Hummel Bird
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Hummel Bird is Morry Hummel's tiny single-seat all-metal low-wing, a plans-built development of the Teenie Two: 18 ft span, 300 lb empty and 530 lb gross on a half-Volkswagen two-cylinder engine of 32-45 hp, with Hummel's figures of 87-100 knots cruise, a 33-knot stall and 170 nm on 6 gallons.
The Hummel Bird is among the smallest aeroplanes on the register and it fits a small pilot: 230 lb of useful load including fuel, a cockpit that excludes most tall people, and a two-cylinder car-engine conversion that an owner has to understand and maintain, since no certified parts chain exists. It is also one of the cheapest aeroplanes to build and fly, and the all-metal construction is simple to inspect; the builder's rivet work and the engine's cooling installation are what matter. There is no two-seat version, so tailwheel and light-aircraft currency come first. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; Hummel Aviation still sells plans and engine parts.
Variants of the Hummel Bird
- Hummel Bird · 26 active · this page
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TAILFAX SCORE
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Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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Put Hummel Bird side by side with up to three other models.
- Hummel Bird
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What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Half-Volkswagen two-cylinder conversion (32-45 hp) |
| Horsepower | 32 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 87 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 170 nm |
| Service ceiling | 10,000 ft |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 33 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 230 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 530 lb |
| Empty weight | 300 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 81 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 26 |
| Median year built | 2005 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 0 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 6 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 23.08 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 26 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 26 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 26 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 2.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.7 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 7 · scores Sep 30