Robert H. Starr
Robert H. Starr | |
|---|---|
 Robert Starr with The Bumble Bee I | |
| Born | Robert Huie Starr Mason, Michigan |
| Died | 2009 Phoenix, Arizona |
| Known for | Worlds' Smallest Airplane Guinness Title |
Robert Huie Starr (February 6, 1924 – "June 15, 2009") was the designer, builder and pilot of The World's Smallest Piloted Airplane, the Starr Bumble Bee II. The Guinness Book of Records awarded The Bumble Bee the official world record title in 1985.[1]
In 1950, Mr. Starr was the primary test pilot of the previous world's smallest airplane record holders named Sky Baby and JR. The partnership on the Sky Baby project ended but he knew he could build a smaller more stable airplane. So, in 1980 at the age of 60 he designed and built the Bumble Bee I which he flew on January 28, 1984. He made modifications on his design and then built the Bumble Bee II the following year. He flew the Bumble Bee II on May 8, 1988 and broke his previous record. During one of the subsequent flights of the Bumble Bee II, the engine failed on downwind. The pilot Robert Starr sustained serious injuries as a result of the emergency landing. However, he recovered and the Bumble Bee II was donated to a private collection. The Bumble Bee I world record holder plane is on permanent display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
Over the years Mr. Starr had logged over 15,000 air hours in everything from Piper Cubs to the F-86 Sabre Jet. He was a fighter pilot in World War II and flew P-40’s & 51’s with the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers in China.
Excerpt from Mr. Starr's memoirs ..
"One morning a few of us received orders to fly down to Karachi, India. Our assignment was to bring back some of the new P-51 fighters to be put into service in Sian. We were on our way back to Sian when we encountered some rough weather.
We were flying at about 35,000 feet, just above the overcast. There was nothing but mountainous terrain below. My oxygen regulator stuck on full open and I couldn’t get it stopped. I realized that I had only a few minutes of oxygen left, so I immediately radioed the Flight Commander. I explained that I was unable to repair the oxygen regulator. My only option was to descend below the cloud ceiling. I started down, knowing the overcast was obscuring the mountains below.
I let down below the ceiling continuing straight ahead, and finally came out of the overcast between two tall mountains. I continued to dodge the mountains until I was almost out of fuel. I decided to bail out at about a thousand feet above ground level. So, I popped the canopy and exited the cockpit. My chute opened and I recall swinging twice and then touching down on the side of a canal embankment. I quickly ran to dry ground and gathered up my canopy. My first parachute jump!"
After his military service he flew P-51, 44's and F-86's in the California Air National Guard and spent a year on active duty with Air Defense off the southern California coast. During his duty with Air Defense Command he was scrambled to investigate bogies in radar range off the California coast. From Mr. Starr's memoirs .. "On several occasions, me and my wing man had visual confirmation of what could only be described as a UFO, mostly cigar shaped objects with no visible means of propulsion and yet each time we gave chase at full throttle, they left us behind as if we were standing still. I had many experiences with UFO sightings during my time with the Air National Guard".
In civilian life he had participated in most of the largest Air Shows in the United States and had also been a test pilot for experimental aircraft over the years.
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References
- ^ Trenner, Tricia (May 2006). "Think Small". Air and Space Smithsonian. 21 (1): 55.