The Mighty Wimpy: The Oregon Homebuilt Airplane that Inspired the Experimental Aircraft Movement

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Designed in 1935 by Les Long of Cornelius, Oregon, this low-wing Oregon homebuilt named Wimpy helped inspire some of the most significant designs and the early history of the experimental aircraft movement. It also speaks to the innovative spirit of depression era pilots and amateur aircraft builders.
Learn how a team of volunteers with the Oregon Aviation Historical Society restored this beautiful airplane and have kept this story alive!
Please help support the Oregon Aviation Historical Society:
oregonaviation.org/donate
If you have enjoy this content please like, subscribe, and share this video with others. We'd love to make more videos in partnership with the museum!
Production credit: James Krzmarzick, Cinematographer
Archival Materials from: Oregon Aviation Historical Society, Oregon Historical Society, National Archives, and the personal collections of Annette Buswell Whittington and Dave Hedberg
Special thanks to Mr. John Patton for his oral histories of Beaverton Outlaws in the 1970s!
Editor and Producer: Dave Hedberg, Outdoor History Consulting
www.outdoorhistoryconsulting....
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Пікірлер: 64

@Rileydelp_34L

Becoming a pilot here in Eugene Oregon and it’s cool seeing history in Oregon

@mikmerl1

fabulous video

@Andernol

As an engineering student at Oregon State, I'd love the opportunity to build and fly my own experimental plane. Oregon State has an incredible engineering program, and especially Aerospace Engineering and it's always really cool to learn more about Oregon's storied history with flying.

@elosogonzalez8739

I grew up in Albuquerque, NM and as a boy, I was always hanging out at the different airports with my dad. There was a man that built about a dozen airplanes. All uniquely his design. Some fast; Most of them slow, and several as I remember were down right ugly, but each one was finished by a very talented man with a love for flight and a love of building something with his own hands. He was an inspiration to everyone at the airport and to this kid. RIP Lou.

@dogsnmore

Fantastic video! Thank you for sharing. I feel I have some indirect connections with this video. 1. The hot dog stand mentioned in the video, I currently own and operate a hot dog cart, 2. My father use to work at the B-24 bomber plant (Willow Run) during the war, so there's a change the Mr. Long flew in one of the planes that my father had touched. 3. I use to live in Portland and Milwaukee, Oregon, been to a few airshows in Beaverton, and 4. even flew out of some of the same airports that Mr. Long flew out of.

@michaelbare5380

Outstanding presentation!

@davidpirtle1076

Very wonderful history. The Wimpy is a beautiful and timeless design and looks "just right"

@WilliamFHills

I own a Fly Baby, great to hear this wonderful story of its heritage! Thank you!!

@JK-zq9vw

To go from man’s first powered flight to landing on the moon in a single century is amazing! These little planes inspired thousands to get behind a stick and fly. I’ve worked on a very large aircraft and luckily got to do some minor work on some historical as well(very little). I will say that I’ve been scared to fly in small aircraft. Still, the technology and the history is inspiring!

@jimpawa5793

My parents moved to Lakeview in 1958 and I remember meeting Mr Buswell at the airport. I don’t remember why I was there (approximately 60+ years ago) what I do remember how he talked to us about flying. I left Lakeview in 1970 for a 20+ year career in the USCG. I found this video by chance and really enjoyed watching it and the great memory that brought back to me. My mother was with me, she had painted business signs around town, Mr Buswell happily showed us the logo for his business of a bee buzzing a well. All great memories that I felt I’d never recall again. He was a really nice person.

@michaelbishton9439

Thank you for putting together and sharing this important bit of experimental aviation history.

@BrilliantDesignOnline

Funny how now the largest popular manufacturer of kit planes is located just down I-5 in Aurora, OR, Van's Aircraft. Great vid. Much of my flying has been done in Oregon. I now fly my homebuilt canard Varieze to Newberg, OR from Montana to visit my son occasionally.

@alexkalish8288

Wonderful video, really a labor of love and aviation history. It's great they restored 'Wimpy', and saved it for the ages. The pioneer days are never coming back.

@JaymesEaston

This inspired me. I started imagining how would I want to build my own Wimpy. The first thing that came to mind was I would use modern bamboo laminates. I had a 1/2" about four by 12, and it drilled, cut, sand, and glued up beautifully. Since that was all I had of it, I left it outside for a year or too in a bucket that filled up by the rain, dried by the sun. Other than a black mold staining, there was no deterioration. Anyway, thank you.

@marttimattila9561

I have learned about Les Long from EAAs. Eperimenter magazines. This addet nice information about his career. I carve propellers, weld steel tubing and tinker with engines. Les money more skils. Thank You.