These pages contain information on building and flying an experimental aircraft powered by a Subaru car engine conversion.
The plane is a Menestrel HN 700 - all wood plans only two seater intended for a Limbach 2000 and designed by Henry Nicolier end of 1980.
Builders
The building of Menestrel started in Sweden 1991 by Kent and Krister and continued in Finland 1999. The first flight was performed in midsummer 2003 by Onni Viljamaa at the Hyvinkää airport (EFHV).
Kent Pettersson, Sweden
Krister Bratt, Sweden
Kari Skog, Finland
Niko Raudasoja, Finland
Niko Eiden, Finland
Thanks
Seppo and Juha Tamminen
Provided the building place, most of the tools and endless support. The project wouldn't have been possible without them.
Seppo Pulkkinen
Our supervisor - he kept us focused especially on the safety factors and shared his experience in building his own Super Menestrel.
Onni Viljamaa "Onska"
Our flight instructor and test-pilot. Onska flew the first 20 hours together with us.
Jukka Kallio
Machined the prophub and flywheel.
Pertti Kinnunen
Advice and support on all the composite parts.
"Tipi"
Porting of the Subaru engine cylinder heads.
Matti Malkki
Welding of the engine mount and various other parts.
Rauno Pylvänäinen
Custom fabricated the material for our exhaust pipe.
Tikkurila - the paint company
Europe had run out of Randolf thinner and the Tikkurila paint laboratory manufactured 20 L replacement thinner in exchange to a strawberry cake. The "Tikkurila aircraft thinner" was slightly slower than the Randolpf and it helped to avoid blushing - after all it even worked better than the original!