USA homebuilt wrth European roots?

[walter]

Below 2 photos of a US homebuilt that may have European origins. The aircraft is in the FAA register as the Moody Siple Model A, has carried the N73HS in the past and at present is N78RB. It is for sale on the barnstormers.com site. Alledgedly it was designed+ built in Europe (France? for EADS?) and it seems the parts/components were imported in the USA. See the forum correspondence in 2008 on: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?s=7ecc8639ed57595bea8ba6d0deda2896&t=25171)
The timeline is confusing. EADS was only formed in the late 1990s, but the FAA register quotes A/W date 11/06//1985.
Anyone cares to solve this?

 

[Jemiba]

As you mention EADS, it reminds me of the Gardan GY-80 Horizon, which was built by
Sud Aviation, later SOCATA, so a kind of relation to EADS could be seen.

(photo from http://www.planespotters.net/Aviation_Photos/search.php?tag=Gardan+GY-80+Horizon++)

 

[cluttonfred]

I could find nothing in the EAA Sport Aviation archives or Aerofiles.com or Aviafrance.com, but I agree that it does have a certain Yves Gardan look about it.

 

[Bill Walker]

Looks very much like a Saunders Cheetah to me. I lost track of the whereabouts of the only prototype after the Quebec based firm went broke in about 1970. There is one photo in Molson's book "Canadian Aircraft Since 1909".

 

[walter]

Hi Bill
You may be up to something?! I did not realize how much the two are look-alikes. Engine (Lyc. O-540 series) is same, window arrangement may be slightly different and if I remember well, the Cheetah had a fixed gear, whereas N73HS/N78RB is accused of initially having a retractable gear.
Photo of the Cheetah for comparison.

 

[famvburg]

Overall it makes me think of the old Piper PA-24 Comanche, especially that cowling, spinner, prop and landing gear, whether the gear is retractable or not.

 

[Bill Walker]

When the first Saunders closed they were working on a Super Cheetah with retractable gear. Walter, that is the picture in Molson's book. Look closely at the window shape, there are curtains on the inside of the rear side windows. I think the metal cut out looks very much like your first pictures.

 

[martinedo]

Hi Bill
You may be up to something?! I did not realize how much the two are look-alikes. Engine (Lyc. O-540 series) is same, window arrangement may be slightly different and if I remember well, the Cheetah had a fixed gear, whereas N73HS/N78RB is accused of initially having a retractable gear.
Photo of the Cheetah for comparison.

Want to add this photo of Clairco Cheetah CF-RSA-X designed by David Saunders and built by Aircraft Industries of Canada Ltd., first flown September 22, 1964 - don't know the fate of this ac...

 

[martinedo]

Below 2 photos of a US homebuilt that may have European origins. The aircraft is in the FAA register as the Moody Siple Model A, has carried the N73HS in the past and at present is N78RB. It is for sale on the barnstormers.com site. Alledgedly it was designed+ built in Europe (France? for EADS?) and it seems the parts/components were imported in the USA. See the forum correspondence in 2008 on: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?s=7ecc8639ed57595bea8ba6d0deda2896&t=25171)
The timeline is confusing. EADS was only formed in the late 1990s, but the FAA register quotes A/W date 11/06//1985.
Anyone cares to solve this?

N73HS was registered already between Jan 12, 1978 and Jul 25, 1991 - https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/5681870/part-1-amcar-special/293
It looks deceptively similar to the Clairco Super Cheetah, built 1964 - fate unknown!!
EADS was founded as recently as Jul 10, 2000!!
What if the Clairco Super Cheetah and the Moody Siple are the same??