Explaining the reasons and choices

Why a Flying Flea?

I loved the Flying Flea from the start i saw them as a kid in a book. They are very remarkable. Little did i know then about the qualities of the Flying Flea. It is really a good airplane for beginners. It flies very easy and it is a forgiving airplane. It is less sensitive to turbulences.

Why all aluminium?

Most Flying Fleas were made in wood. I like that way of constructing too, but ...it demands a lot of time. I wanted to create something that gets people in the air. Even the impatient ones.

Consider this airplane mostly as: put part A to part B and ...rivet / bolt. It should mostly be that easy.

Why only 2 axis steering?

Even though the Flying Flea has just two  axis, it is a very very good turner. Flying Fleas are known to make VERY sharp turns if needed.
One story goes of Michel d' Escatha making a figure 8 above a American football field without going outside the field lines. And ...he was flying a two-seater Flying Flea.

There is also another benefit which i would like to display:

  1. If you are only using 2 axis to control a airplane, you only need to have a stick.
  2. If you only use a stick, you don't have the need to pedals to control your airplane.
  3. If you don't need pedals ...you don't need to control your feet.
  4. So ...even disabled persons can use this airplane to fly.

Who is Nest of Dragons?

My real name is Koen Van de Kerckhove (Koen is pronounced as racoon without the ra). I am from Belgium, Europe. I am a ex-teacher.

Well, i am just a normal guy with a long time love for airplanes. I always had a passion for all the weird looking designs. And i love to tell others in my website why they were made that way and ...why sometimes they are better than conventional airplanes.

This was my way of doing for about 2 decades. The website gained followers due to the fact that not many sites cover these weird airplanes. The website grew with the viewers as i added their remarks/advise to the site.

Recently i got in contact with guys that could help me with what i miss to design my own airplanes. These aeronautical engineers, Predrag Devic and his team, were able to calculate the design i hope to create. Together we took the challenge to create a FAR103 airplane for a beginner pilot of 100 kg (220 lbs).

Now ...the dreaming part for me has finished. I continue my love for aviation with the building part. I just hope to see more people realize their dream of real flight with my work. And ...if it would be possible to see disabled young persons fly my designs, i would have honored a promise i made 3 decades ago.