Wheeler Express—Yesteryear’s Homebuilts

MAD magazine once published a parody of the old “Give a man an inch…” aphorism that ended, “Give a man a yard, and he wants a swimming pool put in it.”

The Wheeler Express promised the swimming pool, a floating bar and a colorful cabana stocked with scantily clad models of one’s favorite gender. Not only was it a sleek composite design that promised (and largely delivered) outstanding performance, it was a four-seater.

Ken Wheeler was quite open about the development of the Express, talking to local EAA chapters and inviting visitors into the shop. He even taught a certain young aviation writer the difference between “resin” and “rosin” without making him feel like a total idiot. It made its Oshkosh debut in 1987.

The Express had two interesting design features. First was the cruciform tail. Several GA manufacturers and homebuilt designers had dabbled with T-tails in the ’70s and ’80s, but the cruciform design was rare.

Second, the fuselage—unlike generations of plastic models and the practices of other kit manufacturers—was divided into top and bottom halves, not left and right. This meant you could install the panel and interior with good access and lower the top half into the bottom when ready.

Two accidents involving company demonstrator aircraft soured the future of the company. The first, in October 1989, actually improved the reputation of the Express. There was considerable concern at the time regarding crashworthiness of composite airframes, and the two occupants of Express N200EX walked away with minor injuries after slamming into several houses after engine failure.

No such luck in the crash of the second demonstrator, on its way to Oshkosh the following July. It spun in on the way, killing the four people aboard. The company never really recovered, going bankrupt two years later.

The NTSB ruled the second crash as pilot error, but later evidence came to light regarding poor yaw stability and inadequate low-speed control. This was noted in a performance evaluation by the CAFÉ Foundation published in 1997. At least one later accident has been attributed to poor low-speed stability.

The design went through several owners, with various modifications and sold under different names. The Express was most recently sold by Composite Aircraft Technology. The design has been modified to include more tail area—and it eliminated the cruciform design.

About 100 examples have been added to the FAA registry, of which about 55 are still active.