Tom and Elise Baker Pietenpol Air Camper

Additional Information:

The Pietenpol Air Camper is a simple parasol wing homebuilt aircraft designed by Bernard H. Pietenpol. The first prototype named the “Air Camper” was built and flown by Pietenpol in 1928. The Air Camper was designed to be built of spruce and plywood and one of Pietenpol’s goals was to create a plane that was affordable and easy to construct for home builders. Building an Air Camper required basic woodworking skills and tools. Builders also needed to fabricate and weld some of the metal fittings needed to attach to the wooden pieces. The plans for the Pietenpol Air Camper were originally published in a four-part “Flying and Glider” manual in 1932 and 1933.

In 2015, the Pietenpol Aircraft Company again introduced a kit version of the Air Camper, with components supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. The kit includes all parts except the engine, dope, fabric covering, and hardware.

This Pietenpol Air Camper, N-8051-B, was a do-it-yourself kit from the 1930s. Albuquerque residents Tom and Elise Baker built this aircraft from a set of original plans in 1977. The aircraft crashed on its second flight from Albuquerque’s Coronado Airport injuring Tom. He later rebuilt the aircraft and flew in again on March 20, 1981.

The photo of a Pietenpol was taken in Las Lunas, New Mexico on February 27, 1983.

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