Homebuilders have always liked unusual configurations. The delta wing was hot in the early ’60s, with Convair’s F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart, as well as the Saab Draken. John Dyke started with the JD-1, which first flew in 1962. A fire from a welding accident a few years later led to the improved Delta JD-2, completed in 1966 and marketed in plans form.
The Dyke Delta uses an unusual mix of construction methods. Welded steel tube for structure, with a fiberglass covering on top and fabric below. The wings quickly fold over the fuselage. A local friend kept his in a hangar with a Volksplane and a KR-2.
A four-seater, but it lacked conventionality there, too: The pilot sat in a single command chair up front, with a bench seat for three people behind. A Lycoming O-360 in the nose provides excellent performance, with cruise speed listed as between 155 and 180 mph plus a 1500 fpm rate of climb.
However, the performance didn’t come without cost, in the form of a higher-than-normal stall speed. Sources show a stall speed of around 70-75 mph with an approach speed over 100 mph. In an NTSB accident report (LAX96LA003), Dyke described the stall as a mush “resulting in a high sink rate and temporary loss of control.” The aircraft sits with a relatively high angle on the ground and the bottom of the wing slopes down so that the trailing edge leaves only a foot or so gap beneath it for the air to whoosh through during landing. Two of the eight or so NTSB accident reports include landing gear failure. But whether they were due to the aircraft configuration, gear configuration or pilot mistakes we have no way to tell.
From the point of view of the aviation photographer, the Delta is a challenge: A Delta on the ground looks like a broody hen protecting a clutch of eggs. Once in the air, though, the plane is quite beautiful.
Though still unconventional. Years ago, I attended an outdoor folk music concert when a strange sound made everyone look up. My friend’s Delta was crossing directly overhead, bound for the nearby airport. The musician on the stage looked up and said, “Huh…a flying guitar pick.”
The FAA database shows that about 38 Dyke Deltas have been added to the US registry over the years. Fifteen are still listed as having active registrations.
