Headwind  Specs

The prototype Headwind was built over a period of 5 months and was first flown on March 28, 1962. The airplane flew well right off the drawing board but in the intervening years, many structural (to simplify and make it easier to build) and aerodynamic improvements have been made to the design so that now the only part of the original design still used is the engine mount and the portion of the fuselage between the cockpit and the stabilizer. Everything else is new.

In the forty some years that the Headwind has been in existence, many examples have been built all over the world. Well over one hundred airplanes are now in service powered by a variety of engines, however, only the Volkswagen engine is shown on the plans. No other engine data is published.

The Headwind was the first design to use the Volkswagen engine in the United States and much development work was required to get the engine to it's full potential as an aircraft engine. The most important development in the engine work was the design and patenting of a propeller speed reducing unit (PSRU) to allow the engine to develop it's full horsepower. I named the unit the "Maximizer" and have the name protected. This PSRU design now forms the basis of all belt driven small engine PSRU's in use worldwide on engines powering everything from Ultralights to airboats. A twin engine version was also designed, developed and patented and flown extensively in the middle 1970's and early '80's in various Ultralight aircraft.

Headwind Models

The Headwind drawings were issued in the folowing order:

Headwind 1961 Original airplane

Headwind A 1969 The wing and empennage were completely redesigned. The wing with a different airfoil (new 4412, old 2412) with the angle of incidence changed, four feet more wingspan, Frise type ailerons, plywood ribs and simplified internal parts. The vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were completely redone and reshaped with aerodynamic balances incorporated.

Headwind B 1971 The fuselage was entirely changed from the engine mount to the station aft of the seat, adding two more inches of cockpit length, removing some structural members from the cockpit and flattening the fuselage profile in the cockpit area. This made it possible to incorporate a landing gear with shock absorption via rubber pucks in compression and a change to smaller wheels and tires. The method of attaching the tail to the fuselage was also revised.The result of all this is an airplane with a totally changed appearance and better performance in all categories.

Headwind Tips

Your engine will operate much more efficiently with a reduction drive and the Headwind will also perform better due to the larger propeller and the reduced disk loading of the prop.

The wingspan of the Headwind is 28’3” and the fuselage length is about 17’9” depending on the engine configuration. The airplane stands just over 5’ with the tail down. The cockpit is 24” wide and several pilots over 6’ report that they’re comfortable in the airplane. Most builders state their empty weights at just over 500 pounds and the gross weight of the airplane is 750 pounds. The prototype weighed 426 pounds. Cruise speed is on average 85 MPH and stalls are 35-40 MPH. It’s a docile little airplane and anyone with some Cub or Champ type experience will have no trouble flying the Headwind.

There have been many write-ups on Headwinds over the years. KITPLANES had one several years ago. I have some of the builders and owners who answer questions about the airplane via email. If you have an email address please send me a note and I’ll forward some pictures of Headwinds that have been built.

There have been many different engines installed in the Headwind by builders but I only have drawings for the Volkswagen.

Don Stewart