(From Sport Aviation (Experimenter), 01/1955, Page 12)
By Leo J. Kohn
Photography by J.S. Zagoroday
Speeds up to 250 mph. in a dive and 200 mph. in level flight have been chalked up by this “Knight Twister”, another classic example of this popular breed of sport airplanes.
This beautiful version came into being through the honest and able efforts of Louie Lowery and Merritt Roakes. Original financial backing for the project came from a Mr. Henry M. Dingley, Jr., a flight service operator in Sky Harbor, Maine, and in whose shop, this little airplane was built. However, it has since been acquired outright by Lowery, and it is now based at the Westfield, Massachusetts airport.
Like almost all of the other “Knight Twisters”, this one has been redesigned considerably. This redesigning from the original is what gives all these little biplanes their mark of individuality. Perhaps the most obvious change is in the engine, and it is probably the most powerful “Twister” yet built. The original engine was a souped up Lycoming O-235-C1, increased from 108 hp. to 125 hp., but the engine has since been replaced with a 135 hp. Lycoming O-290-D1.
With all this power for such a small airplane, it is a small wonder that it leaves the ground in less than 300 feet of take-off run, and can put air beneath itself at a rate of 1800 to 2000 feet per minute. An Aeromatic propellor coupled with the engine accounts for the exceptional performance.
Requiring two years of spare time work, the ship cost about 2500 dollars. There were no salvaged parts used in the construction of the airframe and wings, and the whole ship has a thirty-five coat hand-rubbed finish.
Lowery recently recovered the fuselage, after making a few more modifications, such as the new engine, and a brand new bubble canopy which was formed and blown in a bakery oven.
A spring steel landing gear is fitted onto the ship, and a large brightly painted spinner and wheel pants from a Cessna 140 really give it a snappy appearance. Only the following additional specifications are available:
| Length | 14 feet |
| Wing span | Upper: 15 feet Lower: 13 feet |
| Registration number | N-13N(X) |
| Wing loading | over 16 lbs. per sq. foot. |
Webmaster’s Note: For more information about this aircraft and its flying qualities, please see the article A Knight Twister Flight Report in the September 1963 edition of Sport Aviation (page 29).