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 Summary

The Bee Aviation Wee Bee was an ultralight aircraft designed and built by William F. "Bill" Chana, Kenneth Coward, Karl Montijo, and Jim Wilder.This collection consists of one digital print of a photograph showing the Bee Aviation Wee Bee at the Daily Express International Air Pageant held at Gatwick Airport, UK in 1949.

 Biographical / Historical

The Bee Aviation Wee Bee was an ultralight aircraft designed and built by William F. "Bill" Chana, Kenneth Coward, Karl Montijo, and Jim Wilder. The aircraft weighed only 150 pounds and was operated by a pilot strapped face-down atop the fuselage. Only one prototype of the Wee Bee, aircraft registration number NX90840, was produced.

 Identifier

NASM.2024.0011

Date

1949

Provenance

William F. Chana, Gift, 1998, NASM.2024.0011.

Extent

0.01 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of one 4.5 by 7 inch digital print of a photograph showing the Bee Aviation Wee Bee at the Daily Express International Air Pageant held at Gatwick Airport, UK in 1949. Karl Montijo is strapped on the aircraft and Betty Skelton is standing beside it. In the background, Kenneth Coward is visible.

Arrangement note

Collection is a single item.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Citation

Bee Aviation Wee Bee Photograph, NASM.2024.0011, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics

Air pilots

Women air pilots

Bee Aviation Wee Bee

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs