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A yellow and white Druine Turbulent aircraft.

Druine Turbulent

The Turbulent was designed by Frenchman Roger Druine in the 1950s as a homebuild microlight aircraft.

This Turbulent was fitted with a 1.5 litre Volkswagen car engine. The fuel gauge was made from a knitting needle with a cork float.

This aeroplane was built by John Sharp in his house in Airdrie. The wing was constructed across a hallway into bedrooms on either side. The family had to crawl under the wing each night on their way to bed. Final assembly of the aircraft was completed in a local school playground around 1967. 

Date:  1967
Mark: D31
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Passengers: 0
Top speed: 109 mph (175 km/h)
Range: 250 miles (402 km)

The side of a yellow and white Druine Turbulent aircraft inside a hangar.

The Druine Turbulent inside the Civil Aviation hangar at the National Museum of Flight.

A white fuel guage with a red top on a Druine Turbulent aircraft.

The knitting needle fuel gauge with a cork float on the Druine Turbulent.

Cockpit view

Inside a Druine Turbulent aircraft cockpit

The cockpit of the Druine Turbulent in the Civil Aviation hangar of the National Museum of Flight. 

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