air after a stint at the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon.

Much of the Bird’s appeal stems from its forgiving, harmonious handling. Indeed, Charles Lindbergh taught his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, to fly in a Bird. One has to figure that he could have chosen just about any airplane for the job, so perhaps his decision reflects the airplane’s flying characteristics. 

This Brunner-Winkle Bird has 1,020 hours on the airframe and 208 hours on its Continental W670-16 engine. Early Birds were designed to use the Curtiss OX-5 V-8 engine. Later models used Kinner 5-cylinder radials. Upgrades continued over the decades to include more powerful engines like the Continental.

Pilots looking for a between-the-wars biplane that you do not see every day should take a look at this 1929 Brunner-Winkle Bird Model A, which is available for $90,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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