Corben Baby Ace — Original 1933 Construction Plans

Corben Baby Ace — The Sporty Single-Place Parasol That Defined a Generation

The Corben Baby Ace is one of the most charming and influential American homebuilt aircraft designs of the 1930s. Designed by Orland Corben around 1929-1932, the Baby Ace is a single-place parasol monoplane prized for its clean lines, sprightly performance, and approachable construction. Mechanix Illustrated republished the design in 1955 and triggered a second wave of construction that lasted into the modern era. This download is the original article from the 1933 Flying and Glider Manual.

What’s Inside the Download

• 5 pages of original 1933 Corben Baby Ace construction content
• Specifications and performance figures
• Construction notes covering fuselage, wing, and tail surfaces
• Period photographs of completed Baby Ace examples
• Engine installation guidance for Continental A65 and similar small engines

Single-Place Parasol Monoplane — Light, Sporty, and Friendly to Build

The Corben Baby Ace is a small parasol-winged monoplane with a welded steel-tube fuselage, wood wing structure, and fabric covering. Compared to its contemporary the Heath Parasol, the Baby Ace is slightly more refined aerodynamically and was praised in its era for sportier handling.

Performance and Specifications

• Configuration: Single-seat parasol monoplane, open cockpit
• Wingspan: 26 ft 5 in (8.05 m)
• Length: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
• Empty weight: ~520 lb (236 kg)
• Engine options: Continental A65 (65 hp), Lycoming O-145, Aeronca E-113
• Cruise: ~85 mph (137 km/h)
• Stall: ~35 mph (56 km/h)
• Construction: Welded steel-tube fuselage, wood wing, fabric covering

Who Should Build the Corben Baby Ace

This is an excellent build for the intermediate amateur with light welding skills. Expect 1,000-1,500 hours of construction time. The Baby Ace lineage produced many later variants (the EAA Baby Ace, the Jr Ace, the Super Ace) — building from the original 1933 plans gives access to the design’s most authentic form.

About This Document — Period Reprint

This PDF is sourced from the 1933 edition of Modern Mechanics and Inventions Flying and Glider Manual, a public-domain US publication. Many Baby Ace builders today work primarily from the 1955 Mechanix Illustrated reprint, but having the original 1933 article is the cleanest historical source.

Related Plans on Plans for U

See also: Heath Parasol — Original Construction Plans, Pietenpol Air Camper — Original 1933 Plans, and other listings under Aircraft Plans and Vintage Plans.