Now and then a deviation from the pure and clear aerobatic path is needed. However to fully renounce on some easy stunts will soon become rather boring. A biplane is a welcome change, and if it’s an imitation of one of those “wire boxes” from earliest times of aviation this should be great fun.

Many of these airplanes had rather short fuselage noses which don’t lend themselves very well to be adapted to a stunt model. Thus the British BE2 was chosen. Apart from the dimensions several special details are quite suitable to produce an airplane which is easily recognizable. An easy to reproduce sheet metal engine cowling, the open cockpits, the characteristic fin shape, and the thin legged undercarriage are hard to resist.

The BE2 had a span of 112 cm ( 44 inch ), wing area 45 sq dm ( ~69 sq inch ), and was flown with an HP 40. By modern standards a 60 engine would have been the correct size - and the airplane would have needed it !

The BE2 kind of stumbled through the corners and the more difficult manoeuvres would have required a little imagination by a judge to recognize them clearly , would it ever have been flown in a contest. But of course it was not ! Nevertheless the BE2 did all the manoeuvres with the grace of a drunken condor and it was great fun to fly. That’s what it was built for.