DSK Duster explained

The BJ-1 Dyna Mite, or California Sailplanes Duster^[1] was a sailplane designed by Ben Jansson in the United States in the 1960s for homebuilding.

Design and development

A conventional shoulder-wing design with conventional empennage, no component of the BJ-1 exceeds 18 ft (5.5 m) in length, in order to facilitate building and storage in a domestic garage. Construction throughout was of wood, apart from a few mouldings (like the nosecone) made of fiberglass. The BJ-1 Dyna Mite first flew in 1966.

The rough building sketches from Ben Janssons prototype design from 1963, were refined by Hank Thor and the BJ-1B Duster plans were released in 1971 featuring a lighter weight, extended wingspan and a lower canopy that required the pilot to fly it semi-reclined. By 1977, more than 200 sets of plans had been sold. In total 371 sets of plans were sold and DSK (Duster Sailplane Kits) sold about 169 kits.

Variants

BJ-1 'Dyna Mite'

BJ-1B 'Duster'

Aircraft on display

• US Southwest Soaring Museum - prototype^[2]

References

• Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 347 .
• Book: Hardy, Michael . Gliders and Sailplanes of the World . 1982 . Ian Allan . Shepperton . 30 .
• Book: Coates, Andrew . Jane's World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders . 1978 . MacDonald and Jane's . London . 167 .
• Book: Simons, Martin . Sailplanes 1965-2000 . 2004 . EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH (2004).
• Book: Thor, Hank . Building the BJ-1B Duster Plans Number 168 . 1971. editions .

External links

• http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraft/Duster-Sailplane/duster.php
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070617044316/http://www.sailplanedirectory.com/PlaneDetails.cfm?planeID=94

Notes and References

1. Air Trails. Summer 1971. 84.
2. Web site: Sailplanes, Hang Gliders & Motor Gliders. 26 May 2011. US Southwest Soaring Museum. US Southwest Soaring Museum. 2010.