Dave Williams' beautifully built Dyke Delta at Oshkosh 2010
I can still remember being somewhere in the EAA campground at Oshkosh in about 1970 or 1971 and hearing John Dyke talking to someone about his Jetsons-like Dyke Delta. Even as a 10 year old I knew this airplane was something very special. I assumed then that the Dyke Delta would be built in large numbers because of its incredible look, its 3-1/2 place cabin, and the relatively high cruise speed of 170mph+ on 180hp. But for whatever reason, this high-performance flying machine never really caught on with homebuilders... only 50 or so have been built from the plans (no kits were available) despite the fact that the prototype for the JD-2 Delta has accumulated over 2,000 hours of flying time since its first flight in 1966.
Dave Williams' Dyke Delta in flight (photo: eaa.org)
Maybe the look was just too far into the future for people? I don't think that's it, but I did figure that the Dyke Delta is a perfect subject for an Awesome or Ugly poll. As I mentioned in the last AorU poll, every unusual design I've picked so far is one I personally think is awesome. That continues here with the Dyke Delta, which I think is one of the coolest collection of thoughts to ever wind up sitting on the flightline at Oshkosh. You avgeeks in the AirPigz camp usually agree with me, so let's find out again... please answer the poll question below: is the Dyke Delta awesome or ugly??
read more about John Dyke and his Delta in this EAA experimenter article from 2009
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