I was thinking about building an aircraft for quite some time. Since I fly and love old stuff, I was looking for a 'back to basics' aircraft. While searching the web I came across the Dormoy Bathtub back in 2012. Its authenticity and simplicity made me look into the possibility of building it.

It became clear that M. Kimbrel already designed and built a replica in 1979. He kindly provided me with his plans. This was the start of the project.
To get a grasp on the hand drawn plans, I have put an effort in digitalizing them. It also gave me the opportunity to do changes on the design.
The biggest change is the use of a modified Citroen visa 2 cylinder engine as a powerplant, instead of the 4 cylinder 40hp VW. From my point of view, this engine suits the concept better. It is more simple, smaller and will provide enough power. 
Building will be done mostly at home in my dads workshop using only basic tools. The amount of recycled parts will be as high as possible. One reason is to keep the price low. The other reason is, if the pioneers couldn't buy it, why should we? This challenge makes the project more exciting, challenging and above all nostalgic.

 

Simon 
7/01/2014