P-51 Pedal Plane Build

May 20, 2009

A Pedal Plane for Jocelyn.....Ok, it's more for my enjoyment but for her to enjoy!

A few years ago while walking around the NAS Oceana Airshow in 2003, my girlfriend at the time and I came upon a children section that had a few different types of airplane toys, and one of the toys that the kids were playing with was these unique pedal planes! The Christian Eagle one is most appealing, as is the Taylorcraft and Cub, (not on the website, but I've seen the pics! Beautiful!) but I want a Warbird. Being the giant airplane geek that I am, I decided then that I would build one for my child when the time comes!

That time is here! My daughter is expected on September 19th, and while I was rooting for a boy on the first try, I'm sure my daughter will get a kick out of this plane once she is old enough! Reality is I could wait until she is 3-7 (the recommended age) but I have a special paint scheme in mind and I want to have this plane completed before my move in July. I have the house about ready, so why not!!??

I must confess, I actually first learned of these pedal planes when I was in my teens. I remember thinking how I wish I had one when I was a kid. I thought that too about Power Wheels. I decided that I would wait until after I finished college to start this project, since being active duty Navy, married with a kid on the way, and 28 is enough to balance at once.

Onward to the project!

I wanted to catalog the build on a web page, so I decided Blogger might be the best route. I found a VERY informative builder website here and found it informative and comprehensive, but even with the directions and these references, I sometimes found myself scratching my head at these instructions and plans. I decided to catalog the build, explain some parts of the build that seemed vague to me, and hopeful help out others that might have had the same questions. Another good site that covers some of the build (pictures are a little small) can be found here.
After viewing his web page, I decided that if he could do it with little woodworking skills, so could I!

The P-51 Pedal Plan plans, and a variety of other planes, are available from Aviation Products, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You can also purchase various hardware kits are available direct from them as well, which would cut the build down in time, but not expense. You can also find these plans from Other sources as well, including Cherry Tree Toys, EAA, and Aircraft Spruce. The plans are around $22. depending on the retailer you purchase them from. I purchase the plans today, so hopefully they will arrive soon! Stay tuned!