Rose Parrakeet Explained
The
Rose Parrakeet was a single-seat sporting
biplane produced in small numbers in the United States during the 1930s. It was a conventional design with staggered single-bay wings of equal span braced by N-struts. The cockpit was open, and the fixed
tailskid undercarriage had divided main units. An unusual feature was the use of a single strut in place of the usual
flying wires.
Development
Only eight Parrakeets were built by Rose, but the design proved a popular one with homebuilders in the 1950s. Rights to produce kits of the Parrakeet were purchased by Hannaford Aircraft in 1948, and the design was marketed as the Hannaford Bee with structural modifications to strengthen weak points.[1] Kits were marketed right up to the point of Hannaford founder Foster Hannaford's death in 1971, and plans continued to be sold into the 1980s. In 1968, Doug Rhinehart obtained a licence from Jack Rose to produce five all-new Parrakeets.
Variants
- Rose A-1 Parrakeet
various engines fitted to the prototype, including a 40hp Continental A-40, a Henderson, and a 50hp Menasco. Eight built of -1,-2 and -3 versions
- Rose A-2F Parrakeet
50hp Franklin.
- Rose A-2P Parrakeet
50hp Poyer.
- Rose A-3F Parrakeet
60hp Franklin.
- Rose A-4 Parrakeet
Four built with Continental A-65 or Continental C-85 engines.
- Rhinehart-Rose A-4C Parrakeet
Revived in the 1970s'fitted with a Continental O-200, five built.References
Notes and References
- Experimenter. Mr. Hannaford's Bee. April 1955.
