N704Z
Bowlus BZ-1
by
Mike Bowlus

 

The BZ-1 was started in 1967 by Clark Frazier of Bluffton, Ohio, under the name Zeus II. The project was abandoned and purchased by Michael Bowlus of Worthington, Ohio in 1978. The wing is built from the Schreder HP-11 design shortened to 15 meters. Bowlus hinged the ailerons at the bottom and built a complete set of undercambered flaps and ailerons using the HP-18 bonding technique. The flap and ailerons interconnect and the flaps go to 90 degrees for landing. The forward fuselage is a modified military "drop tank" attached to a custom designed tail cone. The HP-11 also provided the design for the tail surfaces. This vee-tail, retractable-gear beauty will run with ASW-20s and the original Ventus up to around 75 kts.

Span
49.2 ft.
Area
102 sq. ft.
Aspect ratio
23.7
Airfoil
NACA 65-618
Empty weight
480 lbs.
Payload
220 lbs.
Gross weight
700 lbs.
Wing loading
5.86 lbs./sq. ft.
L/D max
37 @ 55 mph
Min. sink
120 ft./min @ 50 mph